WWYD - give admin rights to 13yo on his home PC?

[filka]

i'm just setting up a recycled computer for my 12yo DS (pushing 13). Like all kids his age, he thinks he is an expert in everything, it won't happen to him etc.

He's asking to have administrator rights on his computer, which would mean that he can download and install anything he likes. I'm not sure, maybe he could even delete my own administrator account.

I'm inclined not to do this, but WWYD?

Or I could show him how to use Malwarebytes, CCleaner etc. and just wait to pick up the pieces...

I would not do it. But if you want to be trustworthy ng, he has to agree that at any moment you can access and inspect ALL the contents of the PC, with no pre-warning.
If he refuses, no admin rights.

DD had her own administrator, however the computer was in the middle of the living room so I could easily see what she was doing. And I had to have the login password so I could check what she was doing.

My main reason was I didn't want all her crap cluttering up my administrator.

I would avoid the administrator thing if possible.

I would also have coldturkey on it to limit time spent on particular websites and apps.

Hell no! You're the parent. Would you trust him enough with your PIN number?

The reasons he wants administrative rights (the real reason, not the bullshit he says to appease you) are precisely the reasons you shouldn't be giving him administrative rights. By all means give him permissions as needed but not complete control, which admin rights affords him.

Parents giving their children admin rights are clueless or lazy, or both.

@AgentJohnson Parents giving their children admin rights are clueless or lazy, or both

Well I've actually been a bit surprised by the lack of interest in this question, I suspect clueless, rather than lazy.

BTW, yes he could delete my own administrator account.

The lack of interest doesn’t surprise me because when it comes to technology, we (I include myself in the we) don’t associate something that is helpful with something that can be used against us. Just like children we are far too trusting/ lazy/ not tech savvy enough, to perform due diligence. We rely on the good intentions of strangers.

It is difficult and things change at such a pace that it’s impossible to keep up but giving admin rights on a computer to a child is just lazy because there is no earthly reason for a child to have admin rights (unless they are so skilled in IT that they are into software development).

If you are going to use the computer, than give him the admin rights. If you are also going to use the computer with him, don't give him admin rights. That's it.

DS has administrator rights, he hasn't been downloading anything bad. Mostly it was just Pokémon roms so far.