Kids trying to play video games on school laptops • Hacker News Board

Re: Kids trying to play video games on school laptops

#51

Post by runnerup » Thu, Apr 27, 2023, 8:48 PM UTC

jollyllama wrote: post #14

amagrude wrote: post #8

Earlier quoted context omitted.

You control the network that device is on. Block and/or track access using that fact. I use a combination of DNS via https://1.1.1.1/ and WiFi/DHCP via https://eero.com/ . Works great. Yes. This should be way easier.

Until your kid learns how to boot linux and run aircrack-ng to get into the neighbor's wifi because you're restricting the internet access... Ask me how I know

Hahaha at that point I’m not sure anything works better than frequent and empathetic conversation. I’ve known kids in middle school figure out how to make $200 or so to buy their own devices to stash away for personal use.

Re: Kids trying to play video games on school laptops

#52

Post by adriand » Thu, Apr 27, 2023, 9:30 PM UTC

_nalply wrote: post #24

wildzzz wrote: post #15

Earlier quoted context omitted.

Easy, no devices in their hands after bedtime. Your child isn't some busy tech professional that needs to be on call for work emails. They can live without having their iPad and iphone in their room. When I got caught as a kid playing my Gameboy when I should have been asleep, I lost my free access to it and could only use it when homework and chores were completed. Once play time was over, they took it back because…

Thank you. This confirms my suspicion: Just take the hardware away. I am lucky that my children accept the limits I impose on them. I think because they are not stupid and they sense that they need limits. It's not a struggle to take the hardware away. I even apologize to them when it's time to let the laptop go.

We do take the devices at bedtime, in fact, I have a reminder on my phone that goes off at 9:30 pm every night (which I started after discovering the problem). But it’s not just about the late night usage, which is mostly curtailed but not perfectly given I’m not a perfect authoritarian. It’s more generally what he’s doing with it.

I don’t want him going down YouTube rabbit holes, developing a body image complex via Instagram, etc., at any time of day. It just seems strange to me that there’s this gaping hole in my parental oversight that was put there by our educational system.

Re: Kids trying to play video games on school laptops

#53

Post by VikingCoder » Thu, Apr 27, 2023, 9:57 PM UTC

duderific wrote: post #43

VikingCoder wrote: post #26

I know I'm picturing a technology will solve education problems, but... ...can't we fund some amazing games that are... educational?

Kids are very smart and if they get a whiff that a game is trying to teach them something, they won't find it as interesting as a shooter or platformer. This probably varies by age, but I've got a third grade boy and I can tell you that's how he is.

So... can't we figure out how to make a shooter or platformer... which also teaches?

And not as some clunky add-on to the side of a game...

...but like, reasonably a part of the game.

Re: Kids trying to play video games on school laptops

#54

Post by madcaptenor » Fri, Apr 28, 2023, 12:28 AM UTC

runnerup wrote: post #50

madcaptenor wrote: post #41

Earlier quoted context omitted.

My kids are 4 and 2. When they get to where they can read independently I intend to make sure they have flashlights, and if I have my shit together I'll make sure they always have batteries.

Idk I feel doing this a lot as a child may have solidified terrible sleep hygiene for myself.

Yeah, I see what you mean, but I also want them to love reading.

Re: Kids trying to play video games on school laptops

#55

Post by jonhohle » Fri, Apr 28, 2023, 2:01 AM UTC

adriand wrote: post #5

This relates to something that has been bugging me lately, which is as a parent I have zero parental control over the devices that our school board issues to my children. My kids have iPhones and iPads, which are part of my Apple family account, and I can both monitor what they are doing and also set limits on screen time including hours of usage and for particular apps. However, I recently became aware that my son w…

Coincidentally, I just emailed our school board about this. Our district claims to support BYOD, but has no documentation.

As parents, we should be able to determine what our kids have access to based on our own family values. No two families will be the same.

The idea that elementary or middle school children can handle having unrestricted (or minimally restricted) devices is absurd.

Re: Kids trying to play video games on school laptops

#56

Post by jonhohle » Fri, Apr 28, 2023, 2:02 AM UTC

marssaxman wrote: post #46

wildzzz wrote: post #15

Earlier quoted context omitted.

Easy, no devices in their hands after bedtime. Your child isn't some busy tech professional that needs to be on call for work emails. They can live without having their iPad and iphone in their room. When I got caught as a kid playing my Gameboy when I should have been asleep, I lost my free access to it and could only use it when homework and chores were completed. Once play time was over, they took it back because…

> Easy, no devices in their hands after bedtime. This is no longer so easy after your kid realizes they can simply wait until you fall asleep, then sneak into your room and filch the machine from wherever you've stashed it.

That’s what locks are for.

Re: Kids trying to play video games on school laptops

#57

Post by jonhohle » Fri, Apr 28, 2023, 2:05 AM UTC

madcaptenor wrote: post #54

runnerup wrote: post #50

Earlier quoted context omitted.

Idk I feel doing this a lot as a child may have solidified terrible sleep hygiene for myself.

Yeah, I see what you mean, but I also want them to love reading.

If they love reading, they’ll love reading. Anything that becomes an obsession for a kid to the point where they are forgoing sleep (food, social interaction, etc.) is probably unhealthy. Kids don’t have enough executive function development to adequately moderate themselves.

Re: Kids trying to play video games on school laptops

#58

Post by dlevine » Fri, Apr 28, 2023, 5:20 AM UTC

I've been teaching my nephew how to code using Scratch. He told me that they blocked Scratch at school because some of the kids were using it to play games during school. Kind of a shame, because it is a great way for kids to learn how to code.

Re: Kids trying to play video games on school laptops

#59

Post by [deleted] » Fri, Apr 28, 2023, 5:23 AM UTC

adriand wrote: post #5

This relates to something that has been bugging me lately, which is as a parent I have zero parental control over the devices that our school board issues to my children. My kids have iPhones and iPads, which are part of my Apple family account, and I can both monitor what they are doing and also set limits on screen time including hours of usage and for particular apps. However, I recently became aware that my son w…

[deleted]

Re: Kids trying to play video games on school laptops

#60

Post by 1letterunixname » Fri, Apr 28, 2023, 5:26 AM UTC

Maybe the problem is the reliance and substitution of glowing screen distractions for fundamental teaching. Take the devices away for most of the time.