Why oh why are people giving their under 12s tablets?

Did he or your kids turn out any different?

To actually answer the question from my own POV OP, I gave my son a tablet for downloading films/shows when we travel and for video calling his dad (that app is only on my user profile on it). School do ask that they play a maths app, but it doesn't even get turned on most days as he'd much rather play with figures or lego, and he has no idea youtube could be accessed.

So I think there are reasonable uses, but I realise that plenty of children aren't able to regulate their own use of it and I got lucky!

I completely agree that schools etc shouldn't be pushing their use. But why tablets specifically? I would have thought phones or laptops are just as bad, and really, under 12s is too wide of an age range. Up to age 7 or 8 no one should need a device really, from age 9-11, it would be quite unusual to have never had access to any type of screen.

You can be a rubbish lazy parent without tablets and a good involved patent with a tablet. The two are not linked.

Like everything, its how you use that counts. DD (now 14) has a duolingo streak of 450 days. That amount of daily Spanish practice is very beneficial. Shes been using it regularly since she was 11. She does Maths games, wirdle, geography games etc as well. But the Spanish... neither DH know much beyond "hello, a beer please"

Just watching toy unwrapping videos for hours on end at 7 would be a bad use of the technology.

Learning apps are not all equal all the reading books being digital I don't like, which I believe now happens. But times table practice on TTs rockstars is a useful tool.

Which is fantastic for digital inclusion!

We are not all using AI at work.

Some of us still use our brains.

You’re not in Scotland and using the word jolly 😂

Nah I’m kidding. I agree with you. We have an iPad that we all use. I don’t want my daughter to have her own one. It’s not necessary.

Did anyone else click on this wondering what the deal was with paracetamol?

On earth, I give my DC tablets because they are great tools.

No social media at all (including YouTube, Pinterest, etc), no messaging services, individually customized screen time limits, app restrictions, app store lockdowns...

=

Kids who are firmly connected to the real world, but can also watch Horrible Histories or Numberblocks when on a plane. Also, I know many people are against homework being set on apps, but with two left-handers, it's helped ease some frustrations!!

I’m sure it’s not always, but why buy them the tablet in the first place? Surely anyone would rather their child have this down time doing something like reading or a puzzle book.
As I say I’m sure it’s not always, but you’d be hard pushed to convince that in most cases it isn’t just laziness. People just don’t want to admit it or accept it.

My children don't have their own tablet but they do have access to an ipad and and Android tablet for school work.

DS is nearly 2 and he does not have a phone or tablet, the only time he views a tablet is towards the end of the 1 day a week his grandparents have him he'll have half hour or so of nursery rhymes on one which they sing and do actions with him.
But the amount of times people comment when we're out and he either has a small magnetic drawing board, his busy book or reading books about how lovely it is to see and how unusual it is is crazy!
I took him to the barbers a few weeks ago and forgot his usual occupying tools, he happily played with the clips on a lunchbox, and a bag clip, no fussing nothing, it's laziness from parents! There's absolutely no excuse for it!

Where? I'm in Scotland and haven't heard this. They can jolly well keep it

Her birthday present was something she could only use for homework AND it was taken away again for something someone else did?!

Gosh I agree so much with your comment.
Both DC loved these when they were in the pushchair:
https://toppsta.com/books/series/5795/buggy-buddies
DD1 called them buddy buddies and DD2 buggy buggies.
We had 4 or 5 attached and they would 'read' them but we spent most of the time chatting about what we could see around.
I also didn't walk along staring at my phone either and it's not that long ago.

I think that is a sweeping generalisation OP. Respectfully, families use them in different ways. My children have had them from approximately age 7. Not every day but to watch movies on long journeys or to play games, FaceTime relatives who live far away, etc. All supervised and managed from my phone. Whether we like it or not, we need to teach children how to use technology responsibly before they are 'let loose' as teenagers. I have had some battles with one of my children in particular about usage but am holding my boundaries firm which isn't easy but important.

This shows how teachers are so behind the times. We are all using AI at work and encourage to do so. I'm actively teaching my kids how to use Gen AI productively. It really shows when team members can't prompt properly. Gen AI is Google of the late 90s. We learn to google search by using key words. Have you noticed that isn't effective anymore? I have noticed now if switch to prompting the way you use LLM, I get much better results from many of the internal websites we used that are AI enabled.

Your kid's secondary school teachers sound like luddites.

Rolled out P6 onwards isn't it?

"There is no such thing as a society"

Utter alarmist nonsense.
what are you recommending?we eschew all tech and create a sepia tone olde world childhood. All the middle class anxious parents bragging to other hand wringing parents about how they have banned iPad and tablets.
Appropriate apps and educational platforms are accessible and promote learning and the children brain plasticity will absorb it all

Took a looooong time to fully establish evidence of the dangers of smoking.

The joys of the Barnett formula.

I’m cracking up here - I thought you meant tablets like paracetamol! 😂

I agree - it’s shocking to see mums on the phone while their toddlers are swiping instead of looking at an age appropriate book

I think generally speaking, and there will always be caveats to this, that often the reasons parents say they use tablets or screens of some sort is for ND reasons, are the very children that are going to be more disadvantaged by types of usage.
As other posters say, by the nature of the way the scrolling words, the feedback loops, the repetition, over stimulation is counter productive to many children's needs.

Sorry I’m not sure what this means