How much computer access do you give a young child(~8)

[grantmeawish]

My ds(8) has very limited computer access.  I would like to give him more freedom for research and simply learning how to use a computer.  There are 2 main reasons I haven't allowed more access.  I feel he should be more active outdoors at this age rather than being glued to screen and I am concerned about what he may find on the internet.  I know there are programs that can safe guard that (any recommendations?).  My dh is a little concerned that he will be behind in those areas in the future, but I think he will be fine.  He can pick up those skills later and be fine, right?

[Mom2TheTeam]

My oldest will be 8 in Oct.  He has basically no access to a computer.  Sometimes I look things up with him. Every so often, I'll let him look up Lego sets on Amazon.  Sometimes I'll find images of an animal or something for him and let him look through them.  He knows how to put something on TV from Netflix.  LOL.  That's pretty much it. 

 

I'm not anxious to have him looking around online.  I see no need for it at 8 years old.  As my kids get old enough to need to be able to look things up online, I'll teach them.  I don't anticipate that being for several more years.  I don't think my kids will be at all behind.  It doesn't take long to pick up basic computer skills and not much longer to pick up advanced things. 

 

My mom and step father are very into technology and my mom is always trying to push me to teach them to type and learn the computer.  I have no intention of doing it yet.  I feel my children need to master low-tech skills first and I just don't see a need to expose them to the possible dangers of it yet. 

[City Mouse]

The only thing that I would change about your original post is the statement that he will "pick up" those skills later.

He could easily learn those skills later, but if he isn't exploring on his own he may need directed teaching in order to learn those skills or to have the technology skills that he will need for college or a job.

[Arcadia]

My boys are in an online school since younger was 5.5 years old so they get plenty of computer access. However their computers' screens faces the kitchen bar counter so I get a good view of what they are up to even when cooking. They do their programming stuff on their computers. They have their own ipads and they know how to google and use youtube and skype. They use the ipads where me or hubby can see them.

I do limit screen time because of eye strain since my older is a bookworm. So reading time plus using the computers/ipads add up to alot of eye strain time.

Its possible to pick up computer skills later like middle school or high school age. Computer skills are in California's kindergarten standards so the people would assume a certain level of familiarity with computer keyboards, mouse and stuff. Just be aware that when people ask, its because it is the norm to them and not because they think you or your child are backward for not being exposed to a computer.

There are people who surf for R(A) stuff while in the library using free wi-fi so just be aware your child might still see stuff you woild not want them to see.

[Murphy101]

Absolutely zero.

 

Age 6+ can play their DSi or Wii with siblings on the weekends or on school breaks.

 

Under 13 have never typed so much as a letter on the computers. Computers are reserved for high school essays and the occasional google search or CDrom/online course. Oh and Lord of the Rings gaming for high schoolers. :)

[Χά�ων]

The only thing that I would change about your original post is the statement that he will "pick up" those skills later.

He could easily learn those skills later, but if he isn't exploring on his own he may need directed teaching in order to learn those skills or to have the technology skills that he will need for college or a job.

I disagree. Technology is so intuitive now that very littly has to be taught. DS does not get on my computer still at age 9 and yet he knows how to Google a topic to learn about it and he understand the basics of using a mouse and keyboard. I did not learn to type until I was an adult and am as fast as my best friend who had the highest wpm in high school and uses that skill in her job every day.

 

Besides by the time our younger kids are adults the current technology will be obsolete. I remember spending countless hours at school learning the proper order to turn on the computer, monitor and keyboard, how to correctly handle an 8 inch floppy disk etc

[FriedClams]

At that age - none. We did allow 30 minutes screen time after school, chores, and piano practice were done. A "screen" is TV, ds, wii, etc. I'm anti-screen for all kids and especially boys (as they tend to get more attached much more quickly).

[Meriwether]

My 6 and 8 year olds use the computer for Minecraft, Age of Empires, and Timez Attack. Ds8 will begin typing when he turns 9. Together they use the computer for 4-6 hours per week (on average).

[NicAnn]

Basically zero.

I don't have worry for kids falling behind in computer technology. If my 100 year old great grandma can have a Facebook page, then my kids will be just fine when they get older.

[NicAnn]

I should clarify. I don't think kids needs access to games or the Internet. However if I had a child show interest in using the computer for other ways-such as programming or IT, or even taking the thing a part- I would likely indulge that.

[Sobeknofret]

We just purchased a computer for Darth Kid yesterday-- a pretty basic model that will let him play a few games and do his schoolwork since he uses T4L and Reading Eggspress. I haven't yet decided on how much screen time I'll allow, but right now I feel like his playing games is teaching him how to use the computer, so I'm a bit more lenient than I will be later.

[countrygal]

My children don't use the computer. We have a laptop with no mouse, and the touch pad is too difficult to figure out for them. I see no reason why they should use it, even for 'games.' There are better games in real life to play. When they learn to read and write better, I'll teach computer basics and typing.

[MinivanMom]

We let our children start a typing program at 9, but don't let them use the computer at all before that. There is absolutely no need for small children to be on the computer. Let them research with real books and write out reports by hand to practice their cursive. As long as they eventually learn how to type, they will be fine.

[Lucy the Valiant]

My young kids log on to xtramath.com for 5 minutes a day, and that's it. (I have a theory that because they think it's "cool" to use the computer, it makes xtramath that much more fun.)

[happymomofboys]

I let my oldest son have a Disney Netpal computer when he was 8.  It was supposed to have all of these wonderful safety features to prevent kids from being able to access anything other than the Disney desktop and parental controls that limited access even within that.  My younger son, then six years old, had figured out how to open a video and use the media program to bypass the safety measures to access internet explorer within the first six weeks.  That was when I knew for sure that they were not going to have any access to a computer without an adult present.  I still let them use a laptop for playing games, watching videos, etc. but only with close supervision and time limits.

[La Texican]

My preschooler does reading eggs. I see many of my friends and family mention their preschool kids use that abc mouse they advertise on tv. My schoolkid uses khan academy. Right now we're on the hubby's computer so they're just doing their educational stuff. When my computer's working I keep KidZui installed on it so my five year old can browse kid stuff safely. KidZui is a separate browser with a Z button on your desktop beside your blue E button. Instead of blocking questionable content it's a "whitelist" program. That means every website that you can access while running Kidzui has been hand approved by a live human person as being a kid appropriate website. It has all the major ones, pbskids, cartoon network, even readingeggs. It doesn't have unusual sites like when I looked up the CERN hadron collider's website for kids. What my kid loved was that it offered thousands of youtube videos, the funny puppies and stuff, all guaranteed clean for kids.

 

For games my kid was into Jumpstart (paid site) for a while.

 

My kid wouldn't try to use internet explorer because the stuff he likes is in the kidzui browser.

[coffeegal]

Zero access until the child is ready to begin spelling lessons, then the child has access to the computer but not the internet. I want the child reading before they play on the computer.

 

I've found the lack of internet has caused my kids to explore other programs. They've spent quite a bit of time playing with Paint and Word as well as my computer games. It's rather fun to see my 8yo create a picture with Paint and make it their background on their own. Once my kids get internet access, they spend less time investigating the programs on my computer.

 

 

[raceNzanesmom]

My 9 y/o has full access to educational sites and has for a while. He can also Google for info, search our local library, etc. Overall, however, he doesn't spend a lot of time on the computer because he'd rather be riding his bike, building with Legos, playing Wii with his big brother, etc. We have our Internet filter set pretty high, so I'm not too concerned about him stumbling onto sites he shouldn't be on, and he's been taught to never click an ad or pop-up. We use K-9 set to block just about everything.

[Ravin]

Mine has unlimited access. I have a favorites list for her, and periodically she'll ask me for permission to add or go to a new site. She has accounts for Pet somethingorother and Wizard 101 set up with help of a friend and a cousin with advance permission. She also knows to ask if she's not sure how to spell something for a google or youtube search. Her access is via a PC, a smartphone, and our smartTV (though she only uses the TV for streaming services). She knows she has zero expectation of privacy with respect to her internet and texts, etc.

 

She knows how to access the library catalog from home, as well as research with Google.

 

The way I see it, I want her to learn to use telecom media properly from the beginning. Restrictions are a measure for if she fails to do that. What is in place now are monitoring and keeping the computer in a public space, which is sufficient.

[briansmama]

My ds(8) has very limited computer access. I would like to give him more freedom for research and simply learning how to use a computer. There are 2 main reasons I haven't allowed more access. I feel he should be more active outdoors at this age rather than being glued to screen and I am concerned about what he may find on the internet. I know there are programs that can safe guard that (any recommendations?). My dh is a little concerned that he will be behind in those areas in the future, but I think he will be fine. He can pick up those skills later and be fine, right?

I completely agree with you that young children need to spend lots and lots of time outdoors. We severely limit screen time in our home for this reason. My boys do not spend time on the computer, other than during lesson time when we are researching together (and then it is from the iPad at the table, together).

 

Your Dh makes a good point that computers are excellent tools for today's learning/work, but I don't feel they are the best tools for learning for young children. Nature, movement, literature, music, and art are much more valuable, IMO.

[Grover]

DS uses the computer periodically throughout the day - Kahn academy, typingweb, other selected educational sites.  He often has a question we don't know the answer to, so will go and search it.  It's not something we limit, and both kids (4&6) seem to have found their own limits pretty easily.  I guess if they struggled to do other things I'd set some limits on it.  (Although DD is not allowed to use youtube to find my little pony videos all day... so that's a limit). 

[Pen]

Basically none till age 9, limited since then.    I'm seeing stuff like Carpal tunnel, cataracts, and cancers in friends that might or might not be related to computer use, but certainly gives me pause.  That is, I have concerns even if the content is limited to what is educational.  And, so saying, I will get off myself now and try to remember to limit my own time.  Thanks for that reminder!

[Tanikit]

My 5.5 year old has plenty of access - she uses my computer that is in the lounge and has a very big screen so I can always see what she is doing and we have set up folders for her which she knows are hers. She does know how to use the internet, she does know how to use google, she does know how to get into our stuff and move our folders and generally mess up the layout too, she uses skype to talk to her Dad on occassion too. She is NOT allowed to use it however if I am not there with her and if I say she must get off then she must - immediately. My 2 year old also has plenty of access though is still learning how to use a mouse so of course I am right there with her. Our computer doubles as the TV screen so they possibly are not on the computer as much as on the TV part of it watching things.

[MASHomeschooler]

My 8yo has limited but increasing computer time and computer content.

 

Time is 20 minutes at a time, up to 3 times in a day, but she rarely does that so far - probably less than 3 hours per week total.

 

Content is limited to:

Kids' typing program

Math facts game

Online math lessons (like Khan)

Online Spanish lessons

Some other educational games and sites (installed or bookmarked)

 

She does not search the internet herself. However, she and her younger siblings often watch me search for something they asked about or I wanted to show them, and I sometimes talk through it (why I used certain search words or clicked on certain results, ignoring flashy stuff on the side, etc.).

 

This year, she will be doing an online class (50 minutes/week), and it includes access to BrainPop, so that will be added to the list of things she can access. Also, I plan to introduce programming this year, so that will obviously take computer time as well. I am expecting this year's computer time to be about 5 hours/week, although if she gets into programming it may go higher (up to the 1 hour/day limit). 5-7 hours a week total seems reasonable to me for today's third graders, particularly for the benefits I see for the things she is doing, but I don't think there's harm in waiting.

 

I have had to further limit my 5yo son's computer time because I have seen him get a little addictive/obsessive with too much access. I could probably not limit my daughter's at all and she would do about the same as now (except maybe only choosing the less educational/more fun options), but my son would be on way too much and not be his normal sweet self when told he had other things he needed to do.

 

Also, there is no non-computer screen time during the week, and limited on the weekend. (They do not have personal devices with screens. The one TV is usually controlled by Dad on the weekend, and they are usually not that interested in what he's watching - so it's usually a couple educational shows before we get up on Sunday and occasionally a family movie.)

 

ETA: They can only get on the computer when I agree to it (I usually will if there is not something else they should be doing), and the computer screen is very visible.

[mathnerd]

My child (6 year old) goes to school in the public school system of California where computer literacy is mandatory. I volunteer to teach kids in my DS's classroom every week for 40 minutes of "Technology Lab" which starts at K level. They do some neat stuff on the computer for 5 and 6 year olds.

At home we use the computer for DS to access DreamBox math, EPGY courses, Reading Express, Discovery streaming and Scratch programming. I limit the screen time to 25 minutes each day, though many days go by when we don't touch the computer. We have ipads at home for DS but he uses it only once a week or so. He uses my phone to click pictures or make videos occasionally. That is the complete extent to which he uses technology. No Minecraft or Angry Birds or any such thing. We are an "overscheduled" family, so even though we have plenty of technology at home, we do not find the time to access it.

 

Computer access has been a life saver for me when I was out sick with the flu for 2 weeks last year. I used to lie down on the sofa and let DS loose on DreamBox math, Khan academy or EPGY Language Arts and get a few minutes of rest while knowing that he was learning something while not pestering me for attention or watching mind numbing cartoons. Those are times when I really was glad to have access to those content.

[plath]

We have gone back and forth a couple of times but as of right now, my 5 year old gets none. We tried reading eggs and starfall and they weren't a good fit so Bob books and Dick and Jane are a much better fit for us. I was uncomfortable with the screen time anyway.

[Bree]

I let my 8 year old earn time. Probably about 1 hr a day. I have the computer set up in the kitchen where I am a lot and where we do school so I can keep an eye on what he is doing. He knows where he is allowed to go and do. 

[Runningmom80]

DS 6 gets 30 minutes a day. We have a timer we use.

[morgan]

We learned the hard way to make sure the computer is in the main living area and has parental control/monitoring. Our oldest child was taking online classes, so we put the computer in the school room so she could concentrate...bad idea. We've since set up accounts with passwords, so my kids can't just turn on the computer and surf the internet without us around.

 

My husband is in IT and I guess computers and technology are just such a part of our life I wouldn't consider banning it altogether, although I do think it should be used mostly for educational games for younger kids. I typically allow it only on the weekends and after school/chores are completed. For kids in late elementary school and older, I really think being able to search the library catalog, research topics, etc on their own is a great skill. It's just that too much information is available and it needs filtered in my opinion.

[boscopup]

My kids start basic computer usage like playing Starfall around age 2. My oldest learned to read from Starfall.

 

I don't yet allow them to Google on their own, and YouTube usage is limited to the Piano Guys channel. :lol:

 

We've gone a long time allowing computer usage very rarely during the week (though they can check the weather any time at weather.gov). Recently, I've started letting my oldest use the computer for school work every morning while I school my 6 year old. The 9 year old has typing lessons, Latin vocabulary practice, and I just started him on Alcumus (math) tonight. So he'll have daily computer usage now. My 6 year old, otoh, has behavior problems if he gets too much screen time, so he is severely limited for now.

 

DH and I are both programmers, so computer usage is just a given in our house. The kids have their own computer with specific sites bookmarked, Kodu and some games installed, plus they play with the Paint and other things on the computer. I have no worries about them learning how to use things I haven't taught them yet. Computer usage will probably look a lot different when they graduate, and they're all technically minded.

[awisha.]

Once, maybe twice a month for my two.

[kiwik]

ds6 uses it at school, ds4 at kindy. I am not that comfortable with that but NZ kindy is preschool with free choice of activity and computers are part of the national curriculum. Luckily they noticed pretty quickly that he needed to be limited so they tell him he is only allowed one turn and divert him. At home 15 mins each about 4 times a week. Ds4 likes starfall but ds6 likes games so I have to check him a lot to make sure he doesn't pick something I don't approve of. They are only allowed to go to a few sites as one of his friends went to a site his big brother had shown him and infected us with malware.

 

ds6 has tried reading eggs and dream box but they don't seem worth the cost.

[ocelotmom]

Put the computer somewhere visible.

 

Turn Google SafeSearch on (far from foolproof if someone decides they want to find something, but will help prevent accidentally stumbling across inappropriate stuff).

 

Download programs that teach what you want him to learn, then disconnect the internet except at times when you're around to supervise. There are so many important aspects of computer literacy that can be learned without the internet, and the internet often just serves as a distraction. Office programs, kid's computer programming things (like Scratch, Alice, and Squeak), educational games, and so on.

[LMD]

My older children use the computer for:

 

Rosetta Stone language program (about 15mins at a time, 3 or 4 times a week)

Spelling City spelling tests (5-10 mins once a week)

My DD types up some of her writing projects, about once a fortnight, which takes her forever at the moment...

And they'll watch the occasional educational video, maybe an hours worth a month - if that.

 

They also play games on it, about 30 mins a day ish I'd say.  

 

They are not allowed to access the internet on their own, if we search for things we do it together.

 

 

My children had absolutely no problem working out how to use a computer, the devices they use are pretty intuitive and they pick it up quickly.