Age for own computer?

[bubbles1112]

Hello, my dd will be 6 in December (roller boots for this one!) and I was thinking about getting her a netbook (small laptop!) for Christmas. She loves going on cbeebies website and other children sites. she loves to write letters too and obviously computers play quite a big part in their school lives.
So do you think 6 is too young? I'm sure lots of 6 year olds have a DS or a Wii (which dd does not).....
Thank you

I probably wouldn't have got DD a computer before secondary school, but fortunately we were offered a free one through Home Access as well.

It means my PC is free for mnetting important stuff while she chats on msn. [hgrin]

We have two laptops for family
Well mac one is mine but used by everyone.

We took pc out of dd's bedroom when she was studying for gcses cos it was a distraction and she agreed.

She used laptop and printer downstairs uf she needed it.

She is nearly 19 and hasn't got a computer of her own .Will get laptop for university.

6 yrs too young imo

Just think carefully about how you will monitor her use of it. Personally, I agree with others that a desktop, with a nice, visible screen, in a public part of the house, is much more sensible. Here's why ...

DD1's friend has a laptop, which she uses in her bedroom. It is her dad's old one, which she was given for school work. She's had it for a couple of years and is now eight years old. So she probably was 6 when she got it.

She spends hours on it. She is highly at finding internet-based games, and has been pestering DD1 to register on one particular games, so they can play together over the web. This would require providing an email address and other personal details. The game also has chatrooms. She has also managed to view some pretty unsavoury images by googling for words that a child would find highly amusing (think toilet humour).

From what I've seen, I am very concerned that this child is getting into territory that she completely lacks the emotional maturity to deal with. She's really a very innocent character, but with highly-developed googling skills. Not a good combination.

Which is why we won't be going down the laptop route any time soon.

That sort of thing isn't possible on my DS's laptop Smithagain because we've installed suitable software on it. I think parents do have to be quite IT savvy themselves and ensure they've made precautions in that way.

DS uses his laptop in the family room most of the time anyway, the wifi signal is stronger in here and we don't put the heating on in his room until bedtime.

We got DD a laptop last year when she was 10 - a bit before she really 'needed' it. (partly it was because DH wanted a new laptop himself - he borrows it sometimes if he needs one away from home). However, we've disabled wi-fi on our router - DH and I both have desktops in the office, so DD can only access the internet from there, one of us is usually in there. DH has set up the protections so that we have to authorise any new sites she accesses (which can be a PITA but better safe than sorry).

She can use the laptop in her own room offline only.

kaleidoscopestar When you say "suitable software", are you talking about the normal "net-nanny" type filters, or are there also products that block children from registering on websites etc?

I must admit I was genuinely taken aback that this young girl had managed to set herself up on internet-based games. Particularly ones that adults can also play, that have chatrooms!

Smithagain, my DD's log in on my computor won't even let her on google at the moment. Like I say, she can only access the websites I (as administrator) allow and pre set for her. If she wants a new website to look at, it won't allow her on until I put my password in. The only websites she can go on just now are cbeebies, red fish, clubpenguin, rainbow fairies and her school.
If she were to have her own computor, I would set it up the same.

PaisleyPumpkin - could you let us know what software you've installed to be able to control your DD's web useage. Sounds good.
How have you got it set up that she can't surf "as you"?

I came into the study the other day to see DD looking (innocently) at photos etc on my Facebook site. She'd hacked into it using my email address and passwords she knows we sometimes use. She is 7...

I'm on a mac G4 laptop. In 'system preferences' I can set up an account for other users. And from there add parental controls to DD's account. It's not just the internet access, it also ensures she doesn't bin any applications etc. by mistake

That sounds really good. Time to challenge DH about whether we can set up something similar.

How do you handle it if they are asked to search for something for homework? Is it easy to authorise a new website on the hoof?

There must be some sort of similar thing for PCs.
I've not got to the homework bridge yet. But access to any unauthorised website just needs me to type in my password.

My DD got a netbook for her 6th birthday.

We don't have a desktop computer for her to use. I prefer not to share my laptop, and the old laptop we had finally gave up and died.

So, we bought DD her own little pink netbook. It does everyting a desktop could do.

She can go on the internet, but she knows that she is only to do so after checking with me first. I also have security settings on hers and mine which tells me when she is online and what she is doing. I can also disable internet access between set hours should I wish.

The netbook is also handy for holidays. I often take it with us so that I can download my photos each evening, prviding a back up should anything happen to my camera - esp as I once had my camera stolen on holiday.

DS1 uses a laptop he is 5 and in Yr 1. At his school their homework is set via a website online so it is something that is essential rather than just a toy to play games on. He uses is it at the dining room table most afternoons after school for about 30 - 40 mins. However, I have no intention of buying him his own until his need for it interferes with mine, which will probably be once he starts secondary school.

bek x

My short answer is when she can buy one with her own money!

ATM we have a netbook that DD can 'use' and she is two. She can watch videos basically. I have stripped down windows to only the barest of essentials and I keep an image of the OS that I can reload at any time. It was a free (to us) hand me down so I don't mind if she bangs on the keyboard or has sticky fingers.

When she gets older we will have a family computer in a room with no doors where she will have an account with very limited privileges and no password. If she wants her own 'private' computer she can save her pocket money and buy one. While she lives in my house and uses a computer bought with my monies she has no expectation of privacy [hgrin]

DD will be getting a notebook next Feb when she starts Yr 1. Her school are rolling out new notebooks for all students from Yrs 1-9.

I am more than happy for her to have her own notebook and suspect she will be teaching me loads of new things in no time at all.

I think that six is way too young for a computer of her own, and I don't think that laptops are good for too much use in any case, small screens, poor mouse control and crowded keyboards. But I'm perfectly happy for my children to use the family computers which are in communal rooms. dh (techie geek) doesn't think much of any of the parental controls available and we prefer the old fashioned look over the shoulder approach. Our computers are Macs, so we all have our own desktops, so sharing machines isn't really a big deal. We have both TVs and all the consoles in communal rooms too. I'd not buy a Wii or a DS for a six year old either mind.

nooka - I agree with your DH. Look over the shoulder approach is best as nanny software can always be broken and, as an unabashed techie geek, I will freely admit that the younger generation will always be one step ahead

Yes that's his view too - he'd rather they learn how to be safe when they are likely to accept our guidance than have the incentive to break the controls when we are not around so much or they decide they want their privacy. We'll see how it turns out I guess, but it seems to be working fairly well so far (although we do get inflicted with the tosh they like to play/watch slightly more than I'd like!)

lol, it also helps because there are legit sites that can be misused and run under the nanny software's radar (such as facebook) and legitimate searches that can be blocked. For instance, I wrote a paper about breast cancer for a biology class when I was 11, but had to get my dad to sit with me because searches for 'breast' were blocked

I have a 14-year-old brother, so I get to experience it by proxy whenever I visit my parents. Fortunately at the moment he is overrunning the computer with photographs of frogs.

They do have terrible taste

This is really helpful. I was thinking about getting DS a small laptop/ netbook for Christmas (he is 7), but he is getting the Lego he wants instead (and maybe an inexpensive MP3 player) and we are instead looking towards his 8th birthday for the computer. Meantime he uses my laptop where he has his own folders etc and supervised internet access.

nooka - I think the over the shoulder approach is best too TBh and helps to establish safe useage of the internet quicker. DD knows that if anything ever comes up that looks wrong on her computer she is to get me or her dad immeditely. Although she doesn't use the internet upstairs, she does use it in the living or dining rooms when we are around, but we do pop in and out doing various stuff, so she may be unsupervised at times. Hence the common sense, keeping safe approach of teachin how to search safely, to check with us first esp over spelling, and what to do if something comes up that is not right.

I think if you hvae a communal area for a computer it is easier to do the one computer thing. But we don't have a desktop, and I don't wish to share my laptop particulaly.