At what age do you think kids should get pricey gadgets?

[swimmer]

Just something to think about, I was with a friend's child the other day and he was using his iPad. He is almost 7, so is one of those kids some of you might be aghast at having such an item. However, the iPad makes it easier for him to draw, to put together sounds, to play games that most any other kid could play with crayons or plastic soldiers; but he is autistic and has real motor issues. I'm in agreement that most kids are not ready for such spendy technology at such a young age, but for him, the iPad has just been a wonderful tool, and unlike so much of the adaptive tools out there, he blends in with his iPad and he prefers it to the loud and unweildly machine he used to use to generate speech. Just a thought anyway, he is a cute little bugger who you might not know on first glance is non-verbal and can't hold a marker, but the apps on the iPad really help him to navigate and interact with the rest of the world. So for Jamie, age 6 was perfect for the iPad.

 

[february2003bride]

My biggest rule will be no phone conversations in bedrooms. My parents had this rule, and as much as I hated it, it is a good one. No reason for a preteen/teenager to need to be in a private area to have a conversation. Jury is still out on having a "Kids' line". My siblings were all much older than me, so we didn't have the fights over the phone. It may be necessary for multiple kids in the same age range though. I worry that calls that come in on call waiting would be "conveniently" ignored.

I had to comment on this. Once I got to age 13 or 14, I was talking to boys from school on the phone which at that age was embarrassing to say the least in front of my parents...and I think they knew that. I was allowed to talk in my bedroom from that point forward. When I turned 15/16 it wasn't nearly as embarrassing and I would openly talk in front of my parents...

Just another perspective.

Teenagers and preteens no longer talk on the phone. They just text.

 

[february2003bride]

My 14 year old DD does have a cell phone and she's had once since she was 11 years old. Thats the age she started doing activities that were outside of school, going to friends houses, sleepovers, etc. For us, her not having a cell phone is NOT an option. It's my connection to her god forbid, there is an emergency. She has unlimited texting and we monitor her texts. I also have the locator option on her phone. Between kidnappings, school shootings, etc., I want my child to have be able to reach me in a split second or call 911.

We pay for the phone and will continue as long we see feel we should.

My kids do have seperate rooms. We have the bedrooms and I like that they have their own rooms to go if they need space from whichever sibling is annoying them and they are responsible for keeping their rooms clean (with my help). Plus with my boys, one is a very light sleeper and would not get sleep if he shared a room with his brother! One boy likes it pitch black the other needs a small light on. So seperate rooms work for us.

Our kids will not have a tv in their rooms, a key lock on their doors, or private phone lines in their rooms. We have one tv in our family room and are planning to add a tv to our bedroom that the kids will not be allowed to watch.

My boys do have DS's and like I posted before, my 7 year old son has a ipod nano. They understand that losing or damaging these items that they will not get replaced. For us, it has helped teach them responsibility. One of my sons misplaced his DS and was not allowed to play his brother's. He did eventually find it and he chose one place in his room that his DS and games always go. He's been consistently putting it there when not playing with it, because he knows losing we won't be buying him a new one. The same goes for loaning games out to friends!

 

[meresal]

My biggest rule will be no phone conversations in bedrooms. My parents had this rule, and as much as I hated it, it is a good one. No reason for a preteen/teenager to need to be in a private area to have a conversation. Jury is still out on having a "Kids' line". My siblings were all much older than me, so we didn't have the fights over the phone. It may be necessary for multiple kids in the same age range though. I worry that calls that come in on call waiting would be "conveniently" ignored.

I had to comment on this. Once I got to age 13 or 14, I was talking to boys from school on the phone which at that age was embarrassing to say the least in front of my parents...and I think they knew that. I was allowed to talk in my bedroom from that point forward. When I turned 15/16 it wasn't nearly as embarrassing and I would openly talk in front of my parents...

Just another perspective.

Teenagers and preteens no longer talk on the phone. They just text.

That's becuase they have cell phones

 

[elrohwen]

When they can treat them with the respect that the price tag requires.

This for the most part. I don't have a problem with my kid getting a video game system if they're at an age where they can respect it and treat it well - I also don't have a problem limiting use to 2 hours on the weekend or whatever I think is appropriate. But who am I kidding - DH will always have the best video game systems anyway, so I'll just have to keep the kid away from it

I don't think kids need cellphones until they can drive - they can just bum one off a friend if they really need to call me (this is what I did until college ) My kid will also not have a tv in his or her room, or anything else ridiculously expensive like an $800 iPad.

I also think kids should at least contribute to the cost. They don't necessarily need to afford it completely, but having them pay for half while I pay for the other half seems like a good enough system (this is what my parents did for me when I was younger).