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AIBU?

Share your dilemmas and get honest opinions from other Mumsnetters.

Original poster

to think that handheld computers should be banned for under seven year olds?

97 replies

BigHairyLeggedSpider · 20/01/2010 23:57

At risk of a flaming but I think that they've got plenty of time to zombify in front of computers, and it risks compromising their imaginations.

OP posts:
biggirlsdontcry · 21/01/2010 14:42

yes but dd only looks for her ds when she gets into the car , she hardly bothers with it at home , plus it is very hard to concentrate on driving while thy are screaming at each other , now they sit happily & connect with each other through blue-tooth & play together .

SherriHewsonsNipple · 21/01/2010 14:45

HOW banned?

byt he police?!!

bubblagirl · 21/01/2010 14:48

my ds age 4 learns a lot form his ds console and has in fact learnt a lot of imaginative play also he has ASD and without it i dont think he would have learnt as much as he has his not glued to it plays and has it hour before bed unless really bad day then maybe few hours in the day its his retreat when things get too much

i also make sure there are other things to be doing so his not bored enough to sit glued to it

posieparker · 21/01/2010 19:17

I was talking to a publisher at the weekend, he specialises in educational books for dyslexics and he said game developers had no interest in anything educational for the ds/psp etc, for children. I was .

princessparty · 22/01/2010 09:34

What do you mean by 'educational' I would have thought any interactive experience for a child would be educational

CirrhosisByTheSea · 22/01/2010 10:15

I am with the OP

Early years play is far better to be active and using the child's own imagination, and interacting socially with other human beings - there are many years for them to stare at consoles, no harm in them waiting till 7 when they are passed the very formative early years. IMHO.

Not suggesting any of you lovely MNers would, but I do know mothers who kid themselves that their children just use these as 'part' of a varied mix of toys/games. But each and every time we see them, all their children actually do is play on the hand-helds, or break off in order to load up the nintendo

Last time we met a particular family, DS was having terrible trouble trying to explain he wanted to play a 'different game' - they kept saying "oh, we've got this or that DS game" and Ds ended up saying "no, I mean a different game using US, our BODIES".......

pugsandseals · 22/01/2010 10:17

DD (age 7) has a leapster which I have no problem with & she enjoys,
A DS which turns her into the most stroppy monster you have ever met & SHE has even agreed that we keep if for when she's older because she gets so frustrated by it!!!,
AND
A cheap IPAQ from ebay which she calmly uses to write stories, keep a diary & listen to all her cd's & audio books on.
I have no problem with the leapster & the ipaq- the ds is the work of the devil IMO!!!

Jimmychasesducks · 22/01/2010 10:17

YABU
I was advised to get ds a gameboy when he was about 5 by a teacher as he had to spend hours in the car.

gorionine · 22/01/2010 10:22

CirrhosisByTheSea , Your DS sounds great!

I sort of agree wit op too, well I would be more on a "restrected time by parents" than actual ban.

By posieparker Thu 21-Jan-10 19:17:04
""I was talking to a publisher at the weekend, he specialises in educational books for dyslexics and he said game developers had no interest in anything educational for the ds/psp etc, for children. I was .""

I am not shocked, I am not even remotely surprised! they are into the buisness of selling their stuff, not educating our Dcs.

sarah293 · 22/01/2010 10:23

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Peachy · 22/01/2010 11:16

You know, there is stuff available on the DS etc that is educational, if you take a wider look.

DS1'sspelling is v v v poor but is improving since he discovered a love of scribblenauts; ds3 can only read in context- at school, the TV guide or recently the newspapers you get delviered on club penguin (he has it on his DS0

Clearly spending all day glued to Mario Kart isn't going to help anyone (and buying you 12 year old a copy of GTA isn't ever going to be a good thing) but with reason, sense and decent aprnting they can certainly reinforce their skill levels.

FranSanDisco · 22/01/2010 11:22

That would mean I'd have to talk to them . More computers/gadgets not less I say .

Morloth · 22/01/2010 11:26

Neural implants are the way forward IMO.

ln1981 · 22/01/2010 13:12

i am quite surprised that they are not interested in educational games. i think that they mat be missing a trick by ignoring that part of the market and surely 'i did it mum' must be that kinda thing!? ds1 and dd both love it.
IME, restricting it doesnt make them want it any more than they get it.
I do agree that there are probably people who just give them consoles to keep them out of the way (and I must confess that during the summer hols i did this on occasion ) but most people go the same way about it as they would restricting other 'bad things'

sarah293 · 22/01/2010 13:26

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AccioPinotGrigio · 22/01/2010 13:33

Fransandisco

Thank Buddha for the Nintendo DS. Giving parents everywhere quality alone time.

CirrhosisByTheSea · 22/01/2010 13:48

I think computer games are as great as books..........................................there really is no answer to that

Other than that, the collective wisdom, intelligence and the best of humanity since the dawn of time is in books...computer games as great as that? really?

FWIW I am fully aware of the fun that can be had on these things, I just choose to allow them for my ds later in his childhood.

I do understand by the way, using them for a child with special needs to make up for limited play opportunities in other areas.

sarah293 · 22/01/2010 14:33

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CirrhosisByTheSea · 22/01/2010 14:52

I am always open to accepting that I may be being unreasonable but I really don't think, personally, this is about snobbery

for me it is simply about doing the best I can for my ds which in my view is allowing these games later in childhood and thereby ensuring his early, formative years are filled by only social, physical games which are not created and limited by an adult PC games designer's ideas but by his own (childish, limitless) imagination. That's not based on snobbery for me but on my personal understanding of child development and my stab at meeting his needs the best I can. I think it's all too easy to say it's about snobbery.

Morloth · 22/01/2010 14:58

Nah, can't be snobbery Riven I am really posh and I love gaming!

sarah293 · 22/01/2010 15:05

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Morloth · 22/01/2010 15:13

Oh man I loved Doom. I used to get a bit scared in Quake though. I remember playing it late one night with headphones and I just about wet myself because I was too freaked out to go to the loo...

Have been through most of the phases, done all the Tombraiders, DH has just completed Assassin's Creed II, he liked Bio-shock as well. We used to play WoW but got a bit bored and haven't for a while. Still go to the pub meetups for the guild though (not that gaming is a social activity or anything! ).

Not too keen on the more "war"ish games (just because they don't interest me. And I think GTA is a bloody stupid idea.

The perfect weekend morning here is spent on the x-box, two of us playing and one watching. Though that means they have to be kiddy games - but there are plenty of those around as well.

Can think of few things more cathartic than loading up God Mode in Doom and the sound of the pump action shotgun.

sarah293 · 22/01/2010 15:15

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Morloth · 22/01/2010 15:15

Come to think of it working out the puzzles in Tombraider and games like Myst has been quite useful in my work life as I am often having to come up with solutions to all sorts of problems.

DS can often also spot the key to a puzzle much more quickly then I can as well, because his brain hasn't had all those extra door's closed yet!

Morloth · 22/01/2010 15:17

We missed Thief, DH was actually talking about it just the other day. I bought the Assassin's Creed book and we were talking about which to do next.