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Google releases smart watch for kids

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Re: Google releases smart watch for kids

#661

Post by dbish »

sersi wrote: post #638
kelnos wrote: post #525

Earlier quoted context omitted.

If the main reason seems to be that you want to know where they are when they've decided not to answer the phone... maybe that's fine that you don't know. If you're expecting them for dinner, and they decide to do something else instead, they should learn that consequence: if they don't come home when they're expected for dinner, they don't get dinner with the family. I don't have kids, so of course my opinion is irr…

What did you do that your parents didn't want you to do? Some concrete examples? I'm asking because I'm having a hard time coming up with examples of things that both my parents wouldn't have wanted me to do and would be obvious if they tracked me in real time.

Not that hard to come up with. Going to a friend’s house instead of going to any variety of scheduled things you usually do (sports, theater, whatever). Similarly, the classic sleepover at approved friend’s place but actually sneaking out to do something else that isn’t at their house. I can think of many more. Maybe you were a by the book kid lol

Re: Google releases smart watch for kids

#662

Post by philomath_mn »

School-Cotton wrote: post #264
philomath_mn wrote: post #60

Earlier quoted context omitted.

Possibly -- but we're looking at a smartwatch to give our 7 y.o. _more_ freedom. If he has a way to call home and we can check on his location, I'm much more likely to set him loose in the neighborhood. Something for us to think about, though.

What stops you from giving him freedom even without a smartphone?

I am pretty comfortable with him moving around w/o a cell device but it would give my wife peace of mind (which is fair). Plus the convenience of calling him home without driving around.

Re: Google releases smart watch for kids

#663

Post by CyberDildonics »

wholinator2 wrote: post #636
khazhoux wrote: post #316

Earlier quoted context omitted.

> This constant tracking of kids is unnecessary and dangerous. Generations of kids survived without their parents needing to know their location at all times. This topic is always so alarmist. I have kids and a spouse. We all have Find My and Location Sharing on our phones. I don't FrEaK oUt that my kids are going to die if I'm not tracking their every movement. But it's nice to glance at Find My app and see if the k…

I do not know the ages of your children but i fear for them if/when they're teenagers. A small child does not care, a teenager _very much does and should_. Will you still track them when they're 25? Or 30? What if they ask you to stop, what will you do? I gained very very significant experiences by lying to my parents about where i was. I never got hurt, not once, we were never running from the cops or anything and i…

Will you still track them when they're 25? Or 30?

You think someone keeping track of their small child means they will somehow track their location when the child is 30 years old?

Re: Google releases smart watch for kids

#664

Post by dbish »

Double_a_92 wrote: post #609
BenFranklin100 wrote: post #404

Earlier quoted context omitted.

Good lord. As I recall, a big part of growing up was spending time and doing things my parents didn’t want me to do. The idea of them tracking me is super creepy, as is tracking one’s spouse for that matter.

I guess it only works if your parents are mature enough to not actually judge everything you do.

This is very “nothing to hide” fallacy

Re: Google releases smart watch for kids

#665

Post by themoonisachees »

prepend wrote: post #208
standardUser wrote: post #113

Earlier quoted context omitted.

Apple purposefully leverages its closed ecosystem to generate social friction amongst kids in order to drive hardware sales, making them persona non grata in my book.

I guess you have to pick your poison, then.

No you don't. You could also simply not drink the poison.

Re: Google releases smart watch for kids

#666

Post by CyberDildonics »

BiteCode_dev wrote: post #618
khazhoux wrote: post #316

Earlier quoted context omitted.

> This constant tracking of kids is unnecessary and dangerous. Generations of kids survived without their parents needing to know their location at all times. This topic is always so alarmist. I have kids and a spouse. We all have Find My and Location Sharing on our phones. I don't FrEaK oUt that my kids are going to die if I'm not tracking their every movement. But it's nice to glance at Find My app and see if the k…

Kids need to mess up, and do things outside of the sight of their parents to grow. They need to be able to do things their parents disapprove from time to time, or just hide some behavior that they feel shy about. Sex, meeting people outside of your social norms, attempting stupid stunts, and all that is part of growing. The simple fact you can know where they are at all time steal those opportunities from them, and…

They need to be able to do things their parents disapprove

Sex,

You think kids shouldn't have their location tracked so they can have sex?

Re: Google releases smart watch for kids

#667

Post by dbish »

adolph wrote: post #392
jagged-chisel wrote: post #341

Earlier quoted context omitted.

I think the important part is whether the children are affected by the tracking. Is it a big deal if they don’t have service and you can’t Find them for a couple hours? Mine are grown now, but I’ve always told them: I’m not worried about where you are, I want to know where to go when something happens and you need a rescue. I want them to have the peace of mind that, if needed, the safety net is within reach. When I…

> I think the important part is whether the children are affected by the tracking. This is an aspect discussed in “‘I've Got Nothing to Hide' and Other Misunderstandings of Privacy“ https://papers.ssrn.com/sol3/papers.cfm?abstract_id=998565 Even surveillance of legal activities can inhibit people from engaging in them. The value of protecting against chilling effects is not measured simply by focusing on the particul…

100%. Most of the arguments here for it nap directly to this fallacy

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Nothing_to_hide_argument

Re: Google releases smart watch for kids

#668

Post by tuumi »

ChicagoDave wrote: post #275

Here we go with more helicopter parenting devices. Please parents...look up the studies on how detrimental it is to hover over every aspect of your child's life. It's not good. I raised five kids to adulthood with the last one finishing his freshman year of college this year. None of them had devices until middle school and even then, it was restricted. We made our kids roam around like feral coyotes. They are absolu…

Chicago huh? Are you talking Naperville or did your kids grow up in an apartment on Lakeshore? The context here means a lot. Surely you wouldn't begrudge a parent in Detroit (outside of safe downtown) having a device to communicate/locate their child.

Re: Google releases smart watch for kids

#669

Post by rayiner »

CyberDildonics wrote: post #666
BiteCode_dev wrote: post #618

Earlier quoted context omitted.

Kids need to mess up, and do things outside of the sight of their parents to grow. They need to be able to do things their parents disapprove from time to time, or just hide some behavior that they feel shy about. Sex, meeting people outside of your social norms, attempting stupid stunts, and all that is part of growing. The simple fact you can know where they are at all time steal those opportunities from them, and…

They need to be able to do things their parents disapprove Sex, You think kids shouldn't have their location tracked so they can have sex?

[flagged]

Re: Google releases smart watch for kids

#670

Post by philomath_mn »

sillysaurusx wrote: post #107
philomath_mn wrote: post #45

Earlier quoted context omitted.

Agree, won't be easy -- he already has many peers with phones. But we have a lot of rules like that (e.g. no unsupervised YouTube use, wear helmets on the bike, etc) and he lives an otherwise well-provisioned life -- I think we'll work something out.

I’m amazed no one is pushing back on this. I respect your decision as a parent — it’s your decision — but not letting them have a phone until 16 or privacy in their YouTube sounds miserable for them. I would be, but everyone is different I suppose. In contrast, I was watching gore videos by the time I was 13. I think I turned out ok. We’ll see if it’s survivorship bias, but personally, I plan to give our daughter Kes…

I had unrestricted (dial up) internet access from a very young age and I _do not_ think it was good for me. I don't think having that access in my pocket at all times would have helped either (I didn't get smartphone until I was out of college in 2013).

Despite all the rules I've outlined in this thread, I really do believe in giving my kids as much freedom and autonomy as possible. I do not want to manage their time, I do want them to pursue their own interests and grow into their own person.

That being said, developing brains are not adult brains. It is a parent's job to fill in for that immature prefrontal cortex when needed. I can't expect a child to handle the asymmetric onslaught of the attention economy without negative side-effects. Have you seen the manipulative kids content on YouTube? How can a kid escape the recommendations tab with thumbnail after thumbnail specifically designed to draw them in?

So I will work with my kids to learn how use technology without experiencing all the ill-effects. At the end of the day, technology is just one of many tools they will use throughout life -- I don't let them use the bandsaw without help yet either. We'll make adjustments as they get older, but at age 7 things are still pretty hands-on.

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