Sorry for the multiple posts - I'm using the app and I'm trying to respond to everyone but I don't want to flood the forum with multiples.
Hopefully this response will cover things.
@Saturdaycartoon family sharing of an iPad is entirely reasonable because it's not attached to just one person, and I imagine it also promotes sharing within a family unit. It's a positive idea. Something that belongs to a family unit is more likely to well taken care of too, or at least that's how my mind sees it.
I have a first generation iPad mini that is basically just something i use to read my kindle books on now. It doesn't update the iOS anymore, and it's absurdly slow and definitely wouldn't run Netflix! The tablet the little one has access to is an android and is pretty basic. She really only uses it to watch Ryan's Toy Review on YouTube, and play a couple of educational games that help her with language and numeracy. She's very much into drawing things for herself and other people, and likes to play with stuff that involves her using stickers and craft stuff. I think it's a happy medium because she won't get upset if she can't use her tablet. She is just as happy colouring and playing with her Shopkins and Pokemon cards.
@Ringdonna were the apple devices gifts from other people, or yourself? I know it's harder to control what other people buy, especially once a child has seen it because taking it off them if you don't approve of something usually causes meltdowns. A friend of mine gave his nephew his older iPad as a gift when he got an upgrade, but that I can completely understand because it was several years old, and wasn't handed to him brand new obviously. He was VERY happy because to him it was new as he'd never used one before.
@MigGril the tracking feature seems to be the main reason people get them, which truthfully is entirely fair because as previously said, knowing where your child is when they're not with you, is totally reasonable. I like the encouragement to be active too. The little one already has a reward system in place using stickers and such, she's VERY into stickers.
@AuntieStella she's not an overly sporty type yet, she likes her dance classes and completely adores Pokemon. She will play games on the Switch belonging to her father, but she is just as happy collecting physical cards too. She spent several hours organising all her cards, lots of little things please her a lot. She's just as happy getting one of those little surprise gift bags from Asda, as she is getting a new switch game to play.
@MymymyLinda I absolutely see your POV. For me a lot of it comes from the fact that I (and many of us of course) grew up and survived without the current level of tech that is available now. Walking to and from school alone, going to the corner shop etc, whereas now many parents wouldn't dream of a child doing that, which is entirely okay because if that makes them uncomfortable knowing their child is walking to school with no tracking etc, that's their right to feel that way. The way things stand now, the little one isn't allowed to be constantly glued to tech because both her parents don't want her to be that way, so she has a happy medium there. I completely agree with them as far as my involvement goes as her father's fiancé. Her mum doesn't allow tech at the dinner table which i totally agree with, and if we were out to dinner, all tech would be set to silent and pocketed. I do find it comical when you see families all glued to tech when they're out together, rather than having conversations, but then there could be a multitude of reasons for that, especially if that tech was helping one of the family members deal with a social situation, for example.
@bookmum08 I'm not sure if her school will have an issue with it, I'd have to find out. She doesn't have issues paying attention in school because she absolutely loves it. She actually gets upset when she can't go to school if she's poorly.
@AFOLNerd totally agree with your thinking regarding a child proving they can be responsible with something. Little one is very careful with her toys, and I imagine she would be just as careful with a smart watch even though i don't think one is on the cards just yet.
@Peanutss thank you for the support RE being allowed my opinion, I appreciate it. I will be honest and say that your other half's son having all that tech made me do the whole raised eyebrows thing, mainly because I'd wonder if they ever do anything other than glue themselves to it. You're absolutely right regarding everything being about tech, but luckily the little one loves non tech stuff too. It worries me knowing some parents leave their kids glued to xboxes and the like to keep them occupied rather than interacting with them and encouraging them to do things offline. I think it's horribly lazy. That's not to imply that's what your other half is doing, I'm talking in a wider sense about other parents doing it.
@SkylightAndChandelier from what you've described, the Xiaomi sounds like a very good entry level device, thank you.
