The boys playing with their coding app Osmo.
I think by now it’s pretty clear what my thoughts are on kids and technology. I can’t fathom why anyone would have an issue with children using technology when we live in a world that is largely dominated by tech. Seriously people, when it comes to kids and technology its time to hang up the spandex judgey-pants and get free with it.
We don’t limit our children’s tech time in the house unless we have a reason to – we treat technology very much the same as reading a book or drawing – there is no reason to limit it, but if we are doing something as a family, it’s meal time, friends are over, it goes away. I don’t judge people who do things differently, I have a friend who is very anti-tech and doesn’t allow her children to watch TV for more than 15 minutes a day and they certainly don’t have an iPad, whereas my kids are pretty much at a level where they can apply for a job at apple tech. It’s each to their own right?
Reuben has his own iPad at school, as do all the students, however it is highly monitored and internet access is restricted to the max. Even nurseries and early years teachers are now using clever digital learning journals to not only keep up with what the kids are up to, but monitor their educational development too. An example of technology which provides parents with better access to their children’s development and for all the adults involved with their care to help keep children safe online.
The only area that I DO find concerns me with tech is the safety element, and it goes back to what I said last week about keeping my kids safe and my parental worries. Now that Reuben is taking a real interest in learning about my work and what I do for a living, I have been giving some real thought to setting up a blog for him, perhaps a youtube channel too, but fear of the unknown – of what is out there – is stopping me.
Roo will often sit with me and do some typing for me (totally the reason you find the odd typo, it’s not me, it’s the 5 year old… honest), it doesn’t last but it is fun for him and we incorporate basic reading and phonic skills while we do it, however his interest in this hasn’t quite been enough to allay fears that if I did give him his own little corner of the internet it could open him up to so much. Don’t get me wrong, I’m free range when it comes to tech but I’m not a moron, I have no intention of sitting my 5 year old down in front of a laptop and video cam and telling him to have at it without supervision or care, this would be a structured thing, something I could possibly use in the extra curricular children’s university thing that he is doing for school that I can’t *quite* work out. A video or post once a month reviewing a toy he loves or making a story for the camera for thousands of children around the world to drool over in the away that mine do those bizarre youtube channels.
It would help him learn basic skills like the ones I mentioned above, but would also give him coding skills (something that we’re doing basic work on already as it is actually a part of your child’s national curriculum in secondary school), editing video content and basic editing/writing skills, not to mention give him an idea of how to contact professional people in the industry if I sat and did it with him. You want to review something like the latest toy? You need to know who to ask and how. I’m not expecting the world, but with the right contacts (which I already have through this blog) we could help him set something up that could be the next hobbykidstv IF he wanted. On top of all that, I feel like as time progressed and he grew into a teen, it could give him an understand of the internet, how important it is to be careful and what dangers are out there. I suppose it is a bit like my thoughts on alcohol and drinking around children, which I discussed last week – early introduction to the concept of “staying safe” is paramount to keeping safe.
Yet.
The internet is a big BIG place, and having been trolled myself, I can’t imagine the pressures that that would create on a young adolescent (I’m talking 13-14, NOT Reuben’s tender age). As a mother our instinct is to protect our children, what happens if setting up something like this leaves him open to ridicule as he grows, or perhaps allows a predator to try and contact him?
I guess there are pros and cons with everything, however when it comes to our children’s safety, we can’t really afford to cock it up.
What are your thoughts on children having youtube channels or blogs?
H x
Internet safely is so important. You can find anything online now and even in the most innocent of places its very important to manage what your children and doing/watching and how much time they are spending on technology all together!
I dont have kids but I am shocked by what you can find from the most innocent of searches!
I keep an eye on everything my little sister does online as the internet can be a bad place!
This is such an informative and fantastic post, the internet can be a scary place xx
Yes! Finally someone who agrees with me on not restricting children and tech! I’ve been having the same conundrum about YT – Boo is 5 but so loves helping me with vlogs that it’s inevitable she’ll want one of her own x
My personal view is that there is such a thing as too much technology use, if it gets in the way of outside time. But it definitely has a place. Safety is a big concern for me though.
I don’t see any issues with kids using iPads etc, they can be educational in many ways xo
See this is something my 7 year old really wants, his own You Tube channel so I am going to follow this blog post. I feel hes far too young but hes You Tube mad and very advance for his own.
Internet safety is definitely so important for children – educating them in the fact that there is a lot of negative and downright horrible stuff on the internet, and showing them how to deal with it (telling a parent, etc) is definitely a good way to go about it.
Wow, so this is a very difficult subject… I used to believe it was better to cut the tech time for the kids, but as you said, now they need to use them even for school, so it’s never to early to think about their future!
About the blog part I think it could be a very interesting thing for him, and he could even become a huge success! The safety part is scary, but as long as you control everything from a distance… don’t think will have any problems 🙂
I have no problem with children using technology, it has been a godsend to my Daughter this year, the only worry is safety which you can control to an extent x
The internet is such a big and scary place, it is a shame people feel the need to troll others, 😥
This is definitely a tough subject to have an opinion on, and one that seems to divide people to extremes. I, for one, think it’s perfectly normal for kids to be very involved with technology considering how much exposure they have to it. Tech can be a very powerful and positive tool, but in my humble opinion I draw the line at kids having a blog/vlog. There are many things they can learn from tech and using tech, but I believe that it should all be used to complement/enhance their “real life” as opposed to creating an alternative sort of reality for them.
What I do firmly believe is that parenting is hard enough as it is and each family should do whatever may work for them. x