Computer in room for newly 13 yo ds... Practical or disasterous?

[bigmouthstrikesagain]

D's is going to be 13 in a matter of weeks. Dh and I are considering the options for birthday presents. Ds only asked for a Nintendo ds for his sister, so they could play pokemon together. Which we have sorted out already.

D's will be starting a new school in September, he works hard and has already done a GCSE level exam, which he revised for in his room on a table set up for Lego builds not schoolwork. He is very studious and as he has Aspergers and anxiety issues he doesn't go out or have friendships outside of school. I think he will be sensible about having a PC in his room, we can put limitations on the internet (I will look into the options for that). A pc is likely to be cheaper than an equivalent laptop.

But until now I have been very set against a computer in bedrooms. So I am concerned about inconsistency and if there are risks I haven't considered. Ds is very sensible in many ways and is the classic "little professor" stereotype, but his Aspergers makes him vulnerable as well. But he is going to have more homework in high school, y9 onwards a computer will be very useful and he won't have to share it with the dreaded little sisters!

So is 13 too young?

At 13 I think a computer is a great gift but I would hesitate to put it in his room. My dad put one in my room as a teenager and he had limits on internet etc but I still got contacted by people that were definatly not who they said they were. I wouldn't want to scare any one off but from my experience I would definatly recommend having it in a communal area so you can be more in control of what's happening on it

I know there is a risk. But ds really struggles working on the kids pc downstairs. Our downstairs is completely open plan so we have a pc in a communal area already. But no place for a second pc in a quieter area. Ds has noise sensitiveness and often wears ear defenders, disappears to his room with his ds or tablet, so he will find it much easier to do his school work in the relative peace of his room. it is tricky to know what is best.

If he's already going to his room with his tablet, does that have internet access? If so, what added danger does a computer bring?

I think we first put a computer in my eldest's room when she was about 2 (she's now 20)! My kids have all grown up with fairly unrestricted internet access, and it's been fine. They also all have desks in their rooms for school/university work. It would drive us all crazy to have to have them all in one place at all times!

I think It is the potential for 24 hour access and less monitored. Tablets are all linked to my Google account and can be accessed only until bedtime. D's is very rule and habit orientated so his pc habits are pretty well regulated at present,timetable for the three children works well. There is a risk minecraft could take over his life even more if I allowed a PC in his room.