does your 10-15yo have their 'own' computer?

[Dmmetler]

My 5 yr old has her own computer! It's nice because it's set up with just what she needs, and has the controls set so that she's limited in where she can go online, and I don't have to fiddle with having her on mine. She's also restricted in printing-it adds things she prints to the queue, and I have to approve it, which is helpful when you have a child who will happily print hundreds of full-color creations from various art programs.

 

Having said that, I'm married to a computer engineer who brings home leftovers from work constantly, so we probably have 12 computers in this house at any given time, but rarely buy one.

[Parrothead]

Dd's had her own for years - probably since she was 6.

[Lizzie in Ma]

I have my desktop which is a real workstation for me that they are allowed to use when I don't need it.

 

My dh has one down in the room he uses as an office that the kids could use but generally don't.

 

My oldest had an antiquated and slow but functional laptop to use for school. I am not sure how much longer it will last but she needs it for her BJU Biology DVDs and Teaching Co Geometry DVDs as well as her Omnibus program with all its writing.

I got it when I set up a friends new laptop for him a few years ago.

[QueenCat]

Everyone in the house has their own computer. DH has two... one issued by work and his own. The kids have had their own since 7th and 10th grades as we felt it was essential for their schoolwork. They are now a senior in high school, and a junior in college. No regrets, and I don't how they would have done as well in high school if they had to share. With all the writing and such... and the expectancy of computer literacy in college. In high school, they use it for writing, making powerpoint presentations, etc.

[Heidi @ Mt Hope]

I didn't answer the poll, as all my children are younger, but we are a big computer family due to dh's line of work. I have my own computer, we have another one in the school room for kid use, and in my dh's home office (a shop disconnected from the house) all of the boys have their own computers for games, etc. (I have no idea how many my dh has... it varies :)). I like the fact that their computers aren't in the house, so it is a special time to go hang with dad and do 'computer stuff.'

[Gwenhwyfar]

We just have one laptop ~ but dd13 is saving to buy her own. :)

[Holly IN]

My 11 yr old, 12 yr old and 15 yr old have their own computers. The oldest two have their own laptops and the youngest has a desktop.

 

Holly

[dirty ethel rackham]

We have a family computer. I have my laptop (I use for business as well as other stuff.) We just bought a netbook for my oldest (almost 17) because he will be starting college classes at our local liberal arts college and he will be able to get things done while waiting for a ride home.

[Melissa in FL]

My son takes classes online, so for us it is a school expense. He used my dh's for the first year and a half. He got his own last year for Christmas complete with printer, cooling pad, wireless mouse. It was a black Friday sale, I was number three in line at an awful time in the morning, and they had four at the store. Because of his classes he really needs one that will work with all the down loads they do and dh's computer was just old enough that it didn't work for everything.

Melissa

[WishboneDawn]

My daughter (12) has an older laptop. She's been wanting one for ages and might have gotten one this Christmas but thankfully my brother's girlfriend gave us hers. Before that Catherine had a 10 yr old desktop that was our family computer for years.

 

The computer doesn't currently have access to the internet. It can only get access through a USB stick which I use for my desktop. The only time I plug the stick into her computer is to update something. She uses it for a few games but mostly art and writing. My in-laws just gave her a Canon Pixma printer (they got a new one so now she can print out her art as well (my printer is a monochrome laser).

 

It's been great. She writes more, creates more, keeps her room cleaner so she can use her laptop in her bedroom in a relaxing atmosphere.

 

My son doesn't care about computers right now so that's not an issue.

[Daisy]

No one in our house has a computer for their sole use and we plan on keeping it that way. We rarely use the computer for school work.

 

The same applies to our lone 13 inch television.

 

I think we are all capable of sharing.

 

I think even if we had a computer for every single person in the house (which we don't and won't), we would never make the computer single-ownership. Everyone would have open access to any of them.

Edited September 9, 2010 by Daisy

[Crissy]

Yes. Both of our boys (11 and 16) have had their own computer for years.

Our business is digital in nature (photography, art, restoration, printing), so there are a number of computers (desktop and laptop) that we've outgrown and were able to pass on to our guys.

Even as any given computer struggles to keep up with the increasing size of photo files, they still work perfectly fine for keyboard lessons, word processing and those things the boys use for school.

[WagsWife]

We have a family computer, dh has a laptop for work, and I recently got an old computer from freecycle for the kids to use as an extra computer. My 14yo and 12yo both want their own laptops. Apparently a lot of kids here have their own laptops. I'm just wondering if ds are exaggerating about how common it is for a young person to have their own computer, so....

 

Does your 10-15yo have a computer for their sole use, even if the computer is officially owned by you?

 

We have a desktop for Dh and I to share, and a laptop for each of the three kids. The only reason why they have them is because of school (we use an online vocab program and TT for math.) If not for HSing, we would probably only have one laptop for the all to share.

 

The laptops are very seldom allowed out of the school room. We are active in moderating what they are doing and how much time is spent on the internet.

[MamaT]

My dh and I both have our own laptops. My 17yo has a desktop of his own and we are currently shopping around for a laptop for my 13yo. My two 11yos share a desktop in the living room.

[mazakaal]

Interesting. Percentage-wise, there are more kids with computers of 'their own' than I expected. Thanks for all the responses.

[lisabelle]

My ds (11) has a desktop computer and it's in our computer room--all 3 of us have our own computers. He's well-supervised when he uses it. We'll probably get him a laptop too for his 12th birthday, so that he can do research work in the library.

 

My husband's an engineer. To him, computers are as necessary as food and clothing. To me, it's a little embarrassing to admit my son will have 2 computers of his own within the next 6 months.

[sonsmama]

We are a one computer (in main area) family. This will not change as he ages.

[elise1mds]

I answered "other." My son, who will be 8 in October, will be getting his own laptop for Christmas. I can't wait for him to stop begging to use mine! I'm also excited about teaching him about programs by demonstrating, side by side, in our living room, which is where his machine will live most of the time. Besides anything else, the wireless network doesn't reach back to his room very consistently.

 

My husband has three computers - one desktop, one 'home' laptop, and one 'work' laptop - because he works in the computer industry, and I have my laptop as well, so we are very wired.

[Jean in Newcastle]

My ds13 has 4 computers. People give him their defunct ones and he fixes them. He is not allowed to use them unless it is in a common area and there are passwords etc. on them that he doesn't know. (Though honestly after he hacked into Grandpa's computer because Grandpa had forgotten his password, I wonder how much use they are:lol:)

[WishboneDawn]

Interesting. Percentage-wise, there are more kids with computers of 'their own' than I expected. Thanks for all the responses.

 

:) Maybe it's the geek in me but I just see a computer as something akin to notebooks, texts and art supplies. Another medium for the kids to explore.

[JFSinIL]

Here, ds got his own three weeks before leaving for college. Oldest dd has one now in her room (she turns 17 in Nov.) for school work. Hers is one we have had for a few years already.

[Amy loves Bud]

Yes and No...

 

My ten year old got her own laptop last Christmas when she was 9. She does a lot on the computer, likes typing out stories in word, making brochures and flyers in Publisher, and things like that. She also Skypes with her theater friends who don't live nearby. Since we don't have a house phone (cells only)and the kids don't have cell phones, this works out well.

 

My 12 year old doesn't have a laptop, but really doesn't have much interest in one either. He uses mine if he needs to type an assignment or something like that.

 

I don't have a problem with it, and if my son was really using mine frequently, we'd get one for him.

[LauraQ]

Dd has her own laptop, and it is very nice because dh wants it to last her through high school and not have to replace it until she leaves for college. She was 14 when she got it. Ds will hopefully get one also when he is the same age, just in time for high school. We are a fairly tech-savy family and dh and I have both worked in computer fields in the past (him in IT/TechSup and me in WebDev) so we are willing to spend more than most for computers, I think. Some of their friends have computers, but only desktops, no laptops. We live in a very working-class town. If you have money, you generally don't live here ;-)

[angela in ohio]

:lol:

 

I just got my own laptop a few weeks ago, so we now have two in the house. That is plenty! :D

[LaissezFaire]

One of my 11 year olds has her own laptop. She saved for it and bought it herself. She is only allowed to be on it in the main areas of the house and generally is next to me when I am on mine. I cannot afford to let my kids use my laptop at all. I do all of my banking, record keeping, school planning on it and if it were to go down I would be devastated (although it is backed up, I just don't want to have to replace it). We also have an archaic old desktop the kids use for games and whatnot and my DH has his own laptop for work.

 

I don't take issue with having computers. Computers are an integral part of society now and not letting kids have access to them can limit them in a huge way IMO. If my kids want to go into a field where computers are a central focus I would want them to be ahead of the game and have a broad knowledge of them. Most jobs require computer knowledge in some form so I think giving them access (with supervision) is a very good thing.

Edited September 9, 2010 by LaissezFaire

[Alenee]

My three girls have a computer to share. It is an old computer, not a laptop and they don't really get to do much on it. They have time limits on it, no e-mail, just games and the occasional google for some kind of info. This was not the result of, "Pleeeaase, everyone else has one!" This was because I didn't want to share my laptop with them. :)

[joannqn]

With DH being in IT, we are a heavily computerized family. We own:

 

A desktop for DH

A laptop for DH

 

A desktop in the school room which the kids share

 

A desktop in DD10's bedroom which is primarily for DD but the kids share

 

A laptop which is primary for DS8 but has been confiscated for my use because I broke my laptop. We share this laptop until we can fix mine.

 

A laptop for me, which is currently broken.

[ereks mom]

Everyone in our family has his/her own laptop. We also have 2 desktop computers in our home.

[Sparkle]

Yes, we have multiple computers. Main one in the living room that dh and I use (and the kids sometimes).

 

A laptop for me (only used occasionally)

 

Desktop for 13 & 14 yo's to share

 

Desktop for 7 & 10 yo's to share

 

And a couple extra computers that the older ones just got since they are taking a computer tech project. I'm not sure if they're hooked up or not.

[Tree House Academy]

Yes, my 11 year old has a desktop that his dad got him last year.

[Paula in PA]

Dd has had her own computer for about 4 years now. She's actually on the 2nd one now, but both were hand-me-downs from us. We do plan on getting her a laptop in a couple of years when we feel she can handle the responsibility.

[Mrs Mungo]

We have 3 computers for community use, *nobody* has a computer for their sole use.

[ColoradoMom]

We have more computers than people in our house. I have two, the schoolroom has one, the upstairs has one, and my 13 YO has one in his room.

 

I am slightly impulsive when it comes to computer buying - once I get it in my head that I *might* need one I head straight for Dell to have it built. :001_smile:

[Audrey]

Nope. We have only 1 puter, the desktop. Diva is allowed on for only schoolwork.

 

I used to let them on for games, starfall, etc...til the puter kept crashing. Its old, on its last legs, and banning gaming, etc is my way of trying to baby it along until I can afford another puter.

 

No November $300 sales here in Canada.

 

When I replace it, the kids will be allowed to take over this puter until it dies.

 

The Littles each have a 'computer' by Vtech? But its not what we're really talking about, lol. No internet or anything, just games.

 

 

 

Hey Impish! Not quite $300 but I did just see nice Acer laptops at Staples for $399. IIRC they had 2 or 3 GB of RAM and 250GB hard drives. Not sure about the graphics card, but surely it would be something fairly better than an older computer would have.

 

They also had some 'floor models' on clearance special that were in the $349-$399 range.

[sheryl]

Yes, my 11 yo dd has her own computer, however......

 

my dh builds and rebuilds computers. My Dad also gave a computer to my dd. His was old, but fine for the needs of my dd. She does not have a new computer. We have found that it's not really necessary.

 

We are now finding an internet filter that's family-oriented and free as this year in 6th grade she will be doing some "light" research for book reports, etc.

 

Her computer is the big boxed monitor, but who cares, it gets the job done. :tongue_smilie:

[Hockey Mom]

My 6 & 7 y/o have their own computers. However, all of our lessons (except SOTW) are the pc.

[laurad1125]

Both my 7 year old and my 11 year old have their own computers. BUT all computers are in the office (public space) and will remain there until my children leave home.

[DesertDweller]

We have more computers than people in our house. I have two, the schoolroom has one, the upstairs has one, and my 13 YO has one in his room.

 

I am slightly impulsive when it comes to computer buying - once I get it in my head that I *might* need one I head straight for Dell to have it built. :001_smile:

 

This is us. I have one for myself that I use for business and personal. Dh has two on his desk that he goes back and forth between. Dd has one that is primarily for her use although I use it sometimes for quick things due to it's location off the kitchen. We also have two laptops that we use at various times if we're in the living room or kitchen.

[PinkInTheBlue]

For our house the answer is a "no, does not and will not". We have 5 computers in this house (including an iPad), so there is no need for kids to have a private computer. These computers are all in public areas. I just believe that even though I trust my guys, there is just TOO much temptation on the computer. I see no reason for them to have that kind of privacy in our house with a computer.

 

That's just us. :)

[datgh]

Our DS who is thirteen has his own laptop. He saved his allowance, gift money and money he earned working for a neighbor for over a year before he had enough to buy it used. We have Safe Eyes on it which does a great job of blocking inappropriate sites sometimes to well. (I tried to go to a department stores site to look at furniture and it blocked me because the store sold lingerie!) We also require him to use it in public areas of the house. He also knows that his Dad or I can hop on it for spot checks whenever we want and if we ever find that he has spent time on an inappropriate site than he will lose it. I have been very proud of how he has handled the responsibililty.

 

My twelve year old DD is a whole other story.:glare: Luckily money flows through her fingers like water so I don't think she will have her own lap top any time soon.;)

[WiseOwlKnits]

My 6-year old has her own computer. Technically my 3-year old has his own computer too, although he usually just uses DD's computer since he only uses it to play on Starfall.com. We're a very wired family though so we might not fit the "norm;" we have 4 laptops (2 Macs and 2 PCs) and 2 desktops (1 Mac and 1 PC). :D

[nd293]

We have an old laptop which is dd9's, but

 

1) it has no Internet access. Internet access in our family will happen in a public room.

2) if ds3 wants to watch a movie, he is allowed to watch on the laptop

[StaceyinLA]

They have all had their own computers for about 5 years. They each had an iBook, and now they have MacBooks (except 17yodd who likes her Windows-if I hadn't birthed her myself, I wouldn't believe she was mine) ;-p

 

They have always used them for school, and other critical things like syncing their iPods/iPhones, watching movies, etc.

 

I wouldn't be happy if I had to share my computer again.

[txhomemom]

We have too many computers around here and that is probably a result of dh being in the IT field.

 

My dd who is 12 has her own computer and a laptop. She has had her own computer since she was about 5 or so (back then it was just a leftover slower computer). I have my own computer and netbook. My husband has two computers at his desk, plus a laptop, and he even put a computer in the gameroom to use for movie storage (he records them on there instead of using the DVR).

 

I think everything is so electronically oriented now that it is wise to give kids their own computer at least for schoolwork. We have had some issues with computer use though. We have the computer setup so that it logs my daughter out at a certain time everyday and she cannot get back on the next day until we log her in after she does schoolwork. If you are going to give them their own computer you need to keep a close eye on what they are doing with the computer, websites visited, etc.

[Melissa in Australia]

As a family, we have 2 computers, we share them.

[Tap]

Ds got a gaming laptop for his 15th birthday. I have my own. Dh has his own. DD11 uses mine or her brother's.

[mommytobees]

My 12ds has his own computer in his bedroom. BUT, he paid for it himself.

 

Kris

[Peela]

We have all had our own computers for years, and the kids have 2 each- one for games, one for school. SOme laptops, some desk computers. I have 1 computer and an ipad, dh has 2 computers- one for work, one in his bedroom.

 

However....I dont think a single one was bought new. They are all 2nd hand and pieced together. Dh taught himself basic computer mechanics and can fix most problems and put together a whole computer from 2nd hand parts, upgrade them, etc.

Sounds good....sometimes doesnt feel worth it (all the dramas when a computer breaks down)! I am saving for a Mac!

 

ETA ds14 did buy his own gaming computer- 2nd hand

[KidsHappen]

All of the kids have their own computers.

[Liza Q]

I chose other.

 

We have a computer in each bedroom (3), a computer in the "den" (really a very large foyer) and a laptop.

 

So, yes, my 10yo son has his own computer but it is not for his sole use - one of the girls can use it if they need to. Just because he has his own room doesn't mean he "owns" that computer - make sense?