6 year old already wants his own tablet. Too early?

1w ago·1 min read

His older cousins all have tablets and now he's constantly asking for one. I know some parents let their kids have them by this age for educational apps and stuff. But I'm not sure if we're ready for that. What age did you guys introduce tablets? Are there good parental controls we should know about? Trying to be balanced here - don't want to be overly restrictive but also don't want to create a screen addict.

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Comments(3)

RRobertRegular5d ago

We went through this exact thing. My take is 6 is probably earlier than ideal, but it depends on the kid. We waited until 7 for our oldest and did a basic iPad with heavy parental controls. The cousin thing is real social pressure though. Maybe compromise with a cheaper kids tablet that has limited app access? That way he doesn't feel left out but you're not handing him the full internet.

JJustinRegular5d ago

My daughter asked at 5 and we said no for another year. Best decision we made honestly. She's fine without it and has way more imagination now. The tablet will still be there at 7 or 8 when he's more ready to use it responsibly.

MMike R.New Dad6d ago

6 is tough. I let my oldest get one at 6.5 but set up actual time limits and content filters. Kids are going to want tech, that's just reality now. Better to introduce it with guardrails in place than pretend it won't happen.