To buy my DD(10) a tablet

[AdaHopper]

She would like to listen to music in her room and use a tablet to research her homework.
I'm worried about internet access & grooming.
Am I being over protective? She is my PFB.

If I do buy her a tablet - which one is good for that age?

[Creampastry]

IPad

[dementedpixie]

Mine have had tablets for years (now 11 and 13). Mine have Samsung ones

[Waytootiredtosleep]

Yes buy it! My DC's - (under 6) have them! Kindle fire for kids works for them, cheap, good parental controls etc...

[WhatwouldAryado]

Samsung galaxy Tab E.

[Lowdoorinthewal1]

Totally depends on your budget. DS has had a Fire. It's lasted very well given that he was 4 when he got it so it's taken a beating, but it is clunky and slow and the memory in rubbish. It has less in the way of apps available too.

DS is being upgraded to an ipad mini for Christmas.

I had a Nexus 7 at one point and liked that. Somewhere between the Fire and the ipad in terms of performance.

[HoneyWheeler]

I think it’s a great age for a tablet, and I think as long as you have parental controls on the App Store/google play as well as on the WiFi in general, and lay down some ground rules, you will be fine.

I know using Apple you can set up a ‘family’ where any purchases have to be approved by an adult, and I’d assume there would be something similar for Android devices. I have heard great things about Samsung tablets but no real experience of them myself.

Also, would be a good idea to think about rules at night time, ie leaving it downstairs at bed time as many of my friends complain that their daughters’ tablets ping all night from group message threads

[FlandersRocks]

Good grief...I would say the very opposite and that there's no need to spend a fortune on an iPad when there are so so many excellent tablets for a fraction of the price. Mine have Tesco Hudls...4 years old now and still going strong, super fast for streaming/games/google etc. Loads of storage space. They were only about £90 new, we've definitely had our money's worth! No idea what the best value ones are now but I'd imagine there's plenty still available for a decent price.

Mine have had their tablets since about 7 op...internet access can be restricted and monitored. Mine are not allowed passwords on their tablets and we check them regularly and monitor them when in use.

[RibenaMonsoon]

I would get a bottom of the range android tablet. They work nicely and they don't cost the earth. Once she's older perhaps you can upgrade it to a better one on the condition she looks after the original one. Huawei do a nice range.

As for online safety, doesn't really matter which you get. Your best bet is to place a content control bar on the line you take out with the tablet and also on her wifi login (although bear in mind only certain broadband providers as far as I know, allow you to restrict content on your home broadband for minors. Best bet is to check with your provider) This will restrict her online ability and block her from gambling/erotica/adult websites.

Online pestering/grooming is scary thought. I don't think you are being over protective. I don't know what to suggest on that one. Hopefully someone more knowledgeable will be along with some advice on that one.

[dementedpixie]

Don't think hudls are made now. Samsung have been great for our kids (I have an iPad though)

[Pollaidh]

No problem. Ours (3&7) have Kindle Fires with the child bumpers. Mainly for car journeys and when they can't agree on what to watch.

[MrsFionaCharming]

I’d get her an iPod or similar for playing music in her room, and a tablet for games / homework that is to be kept in family areas so it’s easier for you to supervise use.

[AdaHopper]

Ok - a tablet it is. It's actually a gift for her 10th birthday. iPad is too expensive. I'll look into Samsung.

She'll get some bluetooth speakers from her grandfather.

Does anyone have an Acer or Lenovo tablet?

[AdaHopper]

MrsFiona - many of her friends have an ipod. knowing my dd though, she'd be likely to lose it.

[DoubleDinghyRapids]

You could go with a cheaper tablet like a fire an see how she gets on, Then maybe upgrade to an iPad once she shows she can be trusted and responsible..

Dd knows if she breaks just one rule then she doesn’t just lose her tablet, but she loses all online privileges.

I’d start giving her the rules now as getting all the dos and donts at once can be a lot to take in. You could print and laminate the most important ones and stick to back of tablet.

I know you’d be buying it for her to use in her room but I’d personally not let her have unsupervised access online until you know she understands the dangers and consequences of her breaking some rules and have learnt yourself how to restrict connection to home WiFi in how to check up on her.

Eg, create her a google accounts, sign in on her tablet and you can then monitor all her search terms from another device. Everything she types in, which you tube videos she watches, which sites she visited.

Play with device yourself a few days before giving her it, learn how to block specific sites, out child locks on, set up AppStore passwords so can’t install anything.

I would not link any AppStore accounts to bank, use pre paid vouchers.

I’d insist on creating any social media accounts yourself, (she shouldn’t have any as she’s too young but I know a lot of parents allow their children on social media, or are unaware their child is using it) and you have password. You create another for yourself and follow her. She isnt. allowed to accept any request or send any requests out without you checking them first...

Check any games before they are installed. If you don’t want to spend a bit of time playing and checking content yourself then watch a YouTube vid on it. A lot of kids games are free but are ad heavy and contain purches ( which is why I said she does not get App Store password and it doesn’t get linked to bank) a few times the ads in some kids games have been for adult sites. A good adblocker is worth paying for in my opinion.

Some games have a social element and allow chatting between users, another reason to spend some time p,aging any games before she does.

Music, if she’s going to use YouTube there’s a lot of really inappropriate comments, I’d reccomend using Spotify or google music, buying music direct or loading mp3s on itself depending on device if you di t want her to risk seeing that stuff.

You also need to tell her what to do if she does come across inappropriate content, if boys ask her for photos, if she gets bullied online, if she feels scared, if she sees any of her friends getting bullied or posting stuff they shouldn’t etc.

There’s more than that, it’s a lot to take in so I really would start discussing some of the stuff now. Theres other risks than grooming which need discussing. It might sound strict but it’s because it’s all coming at once, dd started being told about online safety at 3 and as she’s grown older and understand matures then more and more has been added.

There’s loads of YouTube videos and tutorials on every device going. I’m amazed by how many of dds friends parents do not know how to navigate their child’s tablet or check history.

[delilahbucket]

My ds is nine and he has a tablet. He doesn't use it communicate with anyone because he can't. The Google sign in details are mine so he can only access my hangouts messenger and my email. He is only allowed to download games that have been vetted by us first and he rarely uses it in his room. Everything he does is monitored.

[Voice0fReason]

I would go for the Fire - good value and perfect for kids.

Remote monitoring is not the way to keep kids safe and it doesn't teach them anything about how to keep themselves safe. Let her use it in your presence so you can talk to each other about the things she finds and how she communicates with other people.

By all means set up parental controls but don't rely on them - they are only effective as part of good teaching and communication. They are also incredibly easy to bypass - even if she can't do it now, it won't be long before she (or a friend) can.

Don't let her have it in her room after an agreed time - charge it overnight downstairs.

[ALemonyPea]

Kindle fire children ones are good and have parent controls on them.

[Voice0fReason]

A lot of people recommending setting up a google account that you can access to see her searches, that's a pretty good idea for a 10 year old but it won't take long for a slightly older child to discover how to search and use the internet without that history being recorded.

[MissWimpyDimple]

I’m clearly a bit lax but my 10 yo has an iPad mini and an iPhone.

I have them set up in family sharing so I know what she downloads. All of her photos come straight into my iPad and I check the phone every couple of days to make sure nothing is being said on the WhatsApp group her friends have.

I do trust her. She knows she isn’t allowed to go on YouTube and she doesn’t have any social media at all.

She mainly uses the iPhone to text me when she is at her dads which helps her as she misses me a lot

[milkysmum]

Kindle fire all the way! So easy for kids to navigate around but oodles of functions too

[iloveredwine]

my daughter has a Levano tab and it's great. does the job and I have it to my Google account so can't buy anything from the play store

[thegreylady]

We were very happy with our Acer for several years. We have an iPad now and our grandsons have a Nexus (they are 8 and 11).

[AdaHopper]

Thanks all. Very useful tips!

I have spoken to her about grooming and how that works. I've also spoken to her about sending pictures and that social media can be used later when she is looking for a job.

She is (at the moment) not interested in social media at all. She hasn't asked for her own tablet either, just to play music in her room.

The biggest problem will be her brother who is addicted to 'screens' and will be OTT jealous.

[Cakescakescakes]

I got iPad minis for the DC last year on Black Friday for £179 from Tesco. They use iPads in school too so lots of crossover for apps etc.

[lindblum]

There are very comprehensive parental controls on most tablets limiting what sort of sites can be visited and what kind of apps can be used. Ipads are very good but most do it now. I've had good experiences with Acer in regards to longevity and reliability.

She's not interested in facebook, snapchat etc now but I would suggest that in the case that she does want them, she ask you first.

If she just wants to listen to music, why does she need a tablet? Couldn't she get an ipod or mp3 player for that and use the family computer for her homework?