To get my 3 year old son a tablet?

[horsesheep]

I've come across a nice children's tablet on Argos. I know my ds will absolutely love it. His cousin has a similar tablet and they sometimes go on it together when we visit my brother.

Ds is approaching his 3rd birthday. I feel it is way too young for such a small child to have a tablet and I will obviously be strict with the times he's allowed on it and I won't just give it to him to 'shut him up'.

AIBU in considering buying him a tablet? The minimum age requirement is 3+ but I can't shake this feeling that he's too young and should be playing with toys not stuck behind a tablet. Should I accept times have moved on and buy him one?

Dd(4) got a kindle fire tablet for Xmas because when she started the school preschool in September they did an initial assessment and apparently she is behind where she should ideally be with her IT skills. I wasn't shocked because we don't really embrace technology in our house but I felt bad if it'll hold her back at school. When I read the report it was her ability to navigate the school computer/tablet that they looked at. Damned if you do, damned if you don't

Oops, crossed post with pompombears2

Nooooooooo........

This is the unicorn my 4yo drew. When I asked him how he knew to draw a unicorn he said he followed a YouTube tutorial.

How did he find a YouTube tutorial? His 7yo sister did a google search for him.

How did she know how to spell the search terms (we live in a non-English speaking country so her primary schooling language is not English)? She sent a Messanger voice mail to her friend who typed back a response.

Get the kid a tablet.

Yabu. Young children don’t need technology! They should be playing with toys and using their imagination. They are only little once and it’s crucial for them to learn to be creative and not depend on technology to keep them entertained.
Kids pick up technology so quickly - my son doesn’t have a tablet. He started school 2 years ago and is not behind at all when they do IT.
Hold off!

Wow! Fantastic boobootwo!

@alpaca44 you say children don't need technology but if you look at the eyfs then anything with buttons, electronic, battery operated toys that need turning on and off all count as technology. I'm sure you have those in your house?

Im guessing all these young children are spending their days playing with stem toys, going on educational walks, creative play etc. They can then earn time on a tablet or have an hours down time?? These kids need more down time or is it more acceptable to watch the tv?

@donkir By technology, I meant computers/video games. Sorry if I wasn’t clear!

My son has had use of a tablet since 3 and a half ish and he hasn't suffered in any way! The only thing I had to be strict with was time limits on it which at times caused tantrums but he soon learnt and comes off by himself when I say.

He's 5 now and the iPad causes no issues, sometimes when he's tired after school he goes up to his bed and spends 30 minutes relaxing watching something then he comes down to play or help make tea.

We also use it to help him learn to read, I found he was getting stressed and upset when I was trying to teach him to read. I found an app called Reading Eggs which uses lots of short games and challenges to get them learning their sounds and it's made a huge difference. He's now got confidence and his teacher can't believe how quickly he has progressed! She literally said his reading has gone 0 to 100. Which is obviously a combination of what he's done at school and the Reading we've done at home, but I think the app has made the biggest difference!!

He also told me what gravity is the other day, he learnt it from something he watched on YouTube!

So in conclusion after my massive post, ipads and tablets are fine and sometimes even a good thing. When used right!

My 5 year old got a tablet for Christmas as he is always trying to use his brother's one. He played with it for a few minutes but was much more interested in his new toy fire engine.

Alpaca44 - could you point me to the research you have done to back up your claims that children don't need technology, please? Always looking for decent studies as critiques to use in my own research.

He's too young and should be playing with toys. You nailed it there.

My nephew had a tablet from 2yo, and although i thought it was a bit young, he used to and still does play these great educational games.

Technology is going to be such a huge part of kids lives, i wouldn't keep my dd away from it, not excessive, but they need to learn how to use it safely

Lovely unicorn but by 4yo doesn't require a tablet to do that she has read lots of books about unicorns and copied from them. The old fashioned way.

We dont have any pc/tablet use here and school have told us it is fine. They will teach the what they need to know and let us know if it is an issue. I'm in no hurry, maybe ks2

Read toddlers and tablets by professor Sonia livingstone and you will probably decide not to buy one until your child is older

Sonia Livingstone mostly discusses the risks involved when children are exposed to the Internet, such as unsuitable content and being able to make in-app purchases. These things are very easily solved if a parent has done their research correctly and supervises a child as they should.