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iPod Touch for kids? Concerns, advice needed, Doug & others please
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I have two dc for whom we are considering an iPod touch, ages almost 8 and almost 11. They purchased iPod nanos for themselves over a year ago and have been very responsible with them, but they only do music and alarm clocks with them.
The iPod touches would be great for music, books, calendar, camera & some educational apps (with time parameters).
My kids are very responsible re. screen time. They are allowed 15 minutes per day, most days, on the computer or my iPad. We watch 1 family movie per week and have NO type of video games. They have played Wii at a friends and while my ds~8 would certainly like one, but we don’t want one or the Pandora’s box it could become. He understands the reasons and agrees.
My concerns regarding the iPod touch: 1- Keeping them safe, 2- managing the time and what is used, 3- I don’t want it to be a different type of Pandora’s box that we regret later. They have never asked for one and are content without and taking it away later is always harder. We are trying to be proactive rather than reactive. One other possibility is just keeping the iPod nanos and giving each of them a digital camera since they are always using mine.
So, what are your thoughts? Is this something you would allow your kids? Why or why not? If you have them, how do you manage them? Would a camera alone be a better option?
Thanks so much for your input.
Blessings,
Christie
Hi Christie, My 19 year olds still have ipod nanos and are happy with them, they have said they don’t need to have a touch, I have one, so they have seen how they work, but they said they prefer the laptop for computer things and the kindle to read with because the touch screen is so small. They got their Nanos about 2 years ago, prior to that they had Walkmans and were happy with those. We found that by not encouraging upgrading things or offering things they had not asked for, we were able to keep a lid on Pandora so to speak. They have the family desktop and we have a laptop as well which they use for their work, and that is all. They are content and happy and so we have not changed out way of doing things. I personally would not have given them any of those things at that age, they got their first Walkman at 13 and started to use the computer prior to that with supervision, but we have always limited use on those things, because we wanted them to not rely on electronics for entertainment, we wanted them to do other things, which they have. Each family is different and you know your children better than anyone – however I will add that if I had not offered the girls a nano a couple of years ago, they would have happily kept their Walkmans….I think limiting these things when they were younger has made them less inclined to think they need them…as they already have nanos if it were me I would leave it at that for now especially if they are happy with those. Linda :))
I would ask myself what would happen with an iPod Touch. It sounds like everyone is content the way it is now, so would adding that device change things to something you’re not happy with? Would they argue over it since it would be shared? I think mine would become impatient with each other regarding it.
Do they need it for books? Would it save a ton of book money, would they really read on it, or do they prefer actual books? Do you want them using it for a calendar, or wouldn’t it be faster just to use the one hanging on the wall?
Can you tell I prefer the simplicity of paper to computer devices? But the camera idea would go over very well at my house. It sounds like they love taking pictures since they are using yours all the time.
I’ve just found something to be true that someone at my church likes to say: “When you get more stuff, you have to get more stuff to support your stuff.”
That’s just my take on it, but I don’t like spending money either!
I always love to hear that parents want to be proactive rather than reactive. I’m working hard on that one. Thanks for being an example!
we bought myself and the kids an Ipod touch for Christmas. I mainly wanted it to access all the Apple apps available. My 13yo ds is going to love having it for the music aspect….. it will be shared by ALL….. including mom 😉
Doubt I will use it to read on or access the internet….. I have a nook color and laptop for all that.
We purchased an ipod touch for our 13 ds on black Friday. He is very responsible, and we know that he will adhere to whatever guidelines we set in place. That being said, my husband works in the technology field, so we are pretty tech savvy in our home. We haven’t felt that having technology in our home has inhibited our kids in any way. They are still active, spend a lot of time outside, play imaginatively, and we spend a lot of time as a family.
I feel like if you think you can trust your kids with and think thatbthey would like it, I would go for it.
Since they are happy with them, why not just do digital cameras? They could use them to do many things, including learning how to take a good picture, nature study, story telling with things they have made (narrations), scrapbooking and family history, how to safely preserve things for historical purposes, etc. Think of how much they would enjoy one of those on your trip to DC this spring. I would lean towards cameras simply for that trip. LOL My dd always wants my camera on trips and we don’t always agree on what we need/want pictures of. =) I am not suggesting that the iPod is not good, Based on what you said, I think that you can accomplish what you need and want to without Pandora hanging over your shoulder, so to speak.
The big thing is that these devices all have web browsers and they’re so small that they’re easy to use anywhere. One of the ways families often keep their kids safe from certain content on the internet is by keeping our computers in a public area of the house. I’m sure you can see where that can lead with a small, portable device.
That said, all iOS devices have restriction features. You can choose to turn completely turn off specific apps, like the web browser. You can also limit the ability to install apps.
I think they’ve done a good job of providing solid parental controls that give me a good level of comfort in letting a child use these devices. But you have to be aware of them and put them to use.
I’m in a similar boat with my 13yo dd, as she has asked her dad for a Kindle. If she’s allowed to browse with it out of public viewing, who knows where that could lead? I am going to have to do my homework so I will know how I can turn off the browser so she cannot turn it back on if she’s tempted to do so.
If your kids have not specifically asked for an iPod Touch, I think maybe I’d leave things well enough alone. It sounds as though they might be very happy with digital cameras instead, and think of the creative, educational moments that might lead to!
The Kindle doesn’t have any kind of parental controls that I know of. About all you can do is not log into wifi on the device, which will keep the web browser from working. You would then have to load books only by plugging it into your computer.
We are a pretty tech savvy family and enjoy gadgets and such, though we don’t do video games at all. We had all but decided on the iPod touches, but have reconsidered. Yes, our kids would love them and be responsible with them, but their current devices still work fine and they’ve expressed no interest in having a new touch. They enjoy using apps on our iPads/iPhones under supervision, but are more than content with that. We decided to revisit this option when their current iPods stop working. I am familiar with all of the restrictions the iPod has for safety since theyre the same on the iphone and after research I found a browser that would give me more control, so I feel confident that those aspects could be managed well had we chosen the touches as gifts. Perhaps in another year or two, we will revisit the idea.
Both kids have expressed a great interest in digital cameras and love to use mine whenever they can. We found a great deal online for Canon cameras (my personal preference and what I am familiar with) with the memory cards and cases included. So, I think they will be extremely pleased with their new gadgets. I can see my oldest making digital scrapbooks like crazy! Even dd4 likes to take pictures, so we are giving her our old one (3 years) as a gift. Some functions no longer work, but the auto focus and video do and she loves to snap pics of her favorite things.
Thanks for sharing your thoughts on this idea. It really helps me to clarify my own thoughts by talking it out with someone.
Blessings,
Christie
We have several in my house and generally they play games on them but the oldest has over 800 songs on his! The camera is not that good as there is no flash. We have computers all over the house and in all honesty I don’t think that web browsing on things like the Kindle (SLOW if you have the regular Kindle) is an issue like on a computer. Just be present. Shielding them completely is not going to help them when they are somewhere that they have access. With kids the more you say no to something the more they want to do it-know what I mean? Trust in your skills as a good parent!
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