Do you send your kids' iPads on playdates?!

[Purpleturtle45]

This is doing my head in recently. Whenever my daughter (9) has a friend to play they bring their iPad (or equivalent). I have playdates to get them off a screen and wouldn't dream or sending her on a playdate with her tablet. I have 2 older kids and this was never a thing!

Oh no, that’s such shitty lazy parenting. I would judge that incredibly harshly.

Do you have children?

Do you have children?

It's such a shame isn't it?
Have you seen Toy Story 5? It's all too true.

X

I have 3 children (13, 11 and 7) and agree with that poster. Utterly depressing and would never do it myself.

You're children don't own their own devices?

I didn’t say that did I? I was responding to a post about 9 olds taking devices on play dates…

But to answer your question. My 13 year old has a phone. She got it at the start of year 7 because she gets a 45 min bus to school. My 11 year old is starting year 7 in September so will also get a phone at some point between now and then. We have an iPad in the family that they can both use for homework etc. They both have kindles.
My 7 year old doesn’t own a device.

SIL’s kids have had a tablet/ipad genuinely from the age of 3 it’s mental. They have 0 social skills and the iPads come everywhere with them, feel sorry for them tbh

Nah, mine rather be doing something than being on the tablet. Like normal kids 🤔 why have a playdate if your just going to be on tech?

Yeah l, mine usually take their tablet and their friends bring tablets. Some games they like to play alongside each other. I don't dictate what they play when friends are over,.it's free time.

My six year old was just complaining to his pal that he didn’t want to go around to his house, as the pal will get his iPad out & ignore DS.

Yes, mine sometimes come back from play dates saying it was boring because their friends just wanted to watch TikToks or play Roblox.

Yes I do. 7 and 4. I know 2 neighbours that let their 9 year olds take devices on playdates. They say 'it's awful isn't it, but they're all doing it'. I cannot fathom being so weakly led in my parenting that I succumb to such peer pressure. If one parents says no, perhaps others will also say no - judging by the sheep theory that seems to be occurring. If my future 9 year old is unable to think of a game or activity to play without a device, I would be absolutely horrified. And then we wonder why teen mental health is at an all time low? Madness. Lazy peer pressured parenting with terrible effects

But as an adult I have a phone and laptop so don’t use an ipad and therefore in our house they very much ‘belong’ to the kids who have one each even if they are very restricted in when they can use them and what for (my 5YO literally only gets it for travel). DD9 in Y5 also has a school issued ipad so very much hers and not remotely mine. Yes it’s ridiculous (and sad IMO) for a child to take them on a playdate but nothing ridiculous about a child owning one, it’s really quite normal these days.

To be fair you must be fairly wealthy to be able to afford an iPad each, especially one for a 5 year old who literally only uses it for travel! They’re not cheap.

Your 13 and 15 year olds play? On play dates?!

Literally iPads, or any tablet? Why iPads specifically?

I have seen ipads materialised for sleepovers, but so far, not to playdates.

Kids or teens, the only screen that they take is phones.

There’s a generation coming up that will be kids who used tech from toddler-age to those who didn’t. The difference will be marked. It’s just a fact. I worry that DS won’t be tech-savvy, but I think later is better. He will eventually have a phone etc…

At that age, mine play football, tennis or rugby. Maybe that's what the poster meant

I have seen them in front of a game of chess once or twice, I was amazed they even managed to find it 😂

We don't call them playdates, but yes they play. Trampoline, board games, lego, climbing frame, baking etc. They use screens as well, my 15 year old and his friends like to play formula 1 on the x box, but mostly they like to play outside etc.

My kids so lots of things when they have friends over. Swim in the pool, ride bikes, play basketball or football build Lego etc. Sometimes they just want to sit together and play DTI or Minecraft. What's so bad about that. When my friend comes over we lay on my bed a watch true crime docs. There's no right or wrong way to hang out with friends if.you enjoy the same things.

It’s a reconditioned 2018 model. Can’t remember how much it cost exactly but it was less than my carry on suitcase 🤣

My suitcase was £17.99 from sports direct, not sure I’d get an iPad for less than that 😁

Shit parenting