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Google releases smart watch for kids

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Re: Google releases smart watch for kids

#381

Post by godelski »

stickfigure wrote: post #362
godelski wrote: post #327

Earlier quoted context omitted.

> In general I’m struck at how many people’s sense or “right” leans so hard on what’s available for sale. I'm mostly confused how it seems there's pretty significant evidence that helicopter parenting[0] has resulted in poor outcomes for kids[1] but then we act as if the reason it fails is because we aren't paying __enough__ attention. I am sympathetic to parents wanting to protect their kids, but if the objective is…

I object to the idea that putting a smartwatch on your child is helicopter parenting. It can be exactly the opposite - if a little piece of technology allows kids to roam farther unsupervised, then it fosters independence. I have never been accused of overparenting, yet I preordered one of these google watches. I expect to use it on outings like amusement parks and ski trips. We'll see how it goes.

> I object to the idea that putting a smartwatch on your child is helicopter parenting

> allows kids to roam farther unsupervised, then it fosters independence.

I think you understand then. It depends how the devices are used, obviously. I think no one is really objecting to the utility of being able to use such a device when there is a serious situation, but rather that the reality is that a very large number of parents use these types of devices to constantly surveil their children. There's a difference.

> I have never been accused of overparenting

I'm not accusing you of being one. In context this would depend on your actions and no one can realistically judge that without actually knowing you. But there is a clear general trend. No one knows if you're part of that, so don't be quick to assume you're being singled out.

And of course, I wouldn't use the "no one has accused me of" as a meaningful metric. People might not tell you (I mean every parent knows how common other parents gossip, right?), you might not hear, or it is quite common for these types of things to foster echo chambers as similar parenting styles naturally gravitate towards one another. But of course, no one is accusing you of anything, because this __cannot__ be known without significantly more information. This paragraph was only mentioned because it appears you feel like people are calling you out, so it notes a possibility of how the observations can be in perfect harmony.

Re: Google releases smart watch for kids

#382

Post by potterken »

hn_throwaway_99 wrote: post #106

Ugh, I threw up a little in my mouth just from the headline. This constant tracking of kids is unnecessary and dangerous. Generations of kids survived without their parents needing to know their location at all times. And yes, I totally admit, some kids (very few actually depending on the locale) didn't survive. But we've traded this false sense of "safety" for kids that are so risk averse it is seriously negatively…

[dead]

Re: Google releases smart watch for kids

#383

Post by potterken »

godelski wrote: post #349
wonderwonder wrote: post #279

Earlier quoted context omitted.

why? What's the harm with knowing where your minor kids or opted in spouse are? Honest question.

Your kids don't learn independence and how to be self sufficient. After all, the goal is to make your kids into self-sufficient adults who can survive and navigate a complex world without your help. Being over protective (which is a natural instinct) can lead to children being overly dependent and not learning to be (to put in the most HN way possible) generalist agents. https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=40519118

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Re: Google releases smart watch for kids

#384

Post by SoftTalker »

lolinder wrote: post #372
septic-liqueur wrote: post #206

Earlier quoted context omitted.

Dumb phone?

Asking an 11-year-old with ADHD to keep track of a dumb phone is just asking for trouble. The watch straps to their arm and can't be set down somewhere and forgotten.

The one thing none of my three kids has ever lost is their mobile phone. They notice within a minute if they don't have it.

Re: Google releases smart watch for kids

#386

Post by faeriechangling »

slothtrop wrote: post #302
faeriechangling wrote: post #228

Earlier quoted context omitted.

It’s not strapped to their wrist so it’s easier to lose for starters.

Yes but presumably this is a convenience for older kids and we're not expecting toddlers to roam about anywhere, gps or otherwise. They're capable of taking responsibility for a device.

There is a rather strong correlation between the type of kid who would most benefit from this device, and the type of kid who is most likely to irresponsibly lose a phone. I'm imagining a child with ADHD who compulsively elopes.

Re: Google releases smart watch for kids

#387

Post by SoftTalker »

vundercind wrote: post #259
qwerpy wrote: post #143

Earlier quoted context omitted.

> using a phone, a water bottle, or both as a pacifier I slowly put my phone down in shame after reading this. But I really love this sentence because of how true it is. Why is it always a phone and a water bottle?

All those recommendations about whatever crazy-high amount of water you’re supposed to have in a day. If you want to even get close, it’s either a few chug-sessions per day, or else carrying water to sip constantly. … also, it probably helps replace cigarettes as an oral fixation, which is what everyone used to use.

You don't actually need that much water if you are sitting in an air-conditioned office.

Re: Google releases smart watch for kids

#388

Post by SoftTalker »

LordDragonfang wrote: post #118
philomath_mn wrote: post #72

Earlier quoted context omitted.

Fair enough! Something to watch for I suppose.

I think you've sort of missed the forest for the trees, here. If you've gotten to the point where the kid is hiding a phone from you, you're already in an adversarial relationship with a young adult who has lost trust in your ability to be a reasonable authority figure.

Pretty much all teens have stuff they are hiding from their parents. Some of it is trivial, some might be pretty serious. For example I'd guess it's not very common for your kid to come home and announce he's started having sex (though one of mine did).

Re: Google releases smart watch for kids

#389

Post by windexh8er »

GuB-42 wrote: post #298
hn_throwaway_99 wrote: post #106

Ugh, I threw up a little in my mouth just from the headline. This constant tracking of kids is unnecessary and dangerous. Generations of kids survived without their parents needing to know their location at all times. And yes, I totally admit, some kids (very few actually depending on the locale) didn't survive. But we've traded this false sense of "safety" for kids that are so risk averse it is seriously negatively…

But it can be seen the other way. Tracking can give kids more freedom, because you can let them roam where they could get lost. For example, you can take them on vacation in a safe but unfamiliar place and let them do as they want. If they get lost, just use the tracker to find them. You don't even need to go for them immediately, you can let them try to figure it out by themselves and only go if it becomes really pr…

I'm sorry, but these are life experiences. You can't depend on technology in any situation, it's better to know how to inherently learn from and handle it. This is when and how you learn as a child.

I took a motorized avalanche course in Canada the end of this last winter season. One of the most surprising things in the class was how easy it was to get in. I talked to the instructor (world renowned in the space of motorized avalanche training) about it and asked why there weren't more students. He said that people buy the tools (avy beacon, probe, shovel, air bag, etc) but they no longer feel the need to learn how to use them. Over the weekend we did about a half dozen real world scenarios and it was shocking to see how the theory was hard to execute the first few times. The thing about an avalanche is that it doesn't matter how good I am with my tools when I'm buried. The last thing he mentioned in that part of our conversation was that people had recently started buying satellite communicators and that his theory was that it was enough of a security blanket for a lot of people who would have taken his classes like wilderness first aid.

The back country isn't much different than a kid in a busy metro. If someone is going to take the child the watch isn't going to do anything. That's the first thing the assailant will get rid of. At that point it's up to your kid to know what move to make next.

Technology is continually being used as a crutch, especially with regard to our kids. There's no other way to describe it other than absolutely disgusting.

Re: Google releases smart watch for kids

#390

Post by seanmcdirmid »

stickfigure wrote: post #362
godelski wrote: post #327

Earlier quoted context omitted.

> In general I’m struck at how many people’s sense or “right” leans so hard on what’s available for sale. I'm mostly confused how it seems there's pretty significant evidence that helicopter parenting[0] has resulted in poor outcomes for kids[1] but then we act as if the reason it fails is because we aren't paying __enough__ attention. I am sympathetic to parents wanting to protect their kids, but if the objective is…

I object to the idea that putting a smartwatch on your child is helicopter parenting. It can be exactly the opposite - if a little piece of technology allows kids to roam farther unsupervised, then it fosters independence. I have never been accused of overparenting, yet I preordered one of these google watches. I expect to use it on outings like amusement parks and ski trips. We'll see how it goes.

We already use air tags for those outings, and they work really well. Maybe when he is going more out in his own will we consider a true smart watch so he can really roam, but he is still only 7, and we are still more worried about busy traffic on the street than him getting lost.
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