First laptop?

[Sharilynn29]

How old are your children/teens when they get their first laptop? I'd like for my 14yo ds to have one, but he is only allowed Internet access in public areas of the house. I want to protect him from the negative stuff on the Internet (which he's been introduced), but want the advantage of him having his own computer for school.

 

How do you handle this in your house?

[Kareni]

My sister very kindly gave my daughter her first laptop as a high school graduation/going to college gift. In ninth and tenth grades, she used our shared family computer or a computer at the public library. In 11th grade, we upgraded the family computer, and she had the use of the older computer in her room.

 

Regards,

Kareni

[Jenny in Florida]

Mine got laptops much younger than yours.

 

I think my daughter inherited my husband's old laptop when he upgraded when she was about eight.

 

When that one died and we replaced it, we bought one for my son at the same time. He was seven or eight at the time, I think.

 

Neither was allowed to take the laptop into the bedroom, though. It was just handy to have them laptops rather than desktops, because they were portable for travelling or to take schoolwork onto the patio or whatever.

[hsbeth]

Here our children get laptops going into 9th, generally we split the cost with them. They have substantial allowance, do babysit, and usually have Christmas/birthday money laying about. Non-internet based school work is allowed in their bedrooms, internet usage is only allowed in public areas of the house. It's worked out well.

[KAR120C]

We bought one the second year that DS had online classes (so late middle school), because I was tired of sharing. I work on my own laptop, and sometimes it really isn't convenient for me to stop because it's time for his class!

 

We started out with a public-areas-only policy, but it's gotten relaxed over the years without incident.

[regentrude]

Both kids saved and bought their own netbooks when they were 12 and 13. They are allowed to use them anywhere in the house. We use Norton Family safety minder to restrict internet access to questionable content.

[mathwonk]

Our grandchildren have grown up for years with computers from an early age. The older is now 10, almost 11, and the younger is maybe 8. their father is a silicon valley computer/internet professional. I can ask him how they monitor control and access. My dgd went mostly to the Barney website when I first watched her login. That was a desktop but she has had her own hand me down laptop now for several years.

 

I just checked that she was apparently online at 3 or 4, since it was in 2005.

Edited August 6, 2012 by mathwonk

[Mom22ns]

My kids shared a laptop for a year and then we got a second last year, so they each had their own at 12 & 14.

 

We do let them have them in their rooms, but they aren't kept there and they aren't allowed to use them in their rooms for any extended periods of time. We get passwords and warn that we might (and sometimes do) look at anything on them including email and internet histories. Dh also checks internet sites visited via our router.

 

We don't limit the amount of time they can use them each day, but we do cut off access at 8:00 pm each evening unless there is specific homework being done in a public place.

[elegantlion]

My ds got a hand me down laptop at about age 10, I think. He still has it and a new desktop he got as a gift (not from us).

 

We monitor, but don't police, ds's internet activity. He's interested in programming and game design and has built a level of trust with us about his usage.

 

For school he will often bring the laptop to class (the desktop is in his room) or do homework on his desktop. The laptop is ancient (technologically speaking), so he's trying to save for a Mac.

[zenjenn]

Heh, I got mind for my daughters age 5 and 7. But I am a big believer in the computer as a learning tool, and I was sick of them on my computer so much for school.

 

We have the internet whitelisted on their laptops, and they don't leave the house. (Whitelisted, as in, all internet connectivity is blocked except for the short list of sites my husband and I approve - mostly educational sites but a few recreational sites for fun after school.)

[G5052]

We delayed computer usage until age 10, but a computer is a computer in my book. I don't see a lot of difference between a desktop and a laptop in terms of what can be done. Computer usage is restricted to one room of the house even though there is one kid's laptop available, and they have basic filtering software through Norton. Occasionally I'll let them use my laptop which works anywhere in the house. I also have it set up so they can only log in between 6am and 10pm.

[CupOCoffee]

We've got 3 laptops and 4 ppl in our house. Dh's laptop is his and his alone. My laptop is mine in the evening, and Dd's during the day to use for school; Ds has a hand me down from Dh, and he uses if for school and for listening to music while he does the laundry. This computer must also be shared with his sister in the evening; she is a writer and often works on her stories on that laptop. Neither of them goes anywhere on the internet except for places for school. They do not have email or FB accounts.

 

Internet is only in our downstairs, so they can't use either laptop in their rooms. They have not expressed any interest in using the laptops for internet "fooling around", but if they did, it would have to be in a common area. And they know that we can find out where they've been.

 

Kids are 16 and 10, BTW.

[ilanao]

My two younger kids got netbooks when they were in 4th and 6th grade. We upgraded to laptops when they were in middle school. My son was taking virtual classes with Calvert and having a laptop in his room was easier. He used it to participate in online classes and to turn in all his online assignments. Last year he used Keystone, and spent most of his time reading texts or on the computer. We are a techy family of six, and having only one desktop wasn't enough. We upgraded to two about eight years ago, then my older kids each got a computer for college. Now the kids all have their own, and my husband and I share the desktop.

[Running the race]

My 14yo ds got one for his birthday. He used his own money, plus it was his birthday present from us and his grandma. He is not allowed to take it in his bedroom.

 

My 16yo has built his own computer, but it's not a laptop. It is in a spare room, not his bedroom, but he is largely unsupervised on it.

 

I need to install filters and have a policy for use.

[Miss Marple]

Our home has several computers - all in public viewing areas. The kids have used these throughout their schooling years.

 

We purchased ds1 a laptop when he left for college. We purchased ds2 a laptop when he went to school in England for 2 months. We plan to purchase one for ds3 when he heads to college or to the school in England.

 

Until they are out of the house, they have no need for a laptop. I have a laptop that I haul all over the house :) and my boys use it whenever they like.

 

BTW, I highly recommend the Samsung QX411. It has held up very well to the rigors of school and travel. It also has a video card that enables the boys to play Star Craft :p

[Gwen in VA]

My kids get hand-me-down laptops around ~14 or so because of online classes.

 

We wait to buy the kids a good computer until the kids know exactly what college they are attending since many colleges have specific requirements for the student computers -- they must be compatible with X and must be able to handle Y, etc.

 

One of our kids' colleges had a list of "approved" computers. And I've never heard of this before -- My ds2 is off to an engineering school where the college provides the specific laptop. The cost is rolled into the room and board.

 

Also, at some colleges, the computer help desk is only available to those students with specific college-approved types of computers.

[Cindy in MO]

Our first two got their own when they started college. We usually had 2 family computers already. We now have a Mac and a mostly useless old pc, so third ds just got his own laptop as a high school junior so he can learn how to use Office.

[mommamagistra]

Although our kids used computers regularly in all sorts of venues -- grandparents house, libraries, friends, our home computer -- we delayed purchasing a personal computer for them until they were in 7th or 8th grade and handwriting -- cursive -- was ingrained. I think writing things out by hand does something positive for the brain. Plus handwriting still has its value, e.g., the handwritten thank you note, the SAT essay. Just as significant as dangers from the Internet is the allure of video games, which can be time consuming and addictive.

[TeaCookiesBears]

My oldest received her first laptop (used) back in 4th grade for school I gave that one away and bought a new laptop for both girls to use. Now they have a desktop in their room that uses a wireless adapter I can take out at anytime when I do not want them on the Intenet. If they are not allowed on the Internet except for school then the laptop must be used in immediate eyesite.

To make life easy my dh has their pc's and the router set up to monitor and block where they go and the girls know it. Both girls have school work that must be done online at varying times so they have their own pc's because they are NOT using ours and this works well for us.;)