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Parenting

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Original poster

What age is it OK to have a laptop?? Opinions please..

12 replies

boohockey · 06/10/2008 21:54

My mum wants to get my DC (ages 9 1/2 and 11) a laptop each for christmas, my first reaction was 'oh my god no, they are too young' and then I was watching them playing on club penguin on my PC earlier and thought aibu? They would have to keep them in my office (really accessible place, with people walking past frequently) and not in their bedrooms.
What do you think??

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MrsSnape · 06/10/2008 21:57

If I got my DS (9) a laptop I'd never see him. It would cause no end of arguments, it's bad enough having one PC in the house.

I would think 11 is the perfect age though, alot of secondary school homework requires the internet and a PC/Laptop.

MOrticiaAdams · 06/10/2008 22:00

Er, you're not thinking clearly are you? What about the fact that you will never have to say, 'got to log off now, lo's need the PC for homework!'

But seriously, it does make sense once they are at secondary school. DD does a lot of her work on the PC and a lot of schools have programmes where they have to do their homwork on a PC and the teachers check from their end, that they've done it.

bellavita · 06/10/2008 22:04

DS1 (11) will be receiving a laptop at christmas.

He started secondary school in September - he gets lots of homework (around 11 pieces a week) and quite a bit of it needs the internet.

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LadyOfWaffle · 06/10/2008 22:06

11 for secondary school homework. I got a PC at about 8/9, but games didn't really exist so much back then!

Niecie · 06/10/2008 22:11

DS1 has one for games - doesn't really need it for work yet although he does play educational games on it as well as those purely for entertainment. He is 8yrs.

It is very strictly rationed though (weekends only or maybe half an hour one week night if I want to MN make tea) and it lives in the lounge so that I can keep an eye on him. We got it second hand so not a huge outlay.

I wouldn't let me have them in their bedrooms either.

surprisenumber3 · 06/10/2008 23:05

in my son's school they give them all one in year 5! They are their own laptops for school and we have to pay £200 if we want them to bring them home and keep them when they leave Year 6.

Although I can see some benefits of it, I don't think it's very good overall. Lots of children are pestering their parents for them when the parents can't afford it.

herbietea · 06/10/2008 23:08

This reply has been deleted

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Plonker · 06/10/2008 23:18

At whatever age you decide that they can have one.

...and i'm afraid i would be greatly swayed by the fact that someone else is buying it

scaryteacher · 07/10/2008 09:28

ds doesn't have a laptop but does have a desktop in his room. He is with us in the evenings though and tends to use it at weekends and holidays, if he hasn't got his nose in a book.

Gemzooks · 07/10/2008 14:12

don't forget they get around 1,500 times the electro magnetic radiation from a laptop as with a desktop, because their hands are directly over the main part of the computer... so if they get a laptop and use it a lot you could invest in a stand and separate keyboard

Original poster

boohockey · 07/10/2008 23:08

Thanks for all your responses - I am coming around to the idea, esp as someone else is paying...
I know they will 'need it for homework' but still think it's awful young, or maybe I'm just a little amish!!
Merry Christmas

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onwardandupward · 07/10/2008 23:21

I don't like laptops - they always feel fiddlier and flimsier than desktops to me. But heck, if someone else is buying...

As for age, I'd say a child needs their own computer once they are starting to want to use one a lot. So any time from age 3 upwards, depending on the child They're just a tool, yk?

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