Hacker News Board Hacker News, browsed like a classic message board
Live data from Hacker News

The Wait Until 8th pledge

waituntil8th.org

Post reply on HN
Print view View original

61–70 of 254 posts

Re: The Wait Until 8th pledge

#61

Post by voidhorse »

sillysaurusx wrote: post #56
voidhorse wrote: post #32

Earlier quoted context omitted.

This view seems a bit rosy and willfully ignorant of the actual current state of the internet. I think it will spoil most of the batch but the lucky few will come out better for it. Those kids that do have a desire for encyclopedic knowledge may be well served by a smart phone. However, most kids do not have that desire to begin with, and even those that do face problems. Unlike a traditional library, the internet is…

I was watching gore videos when I was 13. I bet lots of others were too. I turned out ok. Survivorship bias isn’t a great way to make an argument, but I’m skeptical of the view that the internet is so much worse now. There isn’t even a liveleak anymore. A family friend was groomed at 9yo. She was pressured into sending nude pics of herself to a 15yo. That kind of thing seems like the real danger for unsuspecting kids…

13 /= 5 (numeral cited in the parent comment).

I stated in another comment that I think 8th grade (aka 13) is the appropriate time for internet exposure precisely because it's when I think kids can possibly be exposed to this sort of thing and have it have less of a chance of it being damaging.

I think the fact that you cited some of the more severe dangers a younger friend at 9yr faced further illustrates the point. Kids should not have access to the internet until they have access to sufficient information literacy and critical reasoning skills.

Re: The Wait Until 8th pledge

#62

Post by lynx23 »

Ah, so you need to "bind together" to be able to make decisions these days? How is this going to go down with your kids? At first, you say no? If they ask enough, you explain "you know, there is this church of parents which has decided that no kid is supposed to get a smartphone that early. Sorry kids, we can not do anything about it, it is the curch of parents decision"

OK, so you can only hope your kid is rather dull. Because if they are bright, they will realize that you are pretty dull. And they will remember. I still remember when I realized that living with my mother alone is going to be hell, because I would have to deal with all her neuroticism without anyone stepping up to help. Then the plan forms: "I am going to leave as early as possible, these guys suck"

Re: The Wait Until 8th pledge

#63

Post by melony »

tripdout wrote: post #48

Hard disagree. My first phone was an iPod Touch in Grade 4, and by Grade 5 I had already jailbroken it with one of my friends. By Grade 6, I built my own computer, got a phone with data, and by Grade 7 was running Linux on my desktop computer, which I used in Grade 8 to compile an Android ROM from source. I'm now an intern for an Android app development company. If I didn't get a phone until Grade 8, not only would I…

CyanogenMod?

Re: The Wait Until 8th pledge

#64

Post by tempestn »

stuckkeys wrote: post #60

Strange. I did not have a cellphone until I was 19. I grew up to be just fine. My kid now almost 8. Does not ask for a cellphone. Kids need to be kids and have fun in other way. One thing that worked for me is I give them broken devices (electronics) and see if they can fix it. Nothing fancy. We usually go to goodwill or some after hand market. If they fix it they sell it. We do occasionally play Minecraft on a local…

Note that the campaign is wait until "8th" (grade), not until 8 years old. I didn't have a cellphone in school either, because no one did, but that's not the situation anymore.

Re: The Wait Until 8th pledge

#66

Post by ESQBOJaguar »

I’m on board. I have perused the online internet’s infinite wisdom and its deepest smut. I don’t think most kids will even remotely spend their time on the informative side of things. Not to mention I can see that people struggle to hold their attention even as adults after significant exposure. Provided I make my home environment an enriching environment, they’ll be fine without a smartphone.

Re: The Wait Until 8th pledge

#67

Post by tempestn »

tripdout wrote: post #48

Hard disagree. My first phone was an iPod Touch in Grade 4, and by Grade 5 I had already jailbroken it with one of my friends. By Grade 6, I built my own computer, got a phone with data, and by Grade 7 was running Linux on my desktop computer, which I used in Grade 8 to compile an Android ROM from source. I'm now an intern for an Android app development company. If I didn't get a phone until Grade 8, not only would I…

My kids don't yet have phones, but they do have PCs and access to tablets. I don't think a phone is necessary to get involved with technology.

Re: The Wait Until 8th pledge

#68

Post by MattGaiser »

stuckkeys wrote: post #60

Strange. I did not have a cellphone until I was 19. I grew up to be just fine. My kid now almost 8. Does not ask for a cellphone. Kids need to be kids and have fun in other way. One thing that worked for me is I give them broken devices (electronics) and see if they can fix it. Nothing fancy. We usually go to goodwill or some after hand market. If they fix it they sell it. We do occasionally play Minecraft on a local…

> I did not have a cellphone until I was 19. I grew up to be just fine.

Did you grow up in a world where most other kids had them and fluency with smartphone use was expected?

Re: The Wait Until 8th pledge

#69

Post by tempestn »

lynx23 wrote: post #62

Ah, so you need to "bind together" to be able to make decisions these days? How is this going to go down with your kids? At first, you say no? If they ask enough, you explain "you know, there is this church of parents which has decided that no kid is supposed to get a smartphone that early. Sorry kids, we can not do anything about it, it is the curch of parents decision" OK, so you can only hope your kid is rather du…

The point is that it would suck to be the one kid in grade 6 or 7 that doesn't have a phone. If parents collaborate on waiting until a healthy age - ideally if it becomes a societal norm - then kids don't need to feel left out.

Re: The Wait Until 8th pledge

#70

Post by flangola7 »

gls2ro wrote: post #40
flangola7 wrote: post #24

Earlier quoted context omitted.

>zombie“ kids walking around only having conversations in little chunks between smartphone breaks As an adult this is me and my friends, I don't see a problem with it. It's not like we're ignoring each other. I'm not sure why everyone is so hostile to kids having internet. I grew up watching YouTube and browsing Reddit on my phone too, that hasn't hurt me any.

Kids brain and adult brain are different. The same goes for body - this is why some medicine cannot be taken by kids. As an example (I am not a doctor) the neocortex is not fully developed until maybe 20s. Thus what works for you as an adult is not 100% sure to be working for children.

I'm not talking about adult brains. I was on YouTube and Reddit as a child too, why would I think it would effect them more as a kid and not me? I remember watching Rebecca Black's Friday in middle school on my Samsung Galaxy and shitposting the video on unrelated subreddits until mods banned me. Yeah it was stupid but I don't think it's the end of the world.
Post reply on HN