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Those discussions did happen, and I agreed that there was a niche possibility for a product targeted at parents of young children. Maybe. But they didn't want t
by javajosh 5y ago
Those discussions did happen, and I agreed that there was a niche possibility for a product targeted at parents of young children. Maybe. But they didn't want to talk about a niche product (it's Google, after all) and after thinking about it I didn't feel comfortable with the idea at any level - it trains kids and parents to be dependent on tech, trains kids it's okay to be constantly tracked, and while there are undeniable benefits, there are undeniable costs, too. The older the kid gets the more problematic it all becomes.
- m_mueller 5y agoAs a parent I've actually been thinking about this for a while. These watches are now very common btw, roughly half of the 7-9yo in the neighborhood have em. IMO ~9 should be the minimum age and the tracking should only be activated on press of an emergency button. I haven't yet found a product like that, they tend to give zero control to the kids. Aren't people concerned with their kids learning responsibility?
- MandieD 5y agoI’d love to be able to give my kid something that’s primarily an analog watch but with an “I’m lost/scared” button.
- polynomial 5y agoI feel lost/scared just thinking about this world we have built, with all its perverse incentives.
- Tijdreiziger 5y agoA traditional 'dumb' phone seems to loosely fit this definition.
- JTbane 5y agoJust get a flip phone with a prepaid call/text plan.
- gnicholas 5y agoCan I ask where you're located? I'm in the heart of Silicon Valley and haven't seen this at all.
- m_mueller 5y agoSwitzerland. It’s an expat heavy neighborhood, not sure whether that has an influence.
- ridaj 5y agoI'm confused by "the older the kid the more problematic it all becomes"... Older kids eventually turn into adults. Do you mean that tech in general is bad for people?
- mapster 5y agoYet older kids are not adults, they are teens with lots of free time yet responsibilities that effect their future. If they’ve been groomed to have short attention spans and not curious by screens that play endless video and ads, it seems like a problem in the making.
- ridaj 5y agoI don't disagree with that. I am however wondering what is meant by "The older the kid gets the more problematic it all becomes". The grooming of short attention spans seems more of a problem for younger, more malleable brains than it is for kids who are probably a bit more reasonable as they get older.