x-post from Kid Fun - what rules do you have for IPods, etc? Is that the best choice?

[wellyes]

Treat it the exact same as any other screen, except perhaps for homework related apps (my 1st grader has one recommended by school and linked to her teacher) and reading books.
I think the only thing that comes from an individual kid owning is that siblings can't touch / take and they don't have to share.
I'd remove or disable the browser at that age. There is plenty to do with music, movies, apps, no need to open up the whole internet at age 8.

[daisysmom]

My dd (almost 8) does not have any I or kindle or video games yet. We have considered it, but she is not asking for it and I don't see her friends getting them. She swims 3 days a week, has scouts and ballet ine day a week. That time, plus homework for about 45 minutes, mandatory readying if 20minutes plus her wanting to read more, there just hadn't been time. She still plays outside - walking the dogs or bike riding or walking with the neighbor kids, if she has free time. I just can't see something getting sacrificed with a computer device. They do use them at school but we aren't getting one at home until I see a real need. When there is computer homework, she does it in mine. But during the schhol week and most weekends, the onky screen time is the news or HGTV on in the background.

[boolady]

We haven't had a problem with parental control on DD's ipad. Safari/internet access is disabled and she only has wifi, not a data plan. We use Family Sharing, and I set up the age limits for games and apps that even show as available when she's on it, as we made her own iCloud address as part of the Family Sharing. When she wants to "purchase" an app, it sends a message to my cell & DH's, and one of us has to approve it before she can put the app on the ipad. I'm not sure what else I'd want to be able to control- that thing is locked down pretty tight. She's 8.

[AnnieW625]

So, to clarify - Kindles can have parental controls but i-Things can't? hmmm....

No, iThings have controls, but IMHO it is all or nothing. On my phone and iPad I do not have the Vimeo app (YouTube app) available on my phone and iPad as I disabled it. I could do the same with any app on the devices, which is great, but for example I don't want to completely turn off Safari just because I don't have an issue with her using the internet for kid appropriate games like American Girl, and Lego related stuff, completely age appropriate IMHO for an 8 yr. old. I also have apps, and iTunes purchases password protected on both devices.

When I tried to really limit the internet on my iMac desktop it was a pita to block or allow a website. I entered in a list of stuff I didn't want DD1 using, but also entered accepted sites like IXL (at home math program for school) and it blocked that one too. We were having an issue with DD1 watching you tube without asking (mainly how it is made, and how to hair videos, but we're still concerned about her searching content) so we decided to tell her that you tube is not allowed for her to use on any device w/o asking first and having a parent search for her. If we find out she has been on you tube then she losses all screen time (including TV) for the rest of that day, and the following day. If she does it more than once in the same week then she loses all screen time for three days. I have to say it has worked quite well. With the exception of her Nintendo DS the rest of our electronics including the one TV are in our small living room (we only have one living room) so banning a child from screen time is quite hard and a valid punishment IMHO because I refuse to let Dd2 not have screen time because DD1 screwed up.

[nfceagles]

We have plenty of devices available to the kids (6 and 9), but except for their own 3DS's which they saved up for on their own, they don't own their own devices. They use DH's or my ipad. They use our old phones for music and games, but are not "given" them. We just prefer that they not feel entitled to own something of that nature at such young ages. My kids are surrounded by affluence so my DH and I worry a lot about them being spoiled or thinking this lifestyle is the norm, so we may overcompensate in our efforts to NOT spoil the kids. Regardless, it works fine for us. We don't have a lot of limits on time. Between school and other activities keeping them busy, I'm not worried about their total screen time. If we have a snow day or a slow weekend day we let them play pretty freely on them. My oldest has an obsessive personality and I think official limits/rules would just lead him to obsess over when he could and couldn't use the device and the end result would actually be worse. Sometimes, however, I just make announcement to get off the ipads and go do something else. I also find screen limit rules hard to enforce because some screen time is of much better quality than other. For example, if my daughter wants to spend an hour on the computer doing Scratch programming, that's a lot different than an hour of watching dumb YouTube videos.

[123LuckyMom]

My kids have a lot of devices, but we do pretty limited screen time! They both have iPad minis and old iPhones. The iPhone's are set up in their rooms to play music and audiobooks at bedtime. They have passwords the kids don't know, so even though they still have lots of apps on them, the kids can't access them to watch or play games. I keep the iPads. The kids ask when they want to use them. They use them for playing games (app games that are not connected to the Internet) and watching shows on Netflix and Amazon. I'd say they probably use them about an hour or, at most, two a day in 20-30 minute segments. I don't like screen time to take away from other play time, so they watch in transitional times. DS will watch a show while having a snack after school, for example. DD watches with her daddy as part of her bedtime routine. DS likes to play games while he's on the potty. Often I'll let them watch or play while I make dinner. If they're particularly cranky, some screen time can reset the mood.

The only thing that makes me unhappy about the iPads is the way Netflix works on them. Before the iPads, the kids only had access to the shows I put on their queue. They only watched PBS shows. On the Netflix app, it suggests all kinds of shows I really don't like. I don't want my little girl watching all these "girly" shows, and I don't like my son exposed to them either, quite frankly! I was fine with them watching things like Wild Kratts and Magic Schoolbus, but I HATE Strawberry Shortcake, My Little Ponies, Carebears. There's just nothing useful about those shows, IMO! I wish I could control content far more. It's okay, though. I watch Revenge, and there's absolutely nothing redeeming about that show, so I guess I shouldn't judge the drivel the kids sometimes choose to watch.