61–70 of 114 posts
Just curious: Any parents in this thread? When did you give your kids smartphones? We're at the point where we replace our phones every two years, and plan on letting our kids use the old ones. (Probably wifi-only, mostly to keep costs under control.)
I would put this on par with being an anti-vaxxer. Not only are the kids not allowed smartphones but their internet access is apparently strictly monitored well into their teens. Good way to get your kids to hate you as soon as they move our. The author is just longing for an era that’s gone. It’s funny she mentions hanging out under bridges, drinking, and dating while also probably never letting her kids get anywher…
>I think my boys feel the same way about smartphones that I felt about Guess jeans—the ones with zippers at the ankles—in 1984. All the cool, pretty girls had a pair. My desire for the jeans was more about fitting in with the crowd than about the jeans themselves. The author is conflating 'fitting in' with communicating.
Just curious: Any parents in this thread? When did you give your kids smartphones? We're at the point where we replace our phones every two years, and plan on letting our kids use the old ones. (Probably wifi-only, mostly to keep costs under control.)
That said, I would consider giving a young teen or pre-teen a cell phone to start teaching them how to use it in a healthy way rather than deny them entirely. Very many adults have addictive phone habits and you can't keep your kids from making their own choices forever.
This is clearly written by an adult who forgot how most children behave. If they're the only ones without a smartphone, they'll be single out. Especially with how prevalent online communication has become. They might not be bullied (though they probably will be), but growing up as the outsider comes with is own can of worms. They'll most likely survive it, but it'll have it's effect... But everything has consequences…
I don't know, we didn't bully kids that didn't have a Nintendo/Sega/Playstation growing up, I'm not sure this is too much different. My son is 9 and wants a phone. He has a tablet. The only reason he can articulate for wanting a phone is that many of his friends have one, which is not a great reason. He has a specialized kids watch that is a phone, so he's covered on the "contact parents" front. Otherwise, he's never…
I think it's amazing that on a site that's supposedly filled with tech geeks, so few commenters seem to know the difference between spending time alone in your room in front a non-networked PC learning to code, and being glued to a networked smartphone no matter where you are, taking in a feed and waiting for the dopamine hit from a "like" or a share. Anyway, the public-spirited side of me sees responses like the one…
> My three kids will have attention spans and social skills, and will out-compete the smartphone-addicted children of these fools in every arena of adult life. until, you know, they decide to buy a smartphone as an adult, and over consume then
Just curious: Any parents in this thread? When did you give your kids smartphones? We're at the point where we replace our phones every two years, and plan on letting our kids use the old ones. (Probably wifi-only, mostly to keep costs under control.)
I spent some time learning about the family sharing and child restrictions available on the iPhones. I've been pleased with it. She only has the bare minimum apps and a couple educational ones (no social media yet, restricted web access), and is not able to add any without authorization by a parent on the account. We plan on allowing her to earn entertainment/game apps with good grades, etc. She reads like crazy, so we don't restrict access to books borrowed for free through a library app.
She is actually without it this week, as a result of discipline (nothing terrible, but an excellent bargaining chip we didn't have before). Great responsibly comes with bigger consequences.
I am not sure how we will handle instances of loss or damage, which are sure to occur. May have to contribute monetarily, work it off, be without it for a while, etc.
As other have mentioned, it is a fact of life now. It is important that they adopt the technology that is pervasive in our society. They need to be comfortable with it and have a healthy relationship with it. It is a large part of socializing now, which, again, is important to allow in a healthy, responsible way. I would rather be an early, involved part of that to help steer it when it inevitably goes slightly off course.
Edit: To add, I believe that as parents, our best teaching tool will be the way our kids view us using our phones. When, for what and how often. And I suck at it. I am way too prone to pulling out my phone and flipping through a feed at any idle moment. I know I need to set a better example. But we do have strict times, such as dinner or in certain social settings, where we don't. We need more of those times, and it is always a rewarding feeling when we do an activity as a family where I realize I didn't bother or even think to glance at my phone for hours. It is good to seek out more of those experiences, and our kids notice it.
This is clearly written by an adult who forgot how most children behave. If they're the only ones without a smartphone, they'll be single out. Especially with how prevalent online communication has become. They might not be bullied (though they probably will be), but growing up as the outsider comes with is own can of worms. They'll most likely survive it, but it'll have it's effect... But everything has consequences…
I get your point, but you not buying them a smartphone is not the same as them not beeing able to have one. I was in school when Gameboys were the thing everybody had. Besides the fact that I know many kids who grew up to be exceptionally fine people without having had one – many kids just had to save up their pocket money or earn it by mowing the lawn. I remember having had deals with my parents like: If I pay half,…
I would put this on par with being an anti-vaxxer. Not only are the kids not allowed smartphones but their internet access is apparently strictly monitored well into their teens. Good way to get your kids to hate you as soon as they move our. The author is just longing for an era that’s gone. It’s funny she mentions hanging out under bridges, drinking, and dating while also probably never letting her kids get anywher…
The reason being an anti-vaxxer is bad is because of a concept called "herd immunity." There is no analog, here. I think that not only do you not understand much about kids, but you also don't understand the analogy you're trying to use.
> I think that not only do you not understand much about kids, but you also don't understand the analogy you're trying to use.
I understand herd immunity lol but thank you for the lesson