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AIBU?

Share your dilemmas and get honest opinions from other Mumsnetters.

Original poster

How much tech do your DC have?

78 replies

Greenergrass11 · 15/10/2018 13:12

I think my ex is spoiling our DD by buying her too much ‘tech’ but he won’t listen.

She’s 9 and for the last 3 Xmas / birthday (so since she was 7!) she’s had iPhone for birthday, laptop for Christmas, newer iPhone for birthday and he’s talking about buying her an iPad for Christmas. AIBU to say I don’t want her to have the iPad as it’s unnecessary and I worry he is spoiling her?

What tech do you dCs have and at what ages etc?

OP posts:
Nat6999 · 15/10/2018 14:38

TheSteakBakeofAwsome If you get DLA for your child, you can apply to the Family Fund for a grant to get an IPad, download the forms, print them off & send a copy of your award letter. They either supply the IPad or send a voucher for payment for Currys or Argos.

You can claim a grant once a year, they can be used for lots of things like tech equipment, outdoor toys like trampolines, new beds or bedroom furniture, washing machines or even holidays. You just need to put on the form how whatever you are asking for would benefit your child or your family.

KOKOagainandagain · 15/10/2018 14:39

DS2 has had an iPad since he was 9 - he uses it for multiple things aside from gaming apps - YouTube, Kindle, NLP sleep, linked to Fitbit and smart scales, Skype, FaceTime, schedules and alarms, he has word, excel, ppt for apple etc, calculator, conversion, torch, clock, calendar etc etc. It is multifunctional and his go to tech.

He uses other tech for specific purposes. He has a windows PC that he uses for games that can't be downloaded to apple (like scrap mechanic), switch, PS3 plus old school platforms (Nintendo 64, game boy). He uses iMac for internet school and takes MacBook to computer club. He wants a V.R. gaming system for Xmas.

He doesn't need an iPhone.

BusterGonad · 15/10/2018 14:39

My 10 year old has an iPad, DS, Wii U and a game boy. We often trade stuff in a get him other things. The iPad was a Christmas present 3 years ago, Wii U for his 9th birthday and the DS and gameboy were purchased after trading stuff in at CEX or some other similar place. You can't deny children tech, it's important they know how to use such things.

BusterGonad · 15/10/2018 14:41

Oh and as a family we each have a iPad, iPhones x 2 a Mac book and a old laptop as well as a PS4. BUT many of these things were bought preowned or at a good price. In fact 2 iPads were cheap due to broken screens, the 3rd was brand new but someone wanted a quick sale!

DoubleLottchen · 15/10/2018 14:49

My 10 year old has their own laptop (mainly used for homework), a hand-me-down kindle paperwhite and shares a games console with sibling.

7 year old shares the games console, but has no other tech.

TheSteakBakeOfAwesome · 15/10/2018 20:14

@Nat6999 we were turned down for DLA and mandatory reconsideration because, no word of a lie, "DD2 is well behaved"... apparently I was applying for a gold sticky star or something on a bajillion page form instead!

We shall get there... just takes time (and some bloody supply teaching work coming in would be nice)!

TantricTwist · 15/10/2018 20:26

My DD 11 has a hand me down iMac, mini iPad and a Moto Phone.

My DS 12 has a hand me down iMac, mini iPad, a Moto phone, xbox one S, PS4 and old Wii.

I have a MacBook Air, iPhone and iPad.

It's not excessive imho because they all get used and they've all lasted years. One iMac is 9 years old the other 5 and the mini iPads are about 5 years old, they have cracked screens but are still going strong.

OhFlipMama · 15/10/2018 20:28

I'm with you, it's always some kind of tech.

OhFlipMama · 15/10/2018 20:32

Although she doesn't have a phone yet (10) and much of it is refurbished bits. She wants to go into game development or animation so I'm happy for her to develop skills now to be honest.

OhFlipMama · 15/10/2018 20:37

@Leafyhouse I agree that it's important to acquire the skills to use the ever changing technology. I don't believe in withholding it completely, but other activities are encouraged too!

HighwayDragon1 · 15/10/2018 20:43

DD is 8and has a 2DS, tablet and laptop. No phone yet, though she keeps whining for one!

Lethaldrizzle · 15/10/2018 20:49

Leafy i thought kids travelled free in london

Leafyhouse · 15/10/2018 21:12

Up to 11 it's free on buses and trains. After that it's sometimes child fares. Buses are free to 16 - but in any case, they need Oyster cards as proof of age.

To give an example of why they need to master tech: take debit / credit cards. To our generation, we blow our way through money on a night out, because it's not 'real' money. You hold back a lot more when you're handing over actual £20 notes. But that's because we weren't raised on cards. Likewise with all these smartphones people gaze at while walking down the road. My kids are much less obsessed with tech than I am, and I love that.

notsurewhatshappening · 15/10/2018 21:17

8 and 5 yo

No phones, no tablets, no consoles except a wii. It's only switched on occasionally. They can go on age appropriate websites on the pc for a short time or watch youtube, mainly lego being built. The childminder has ipads and I don't mindo them using hers, but would rather not have them at home as they're addictive.

I'm a primary teacher who has seen very detrimental effects on children's wellbeing from unregulated gaming and would rather avoid it.

RiverTam · 15/10/2018 21:21

But that’s purely personal. Your statement ‘master tech or it’ll master you’ is just nonsense. How can tech master you if you don’t have much of it and don’t do much with what you do have?

Purplejay · 15/10/2018 21:23

My DS just 12 has had a phone since age 9 and an Iphone 6 for about 6 months. I got it second hand off ebay for about £80. He has an xbox one x which was bought under the pretence of it being a family present but it’s in his room... He has my old ipad air which he paid for a screen repair on when I had a replacement. Prior to that he was always borrowing mine so it was nice to have mine to myself! There is a family wii which he has access to and a mid range pc. I have an iphone 7 and and ipad pro.

Purplejay · 15/10/2018 21:23

Should add at 9 he had a kindle fire.

ProfessorMoody · 15/10/2018 21:28

My DS10 has an Xperia Z5, a decent Android tab, Nintendo Switch, Nintendo 3DS, Wii U, Wii, N64, Xbox One X, PS4, Kindle Paperwhite, a Lenovo Yoga Laptop and a 42" TV.

We are a BIG gaming family! Some of the consoles are used by DH and I too, but we have our own Xboxes so we can all play together.

DS also has two other hobbies that he's extremely talented at and aren't tech related, so there is a balance.

ProfessorMoody · 15/10/2018 21:30

I'm a primary teacher too, doing a PhD in Education and my specialist subject is the use of Tech in the classroom. I'm ALL for it.

RiverTam · 15/10/2018 21:43

That’s very interesting. A while ago there was an article in the Economist about research into education in different parts of the world, and which countries produced the brightest (by which they meant the most enquiring, IIRC) children. And the answer was those countries who a) held teachers in extremely high esteem and b) had the least amount of tech in the classroom.

As I say, it was a few years ago, perhaps 5 years, I remember it because when we were looking round primaries schools and a couple were proud of every child having an iPad and I remember thinking ‘but is that so great?’. So I’d be interested if the situation has changed. Personally, I’ve hated it because school have introduced iPads and games to DD where before they weren’t part of her life, and I’ve yet to see any benefit from this, I’d say it’s been a pretty negative thing.

smallchanceofrain · 15/10/2018 22:01

At age 9 my DS had a Kindle and a WiiU. He got an iPad and a Samsung phone at age 11. Then a laptop and a Nintendo Switch at 12. He's just got an XBox One for his 13th birthday.

Currently he has access to freeview channels on the TV and a shared PC for homework because I've confiscated all his tech due to his rotten attitude and refusal to do homework or anything that isn't screen related!

Tonight, out of boredom, he practised his guitar without being nagged and blew the dust off a long neglected keyboard to have a play on that. I'm very tempted to not give him his tech back.

OhFlipMama · 15/10/2018 22:07

@RiverTam iPads can greatly assist those who struggle with some school work, so please don't look on them being in classrooms so negatively. We don't have an iPad per child, we have about 10 in the whole school but even so, their uses are amazing for some children, those who struggle to write for example but have an amazing story idea. There are tools on iPads hat help them share their imagination and creativity.

MarthasGinYard · 15/10/2018 22:08

Dd 8

An Amazon kids Tablet

An old Wii console

An Alexa dot speaker she loves her Audio Books

MarthasGinYard · 15/10/2018 22:08

Dc 8

An Amazon kids tablet

An old Wii console

A dot speaker as loves Audio books and asking it silly questions

ProfessorMoody · 15/10/2018 22:08

RiverTam - The countries where teachers are educated to Master's level (eg. Finland) seem to do the best, but those tests are very subjective and there are many reasons why results alone doesn't show how good an educational system is. Though I'd agree, Scandinavian children for example have a MUCH better education than children in the UK.

With regards to tech in the classroom, it depends on how it's used. When used well, it can enhance and progress learning to no end. When used badly, it does nothing and may even be detrimental. It's all down to the teaching and indeed the parenting where people are having problems with their children and screen time.

Many teachers are "scared" of tech, refuse to learn how to use it, only use certain aspects that they understand, give children a free rein, are against it, don't keep up to date with what's out there or use it wrong or badly. In those cases more often than not then yes, there probably wouldn't be an enhancement to learning.