Please weigh in on your opinions, thoughts and personal experiences with the iTouch for kids. I am considering an iTouch or iPhone (with no phone services connected) for our 10 year old daughter who is begging for one. I really just want it for the games and the camera but I know they come with much more.
My concern is that they offer internet access. We do not let our daughter have an email account or do any kind of texting. I feel that age 10 is too young to start socializing on the computer. I worry that she might start texting or sending photos to her friends which I feel is too hard to monitor and the kids don't have any social responsibility at that age. Am I overly concerned about her getting involved in this kind of communicating or am I just old fashioned? Can I program the iTouch to just do games, camera and music but not have internet or texting? Thanks!
i don't understand. there are devices that have games, camera and music, aren't there? why get her a painfully expensive internet-compatible device if you don't want her on the internet?
personally i wouldn't get a child something this expensive even if they WERE going to use the internet. this is something for a teen ready to start handling and dealing with the responsibility of very valuable implements.
khairete
S.
I don't think 10 is too young to start exploring the internet, but it should be supervised. She'll be a teen before you know it and you want to take the opportunity to teach her to use it responsibly while you still have it. A small device lends itself to her disappearing into a room to use it in private. I think the best thing for kids is a desktop machine that lives in a public area of the house.
In our home the kids didn't get phones of any kind until the went to highschool and then only if they participated in a sport or club that they would need rides home from. If your getting it as a camera then get her a camera if your getting it as a game item get her a ds. I would not get anything which has internet access as kids are savvy and she will find places that have wireless internet that she is able to access it at.
chances are good she wants the phone so she can text her friends without you being able to monitor it. tell her she will have to wait at least another year. bottom line is, kids tend to lose things they didnt have to pay for.she gets a iphone now, chances are good it will get lost or traded or left somewhere, and you will be out alot of money
K. h.
I think 10 is way too young. I've been debating whether to get one for my 15 year old. If she wants it for music, get her an ipod or an mp3 player. If she wants internet, let her use your computer under your supervision. If she wants to take pictures, get her a camera.
In my opinion 10 is just too young.
Does she want one because someone in her class has one?
I just tell mine that just because so and so has one doesn't mean you get one too, the answer is still NO.
My son never got a phone until he was 18 and had a job, my daughter got one as a freshhman because she stays after school and goes to the pool for swim team practice.
My 13 yo and 9 yo are homeschooled and don't need any kind of electronic device like an iphone or iwhatever. They have access to a computer in the kitchen.
Guess I;m in the old fashioned group here.
Both my kids have iPods and love them.
-They can watch TV shows or movies (no car DVD system to buy or airplane movies)
-They can play all sorts of games. (no need for separate Nintendo)
-Use translation software to learn games. (no need for computer)
-Listen to music. (no need for separate Mp3 player)
All sorts of stuff!! And when you add up all the above, for us it made much more economic sense to buy a touch vs all the above systems to keep the kids entertained while traveling.
There are parental controls which are password protected. You can turn off all or parts of the internet, itunes, etc.
Visit an Apple store and talk to a Genius and they can walk you through everything you need to know.
My 6 year old has an iTouch for games, educational stuff, movies that we put on there, etc. But we have it coded so he can only play with it under our supervision meaning we have to enter the code for it to become operational. My son's doesn't have a camera or text messaging. I know you can get free text apps though.
Bottom line is you are the parent and you set the rules/controls. If she breaks those rules then it's gone. Period. Not up for discussion in the least.
It also a good time to discuss internet safety with her. Why the rules are what they are, etc.
Is your 10 year old responsible enough to be able to not damage/lose an iTouch? Before buying one for her, decide what you will do if she loses or damages it. If she gets an iTouch at 10, what will impress her at 12, at 14, at 16, or 18? Will you be able to afford/will she be responsible enough to handle what she'll want at those ages?
Another option might be to buy her one of the old/used ipods just for music and then another similar
I'm in my 30s and have an itouch (most of the features of an iphone, except you can't use many of them unless you are on wifi. . .lots of places have free wifi, including library, bookstore, cafes ) and a plain old "dumb" phone. You can also text for free with an ap on the itouch, as long as you're on wifi. So she will learn this and then she might think you "mean" if you don't give her internet privileges. ;) So be prepared.
We got our son the iTouch for his 11th birthday. He's been very responsible with it and it was a great gift for him. He CAN access the internet, but only if it's WIFI and MOST places require a password for WIFI. You also need to download the games from the App Store, so you DO need that access. So his internet access is extremely limited at best, unless he's at home where we have WIFI. I think it's a matter of monitoring her activities, just like you'd do with anything else. YOU download the games, YOU control her content, etc. And as she gets older, she can slowly take on more of the responsibility herself. I love that on long car trips, he can watch movies on it or listen to music. I really think it's a good thing for a kid to have, provided that YOU put in the effort to monitor its usage.
I'm with you. Call me old fashioned too but ...internet access when I can't see what they are looking at ...not until they are older. My husband has an iphone and my daughter plays on it all of the time. She want's one too. She is getting the DSi xl, it plays games and has a camera, pretty cool. I'm getting it in black so that she feels more grown up. lol That will have to be good enough for her, for now.
I think that 10 is too young to socialize on the computer too. If you reconsider, here are two programs that might help limit your daughters activities. Mobicip limits internet access on the itouch (maybe limits texting too, I'm not sure) and Awareness Technologies has text monitoring software.
Hi J.,
Cell phone companies are the worst. There is no way to set up a phone without phone service, and if there is an internet package, it must be purchased. I faced this problem when searching for a phone for me. I just wanted phone, texting and camera, but if I wanted certain phones, and phone access, I also had to purchase the internet plan.
Sorry, not doing it...
There may be other phones that allow you to do this, but I think most set it up so you have to purchase the internet plan. I just went with the basic phone and plan with the camera, and texting. You could do that, without a texting plan, but then the phone can still access the internet even without a plan, so you get charged per minute if she figures out how, which she probably could.
Best bet, buy a digital camera made for young ones, and a DS. I feel that ten is too early for all of that stuff anyway. They cannot use them in school where most of their time is spent...
Good luck, and happy holidays,
L.
BTW - None of us are old-fashioned!!!!! We are being smart, involved parents! We are protecting our kids until we feel it is the right age to teach them proper internet usage, etc. All of these hand held gadgets are ridiculous! They all pretty much do the same thing, with a few different apps, and advertise them like they are all new! They know that some people will just HAVE to have the latest whatever...don't fall for it. Get what is needed and follow your instinct!! You know what is best for your daughter!!
It has internet/WiFi access..... thus, she CAN text/e-mail/and Download things/files/games from the internet. She can do this anywhere.... not only at home...and anywhere where there is internet access and/or WiFi... including at friends' homes.
Because she can download things from the internet and any ol' file or games.... THAT is the red-flag here. Because, then you are the one PAYING for whatever she downloads..... some are free and some cost money.
Sure, you can tell her only YOU are allowed to download things... but that does not mean, she cannot do it. either. Put it this way... my daughter is 8....and since she was younger has been playing with my Husband's iPad and iTouch... SHE knows how to download things onto it and how to surf the internet with it and do searches and how to get games etc. SHE is however, responsible and will ask permission first, if she can download something or "buy" a game etc. BUT.... ANY ol' person and child, can download things onto it. Even if by mistake... which BOTH my kids have done. Even my 4 year old son, knows how to download games for the iPad and iTouch. AND... unless you are right there...HOW will you monitor... what you 10 year old downloads or 'buys' on it????? AND.... how will you control that????? And yes, they can send photos on it too... and just so you know... photos, via Google... has on it the "location" of the photos.... and thus, ANYONE can find you. My Husband showed me this. The photos taken with the iTouch or anything... is 'tagged' by Google and its GPS capacity. ONLY if you know how to limit the privacy parameters on what photos you send... can your location... be not displayed.
So with children, and an iTouch and if they take photos and send it to others.... a tech savvy person.... CAN locate you and know where the photo was taken.... for example: your house, your school etc. Which for children... is dangerous.... and predatory people.... or criminals, can find you.
So... FYI.
For me personally, I would not. Not for a 10 year old....
all the best,
Susan
The responses you will/ are getting are as varied as the parents out here. My son didn't even get a phone till he was past 13! Now he is 15 and no he doesn't have a I touch, I pod or I pad! We supervise his computer use and monitor his txts.
I consider myself a parent who knows the dangers of technology and and knows my child as well.
If you like it for the camera why not just buy her a digital camera. I would not be spending the money for an ipod touch or an iphone for a 10 yr old just for games. Kids are plugged into games too much as it is.
