What ages would you put against this list of stuff?

[AKMD]

Dh and I have been wondering about the following list in a PFB way (DS is 17mo). I don't particularly want DS to have any of it but DH has other ideas (and he's probably right about some of it). At what ages would you give/have you given your DC the following items:

Games console
DS or similar
Mobile phone
Smartphone (I don't even have one of these!)
TV in own room (over my dead body...)
Laptop
Facebook account

Are you talking only about for sole use, OP?

Games console - can share DH's PS at 9. Age appropriate games only. Weekends only and limited to an hour per day. Pushing for more/reliant behaviour gets a total ban.
DS or similar - 11
Mobile phone - 7, age appropriate model, PAYG.
Smartphone (I don't even have one of these!) - when they earn it themselves. If that's before 16, I'm monitoring usage.
TV in own room - when they move out. One of the things I hope to do when/if we move house is establish a TV room and a second living area without any media in it, so that any TV has to be watched in the TV room and I can escape from it, and most family time (homework etc) is spent in a TV free room.
Laptop - when needed, which is increasingly commonly the beginning of secondary school. But monitored usage/restricted internet access until 16.
Facebook account - 13, if they give me their password and friend me.

Oh, I meant to say - own games console and DS, not until paid for themselves.

Games console
We had a PS3 and a Wii before they were born. They have been allowed to use these since they were old enough to hold the controllers (age appropriate games on PS3, Wii sports only on Wii)

DS or similar
Not sure they'll ever ask for one, they don't seem as popular here (NZ) as elsewhere. Would let them have one from 5 if they wanted though.

Mobile phone
When they have a need for one (ie trips away from home or sleepovers) - we have a "guest" mobile in the house for visitors to use so I imagine they'll have that to start with.

Smartphone (I don't even have one of these!)
No clue, but we're thinking of getting them a wifi iPad to share now (3&5). They both use our iPhones for maths bingo (and angry birds...)

TV in own room (over my dead body...)
Never. There is one in the living room and there will be one in the rumpus room. They want one in their bedroom they can move into their own house.

Laptop
They have one to share now (small netbook). They use it for emails to family (the 5 year old, obviously the 3 year old can't read or write yet!), Wikipedia / google and coolmathsgames.com :) as they get older I'll relax the net access restrictions so they can use it for homework. I'd expect them to have one each by 10.

Facebook account
Probably younger than 13 as I imagine it will be used to keep in touch with family overseas. With heavy parental controls!

Not sure this will be of interest/relevant to you as DS is almost 15 and the technology, cost and attitudes have all changed so much since he was a toddler.

Games console - I 'held out' on this until his 10th birthday when he got a PS2, tho' several of his friends had them a couple of years earlier so had been 'gaming' longer. Still says it was his best present ever! He then had a Wii and xbox 360 in quick succession - selling one to buy the next. Same with the games.

DS at 6-ish. I can't remember, it's a long time ago.

Mobile phone - after he caught the bus to a friends house on the other side of town and they had forgotten he was coming. He patiently sat on their doorstep, stroking their cat for 2 hours until they arrived home. He was 10. I'm happy to keep paying for it provided he responds to my texts/calls, keeps it charged and switched on - I can withdraw it as a sanction for unwanted behaviour. The same goes for xbox, xbox live subscription and laptop.

Smartphone - I don't have one of these, either! Today he asked for a Blackberry Curve for his birthday next month - Virgin have a good deal atm so soon.

TV in own room - over my dead body, too! When he's 18+ and buys his own , leaves home - I'm not prepared to compromise on this.

Laptop - he's used my PC since he was 3 and has had some brilliant games educational and otherwise. He's had his own netbook or laptop since he was 10 for homework and games but has only been using it 'in private' for a year or 2 and I still have his password to randomly check for porn etc.

Facebook account - he was 12 but hardly uses it now as skypes or chats via xbox live.

.

My eldest is only 3 but by the time she is 10 I bet it will be iPads all around (or some equivalent tablet) and even Facebook might be no longer fashionable. So I'm just going to wait and see what the media landscape looks like. The only thing that I won't allow is tv in bedrooms, but we hardly ever watch tv anyway. iPad in bed might be harder to ban given I use it myself.

These are already real decisions for us (4 DC age 3 to nearly 12yo).

Games console: from 3/4yo

DS or similar: DSi's are Internet enabled, which is tricky. They also break easily. I suppose 7+yo if the NetNanny side is sorted.

Mobile phone: as own phone, not before 10yo; maybe not before 14yo as an own "new phone"!. They can use clunky family phones before then if out alone (theoretically from 8yo). I take great glee in our cheap clunky old phones every time I hear news of someone else's under 16 "losing" a phone.

Smartphone: When they are old enough to pay for it themselves, and otherwise at least 16 (NetNanny issues, again). But I may not have this option when DC4 (just 3yo) gets to 13yo, maybe smartphones will be the only functional phones available by then.

TV in own room: 18, they pay for it & subject to some of my rules (like noise levels, electricity use). I don't have TV in my bedrm either.

Laptop: clunky old not Internet enabled ones: 6+. With strict K9 controls, and homework justification, maybe age 14+. Internet fully enabled and perhaps they pay for it: 16+.

Facebook account: 13 (they have to follow the rules of use).

Ds is 2.2 now.

Game console: can use x box/ whatever dh has in the future. Not necessary in own room.

Ds: can use ss's ds from when he's old enough to play the games as it's kept at our house. For his own, when something better than a ds but not the 3ds comes out and he actually asks for one.

Mobile: he'll always have our old ones as we update regularly, maybe from 8 or 9.

Smartphone: he's already ended up with an iPhone 4 it can't be used as a phone but can be used on wifi and all the apps work, so it's the 'smart' part of the phone. Our phones are I phones so again 8/9 for an actual working phone.

Tv in bedroom: probably about 10.

Laptop: he'll get our old ones with maximum parental controls when he is school age.

Fb: this is a tricky one as my dad works abroad and my mum may join him eventually, so it's a good way to keep them up to date with pictures etc but I don't think fb in general is a good thing for under 16s so not sure on that one!

Sorry forgot to add, Internet is/ would be disabled on I phone until he's responsible enough to use it appropriately.

Games console - Dh and I have a PS3. dd (6) uses it occasionally
DS or similar - 8
Mobile phone - 12 minimum
Smartphone (I don't even have one of these!) 16
TV in own room (over my dead body...) Not in my house!
Laptop - 16
Facebook account 16

I'm a meanie!

Games Console - 10 ish
DS- as soon as can play it my ds plays on mine now at age 4 but i wouldn't buy him his own.
Mobile Phone - 10
Smart Phone - when he's got a job and old enough to pay for it and understand how it works lol
TV in bedroom- NEVER as a child, maybe 18 if he's still living here!
Lap Top- 16
Facebook- 16

Games console 7
DS or similar 6
Mobile phone start of secondary

Smartphone (I don't even have one of these!) DS was 14 and it was part of his christmas present.
TV in own room (over my dead body...) Never! ours don't me and DH don't but there again our rooms are fitted out and there is no room for a tv
Laptop don't know I got my own so that the kids could use the communal one in the middle room.

Facebook account minimum age is 13 I believe so no younger than that.

My eldest is 6.5 and isn't close to getting any of those.

We have a games console that is mine and DH's that he occasionally plays on, though, but it's very clearly ours and not his.

I might get him a DS or similar in a couple of years (or, more likely, he may get mine passed down to him).

Mobile phone will depend on what he's doing; when he starts to be out on his own or with friends and needs to be able to contact us I'll consider it. I have no idea what technology will be like then so far as a "regular" mobile / smartphone difference goes, so I don't have any particular preconceptions around that.

We intend to be a "no TV in bedrooms" household and in the interests of consistency DH and I don't have a television in our bedroom even though I would quite like one. Maybe when the DCs all leave home...

Own laptop possibly when it starts to be really useful for schoolwork. I'm guessing that that might be about year 9 when GCSE courses start? But again that involves second-guessing technology several years ahead. They can use family computers before then.

Facebook account not before 13.

We have a family wii and the younger DC's have played on games like mario cart with others since age 3. They don't play often and we always play together. from age 4 they have had education city accounts on line to play games.

DS: my 6 year old has one because when he asked me last September if he could have one I said if he saved up his pocket money he could buy one if he wanted. 10 months later he achieved his goal!

Mobile phone: Not before secondary school and then only if there is a real need.

Tv in own room: Never

Laptop: that's the only type of computer we have. One for everyone.

Facebook account: Certainly not before 13 and even then only with close supervision.

Games console - as soon as they can play it
DS or similar - see above
Mobile phone - 7
Smartphone - 12
TV in own room - 4
Laptop - 11
Facebook account - Not sure, not yet oldest DD is 11

Kids are 2yrs and 4yrs. I would like to say that I believe in exposing my children to technology. I think if you expose children they will learn it at an early age and might come up with some interesting ideas for how to make it better. Plus...we are geeks. Both kids have been exposed since they were born. mmm baby slobber on my laptop screen....oh the memorys

Games console- we had (up until a month ago, we clearing out to move to the US) wii, xbox, ps3 as everyone in the house plays them. The kids had the opportunity, but only ever played the wii at their friends house, go figure.

DS or similar- 3 adults in the house and we all have 3ds, both my kids play them. The 4yr old has the Leapster Explorer and the 2yr old has the Leappad

Mobile phone/Smartphone- When I let them go places on their own then I will be getting them one, until then there isnt a need. Though my 2yr old uses mine more than I do....She likes talking to her daddy on the phone while he is on lunch at work. My phone is adroid and my partners is iphone. Both kids are profient in using them

TV in own room (over my dead body...)- We dedicated their rooms for reading so no TV in there and they are happy with that

Laptop- my 4yr old officially owns my old laptop, which is actually better than the one I have now; partner is teaching him engineering. My 2yr old thinks she owns my laptop....

Facebook account- If they ask for one, then I will show them all ways of staying safe on it. Until they ask though, there isnt a need for them to have a seperate one. I keep everyone on my Facebook updated and posted about their latest adventures in peeing on the floor and digging in the cat box....

Dd is 5 and has all those except a facebook account which she wont be getting until she is a lot older and it will be heavy supervised by dp and I.

Her smartphone does not have a sim card so is not for Internet or making calls she just uses it for taking photos and making videos

Oh her tv is not connected to an ariel though so is just for DVDs

This is a really interesting thread having just spent time with two other families with children of varying ages.
Mine are 4.5 and 1.5 and have none of the above.
fam 1 : children are 7 (just) and 11. 11yo has just got own mobile (starting high school this sept) but a very basic payg phone, has own laptop (with limitted internet access), believe he has a ds. no tv in bedroom but i think screen they can watch dvds on. All seems pretty sensible. 7 yo has ds, no tv in room dvd waching only. no lap top, no phone. BUT they have two tvs downstairs, plus laptop which is readily available as and when, plus desktop computer, plus wii, plus iphone which has games on and music in a docking station. All sounds reasonable, but not much in the way of limits as to who can go on what when etc. a lot of the time it all seems to be ON, which to be honest gave me a RIGHt headache!.
fam 2 ... 2yo and almost 6yo. 6yo has ds, wii (for family) but none of hte rest. However, i was still amazed that a kid of that age would have access to all this stuff and be able to use it. DH and I are not big into technology or games. we both have phones for work, a laptop each for work and a home laptop. no gaming stuff, no ds. we are more into music so have ipods. at home ds can go on laptop for kids stuff. but cant (&doesnt know how to) just randomly surf.
Dh & i were discussing it and are both adamant that altho you can only resist DS-es and wii for so long, there needs to be clear rules about how long you can go on it for etc etc. same as rules we have around tv - which is that as a general rule its not on during the day, during hte week - morning up to 8.30 /9 ish ok and after 5 ok.