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Smartphone in high school, not before. No social media apps on the phone. Parental control (iOS) so need Parent permission before installing apps At home most
by yumraj 3y ago
Smartphone in high school, not before.
No social media apps on the phone. Parental control (iOS) so need Parent permission before installing apps
At home most/almost every non-professional social media is blocked via pi-hole
I’m not on FB, Instagram, Snapchat, TikTok etc. I think this is very very important for the above since kids see that parents are also not on social media. Most people, IMHO, run into trouble when they use it but want to restrict kids.
This mostly worked for a kid who just went to college. Will see if it works for the other.
Edit: have Switch and PS5, but multiplayer internet games are not allowed. Offline games only.
Edit2: I occasionally remote login into computers to tell the kids that I can do that. I think/hope it reduces temptation.
- jiofj 3y ago[flagged]
- djtango 3y agoWhat don't you like about online gaming?
- yumraj 3y agoI made a rule. Bought most games I was asked for, was never pushed back for online gaming. So it worked. If there had been much push back for a game, I would have dug deeper. At the very least, conversations can be rather profanity laden and so can be the user names.
- Hayvok 3y agoBehavior from fellow players can range from day-brightening to absolutely appalling. Not taking the risk. Even in multiplayer games without chat/audio, the other players will find creative ways to exhibit behaviors I find intolerable for my kids.
- balaji1 3y agomight be obvious - online games much more tempting than offline single player games. I have not played single player games in decade+ but have played several days the latest multiplayer games. Does it mean online games are more addictive for kids or affect them worse than offline games? probably not. But I have observed (many) kids who can power thru single player games tend to be more unyielding on other tasks.
- autoexec 3y agoOnline gaming is often a cesspool of DLC, anxiety inducing artificial time constraints designed to give kids FOMO, lootboxes and other forms of gambling targeting children and a constant stream of advertising that isn't seen to anywhere near the same extent in offline/single player titles. Roblox, minecraft, and Fortnite being prime examples.
- JauntyHatAngle 3y agoMinecraft Java edition isn't really that though. Roblox is in a class of its own compared to fortnite and minecraft in terms of toxic monetisation. Online gaming is definitely a tough one to navigate though, regardless. I had no problems as subscription was the limit to paying when I was a kid, but now it's a generation raised with mtx.
- autoexec 3y agoI'm glad the the Java edition still has none of that. The last time I got the urge to download it they required an account to even get the installer and I feared the worst. It looks like that might no longer be the case... I may give it a try again and kill some time
- lhoff 3y agoYou do still need an account but (Microsoft Account) but the game itself has no DLCs, no lootboxes and the likes.
- Prickle 3y agoMinecraft is definitely without a doubt, not any of those things. It is first and foremost a single player game that can be modded extensively. I have found that multiplayer always comes second at best. Servers can be bad, but that is entirely optional. Not even close to Roblox or Fortnite. This is coming from a person that basically grew up with it from the Alpha stage.
- autoexec 3y ago
- gizmo385 3y agoAs a person who grew up and found very valuable social connections in online spaces, connections that helped me figure out who I am as a person, these feel very controlling and overbearing to be a bit blunt. For kids who don’t fit society’s typical mold, whether they be queer or whatever, being able to meet people who have lived their experience is invaluable.
- yumraj 3y agoI hear you. In an ideal world I would have supported that. Unfortunately in the current social media, the choice is between letting the kids wade in cesspool of crap and hope they find some lotuses, or support them in person till they are mature enough. It’s a hard decision. I made the one above. Edit: to clarify, if my kid ever comes to me as queer or whatever, I’ll make sure to find in-person connections that can help. Relying on social media still feels a little iffy. I’m really glad you were able to find meaningful connections. I have a feeling not everyone is as lucky as you.
- eitally 3y agoI think it's important to differentiate social media with social networks. I would vigorously argue that Instagram & TikTok are media setup for doom scrolling, and almost nobody gets anything positive from the experience (unless they're selling something). On the other hand -- and perhaps I'm dating myself but I ran a dial-up BBS in the early 90s -- platforms that lend themselves to formation of meaningful relationships aren't all cesspools. I think it's important to have open conversations with one's children to assess what they need in their lives to become open-minded, rational, compassionate and helpful contributors to society, and that's impossible without cultivating the right relationships.
- yumraj 3y agoI agree very much. Unfortunately, the BBS and even forums of the past (and those that are alive today) were very focused and had less crap. I used to spend a lot of time on Slashdot and find very civil conversations even today in many focused forums (cars, AV equipment, coffee, DPReview, coding related etc etc) Reddit has some corners like thar.
- shmde 3y agoSounds draconian af. This would just... make a kid hack into the iPhone and find out ways to remove restrictions.
- yumraj 3y agoThat’ll be cool. I would love it for my kid to do that. So learn new skills.
- triyambakam 3y agoYou're sincerely a good father. You're showing you care for and want to protect your children. And that's a good insight regarding parents on social media while trying to restrict it for their children.