Does anyone else have no tablets/iPads/screens etc for their children?

[WellErrr]

Mine haven’t had screens, ever. And they won’t be until they can buy their own.
However - as they’re getting older, more and more people are pressuring me to get them. Apparently they need them for educational purposes and to not be the odd one out at school. I don’t agree.

But then I got thinking - I don’t know any other children without them. Is there anyone else out there with screen-free children??

OP I understand where you are coming from, but I think you are fast approaching the age with your oldest where if you don't let him have access to these, he will miss out socially. Online is now part of popular culture, and it is like TV was in the past, kids who do not have these popular culture references do struggle to fit in socially.

The rest of the so called advantages are rubbish. I do not think I am tech savvy at all. But I am better at working out how to use new software introduced at work than the young adults employed there, which has really surprised me. They may be better at gaming and leisure stuff, but that does not translate to the workplace at all.

And other online stuff adults will have to use in the future like online banking are becoming easier and easier to use.

So I disagree they need access to learn any actual skills. They do need access as they get older to fit in socially. And that does matter.

Also IME young kids spend longer online than the parents say they do.

You only need to read a bit of gothic literature to get a feel for how technological advances can be seen as detrimental to society. (Frankenstein - fear of medical advancement, electricity etc)
That is not what Frankenstein is about at all. It is about loneliness and alienation and being an outsider.

What a pile of goady bollocks

OP stick to your guns, dont believe the rubbish that tablets etc make children more intelligent, having spent many years as a SEN TA i can say i havent noticed any change in intelligence but have noticed a huge change in behaviour in children who have their own gadgets, and its not for the better

I agree with you OP

My 7,5&3 year old have very little screen time (but not none). In the summer they have none as they’re usually outside. In the winter we may occasionally put the TV on for cartoons on the weekend if it’s raining and we’ve already been swimming.

We never ever have it on a weekday.
They can go months without tv. They’re fine. They play independently so well and are very close to each other.

They use iPads and computers at school so are learning that side just fine.

The eldest goes to coding club 30 mins after school. We just prefer them not to sit at home and stare at screen

With my first I held off until around 8 I think but of course harder to police with second child seeing 1st on it

So second had one from around 4.

It's fit in well actually as part of daily life. It hasn't transposed anything else at all and is used for doddle maths, watching films in car long journey, few mins before bed sometimes... In the day on weekend...

Younger still does tons of imaginative play, art, craft, bikes, scooter, plays outside etc etc etc.

Sometimes we do panic when seeing something new we didn't have as children!

My children's lives are definalty balanced, neither overweight, eldest is stand out at school for massive reading appetite... Teachers say her writing is incredible because her reading filters thru.

Brilliant at climbing etc, physical stuff...

I do note however we often have tv on in background and I know the kids who have it restricted as they are like zombies! They won't socialise because glued to TV so ironically for those kids we have to turn it off 😂😂

Mine are 6 and 4 and they don’t have one that is their own. They watch mine at the weekend in morning for 40mins. We don’t have tv stations either though. They watch a movie maybe twice a week.

It's also a different way to learn that managed properly is a great tool.

Often they don't know they are doing learning program.
As with anything else, extremes are not good, on it all the time or never allowed it.

Also when I was doing research years ago on here about whether to buy or not, I did hold off for another few years however...

As usual on mn you had the mums saying 'absolutely not, corrupts the mind, awful like zombies all day staring at screen. They only get my i phone to play on'

Well we then didn't have smart phones or anything!

It's like the Xmas threads. 'we only give dc two toys each. That's plenty.' then later on... It's revealed kids get 30 + toys from family anyway so not quite the parsimonious 2 toys...

I'm just watching a great programme called babies: Their wonderful world might get it on BBC iPlayer , it says that toddlers and baby tech users have better dexterity and hand eye coordination as well as good concentration and focus ... I recommend you try watch it x

As with anything else, extremes are not good, on it all the time or never allowed it.

Is the correct answer. Everything in moderation.

I salute you OP. I tried being screen free but started allowing DS to watch TV while on his high chair (17 months) because else he won’t sit still and because I’m running out of energy as a pregnant person.

I didn’t do it for his benefit I did it for mine. I think in his best interest he should stay screen free for a while until needed.

So I’m gonna stick here for inspiration on how to achieve that. Your children sound health to me.

In my opinion, maybe at the age of 10 or so I would start slowly introducing screens and at 12/14 I would give them their own one. Before that is too damaging for their development I think

IABUQueen - my older had a period of a year of watching more tv than ideal, while I was pregs and had a baby. No big deal, saved my mental health! As baby got older, we just stopped naturally as he could entertain himself a lot more and I had more energy and time.

No screen time here really. The odd flick through photos on my phone camera roll if they want.

Lots if swimming, climbing, running, cycling. I’m not sure they would choose a screen over these things yet.

Ask me again when they’re teenagers and I’m sure it will be an utterly different story, and probably rightly so..........

My mother has never had the internet. As an elderly person this is now putting her at a disadvantage socially

I'm impressed Op @WellErrr I wanted to be screen and TV free. But it's too hard for me. We have a relatively alternative lifestyle and spend a lot of time outside, but sometimes I need to deploy the screen so I can shower or clean. You see my child doesn't nap now or go to bed at a reasonable time, but still manages to get up early. I can of course leave them without the screen to destroy things and injure themselves. This results in me getting out of the shower every few minutes, general shouting of Mummmmm and crying, and it stress me out. For general daily tasks they help but some cleaning I don't want a toddler helping.

Op do they watch any regular Tv ? Maybe my issue is my child is actually very needy and wants me with them all the time, independent play is only fine as long as I'm in the room?!

Screen time is just another form of competitive parenting.

Guess what. Different things suit different families.

Our kids get more screen time than some, less than others. Most of those kids also play outside, creative play, sport etc. There are always some kids that don't socialise wherever you are.

It is a bit smug to say 'screen time is bad, our farm life is wonderful'.

Tech is part of life now. They need to learn safe, proportionate use. Or yes, I do think they are disadvantaged.

Screen time is just another form of competitive parenting.

It really isn’t. And you are just sounding defensive.

Different families do things differently as you say, and so there is a big chunk of parents who disagree with screens before a certain age.. it’s got nothing to do with competition and more to do with what they believe is best for their child.

Competitive parenting? Ha, in the same way I couldn’t care less what other people feed their children I do not care what other people do when it comes to screen times.

I just hope that they returned the favour by ignoring my choices as much as I ignore theirs.

Mine are playing some video game right now while I watch ER in peace. They all own laptops and iphones. Two have Apple Watches gasp

Age 18, 16 and 14. All doing well in school. None overweight. All perfectly capable of conversing with others throughout a meal, reading books cover to cover, etc.

One's going to a top 10 US college in Sept on a National Merit scholarship.

Come back in 15 years OP and we can compare notes. You can tell me how superior your screen free kids turn out to be.

Yours are still very young. Mine are secondary school age, have a tablet, a laptop and a Nintendo Switch each. My son has ASD and OCD so has to have really firm boundaries in place. But their homework, research and revision is online so I'm not sure how no screens work in 2019 when it comes to older kids.

Come back in 15 years OP and we can compare notes. You can tell me how superior your screen free kids turn out to be.

Passive Aggressive and nasty.

OP didn’t claim her kids are superior To yours and it’s rather funny that you don’t realise your kids are too old to be compared to hers and their screen free time.

OP I’m sure you were planning on introducing the screen when their school work demand it and when it’s age appropriate right ?

My objections to them are mainly that they promote sitting still and being boring rather than getting outside and enjoying life

Are they allowed books ?.

You're so full of contradictions OP.

"getting support with learning,

Such as? I support them with learning. Oldest is a year ahead of where he should be.

straight forward learning,

Again.....?

learning to coding

I don’t know what coding is. I’m ok. "

So when your kids need support with coding, because it will be there homework. How will you be able to support them?

Having an attitude of "I don’t know what coding is. I’m ok." is piss poor. Your kids will need to know coding for school. It's like saying "I don't know maths, I'm Ok"

Also your objection to screen time is
that it's "mainly that they promote sitting still and being boring rather than getting outside and enjoying life."

But then you inform us that your kids "They all do a variety of crafts including bead and needlework"
That's the same, they're "sitting still and being boring". They're engrossed in a solo activity.

My DS15 lives his PS4 and tablet. But also loves camping, skating, fishing, swimming, hiking and dog walking. He grew up with screens and isn't a social hermit. When he was 7 he lived things like water fights, den building, bike rides, fishing, play grounds, football...all sorts.

Your kids will be missing out on something that is a central part of everyone's life.

If you honestly think kids can either only go on screens or have wonderful outdoorsy childhoods... Then you're deluded.

OP didn’t claim her kids are superior To yours

She sure as heck thinks her parenting is though