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I had unfiltered internet access as a kid. When I was a preteen, I had a MySpace account by just simply lying about my age. A lot of my friends did the same. In

by nkotov 5y ago

I had unfiltered internet access as a kid. When I was a preteen, I had a MySpace account by just simply lying about my age. A lot of my friends did the same. In middle school, we figured out ways to go around school district firewall/filter to access flash game sites. I honestly think that kids won't use "X for Kids" when they have access to devices. They will just figure out ways to get around the block and do what they want. For my children, I'm not giving them personal devices until an appropriate age and with an MDM to manage the device and set limits especially around how long they can spend on apps/device.

concinds 5y ago
> For my children, I'm not giving them personal devices until an appropriate age and with an MDM to manage the device and set limits especially around how long they can spend on apps/device. I didn't have internet access until age 10, and was only given a flipphone shortly after that. On the one hand, I was immature for my age and can imagine millions of ways in which things could have gone catastrophically wrong; and the way my parents did things feels pretty well thought out. But on the other hand, I'd have definitely preferred having local development tools, maybe a Raspberry Pi (didn't exist then), predownloaded PDF manuals, anything I could have tinkered with. Instead all I did before age 10 was play video games, since that (and typing documents) was all there was. In a world where kids grow up with computers from a young age, some will entertain themselves all day, and some will learn from program all day, and obviously have access to very different opportunities. I'm tempted to say: "no electronics until 10, etc" like some strict parents I know, but it does feel like an outdated attitude that can hinder kids as much as it helps them. Some of my friends at 13-15 played games all day, while some worked hard at school, had great extracurriculars, and still had access to the exact same tech. I'm convinced the problem is not technological but emotional/psychological, and that one day we'll figure out how to raise kids in a a way that you can give them unrestricted tech, and they'll experience all the benefits and no downside, we just haven't reached that level of "parenting science" yet to make it reproducible.

by nkotov 5y ago

concinds 5y ago

> For my children, I'm not giving them personal devices until an appropriate age and with an MDM to manage the device and set limits especially around how long they can spend on apps/device. I didn't have internet access until age 10, and was only given a flipphone shortly after that. On the one hand, I was immature for my age and can imagine millions of ways in which things could have gone catastrophically wrong; and the way my parents did things feels pretty well thought out. But on the other hand, I'd have definitely preferred having local development tools, maybe a Raspberry Pi (didn't exist then), predownloaded PDF manuals, anything I could have tinkered with. Instead all I did before age 10 was play video games, since that (and typing documents) was all there was. In a world where kids grow up with computers from a young age, some will entertain themselves all day, and some will learn from program all day, and obviously have access to very different opportunities. I'm tempted to say: "no electronics until 10, etc" like some strict parents I know, but it does feel like an outdated attitude that can hinder kids as much as it helps them. Some of my friends at 13-15 played games all day, while some worked hard at school, had great extracurriculars, and still had access to the exact same tech. I'm convinced the problem is not technological but emotional/psychological, and that one day we'll figure out how to raise kids in a a way that you can give them unrestricted tech, and they'll experience all the benefits and no downside, we just haven't reached that level of "parenting science" yet to make it reproducible.