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Avaj

macrumors member
Original poster
Dec 14, 2008
72
0
What do you think is age appropriate to own iPod touch 2nd gen.?

My daughter admires mine and wants one of her own, she is 7, will be 8 in Aug.

Thoughts and TIA
 

36183

Guest
Jun 24, 2004
418
0
What do you think is age appropriate to own iPod touch 2nd gen.?

My daughter admires mine and wants one of her own, she is 7, will be 8 in Aug.

Thoughts and TIA

I would say at least 12 year old.
 

Brewerpaul

macrumors regular
Nov 25, 2008
222
0
Clifton Park,NY
A while back our newspaper ran a WalMart flier which advertised it for ages 8-16
rofl3.gif


Cracked my 58 yr old ass right up
asdcattivo.gif
 

pkagel

macrumors regular
Aug 5, 2008
177
6
SoCal ExPat
My 6yo is very good with mine as is my GF's 4yo so I think it's just fine for them though I don't let them take it outside.
 

JustOneQuickONe

macrumors 6502
Dec 4, 2008
257
0
I'd say its okay to let her use but I wouldn't get her one of her own quite yet. She may be an extremley responsible youngen but it only takes one of her friends to ask to see it and drop it or break it. I would go with a shuffle or nano probably, at least for her age...then again I'm only 19...almost 20 :D so I have no first hand experience but i remember how kids were when I was in elementary school.
 

marcha

macrumors newbie
Dec 27, 2008
17
0
Our 7 and 9 year old boys have their own Shuffles, and they can use the Nano 3G at times for things that require a bit more adaptability, such as watching a vid or listening to an audiobook (start-pause-resume option). They like my ipod Touch a lot, but we're not going to give them one of those until they've mastered all care aspects of the nano, including playlists, synching, recharging, etc. Until then they can simply learn those things on their Shuffles. Our oldest has his own iTunes program on his computer so that he can learn to use iTunes in combination with his Shuffle. His version doesn't have access to the store or the ability to alter content other than his own playlist based on the existing music library.

In short - for us it's not necessarily that they're able to use the iPod Touch itself, but that they can understand it and care for it properly too before we consider getting them one.
 

AngryApple

macrumors 6502
Dec 25, 2008
342
0
It depends. How mature is she? Do you think she will get on YouTube and look at inappropriate videos? What about Safari? Do you think she will be doing inappropriate things? You could always disable those, of course. If you do not allow those features, I think the Nano would be a better choice. Or even a Shuffle. It's up to you. You know your daughter a lot better than we do.
 

drichards

macrumors 6502a
Nov 30, 2008
803
0
Consider theft or loss, and cost of replacement when weighing your options for your child's music device. Sandisk/Sansa has some very economical sub-$40 players in the size range of the Shuffle, with a nice little OLED display. Firefly's mobile phones for kids have simple no-keypad controls on some models, built in MP3/video/photo player, and about $9 a mo. for their basic calling plan.
 

Beric

macrumors 68020
Jan 22, 2008
2,148
0
Bay Area
Either a shuffle or a non-name brand would be best. You can't trust her to take care of it at that age, especially if she isn't even paying for it.
 

iParis

macrumors 68040
Jul 29, 2008
3,671
31
New Mexico
An iPod touch will be way to complicated for her.
Like the other posters, I'd recommend a shuffle or maybe something like a Creative Zen (wait, those are two separate companies. Lol).
 

quick5pnt0

macrumors regular
Sep 14, 2008
203
0
This is just one of those times where you as the parent need to decide if your child is old enough for something. Not all eight year olds are the same so it really depends on your childs maturity level. A friend of mines son was learning visual basic at nine so...
 

marcha

macrumors newbie
Dec 27, 2008
17
0
A friend of mines son was learning visual basic at nine so...

Excellent point - some kids just 'get' it. That's why we give our oldest the iTunes option because he's got his own computer to do flight-sim (he's got various versions and joysticks and yokes and pedals for it, he's been doing that since he was 2). Our youngest shows less interest in the workings of the computer, or in the care/maintenance of things, so he gets less access to it. Both boys got their iPod Shuffles at Christmas, so we're just going to see how they get on with it in the next few months. There's always next year.

And then there's kids who are so familiar with DS, or with other forms of hand-held games that the iPod Touch would be almost boring to them. Comes right back to what the personality of the child is in combination with what they're ready for/ can handle?
 

Avaj

macrumors member
Original poster
Dec 14, 2008
72
0
Thanks all

Well my daughter doesn't have any video games, no wii, no psp, no ds, no x-box, never been exposed to it.

She does have a tv in her room that she watches disney stuff. Other that that she is normal child. She gets on the computer from time to time.

Then I got my iPod touch a few months ago and she is just in awe of it. She does well with it. If we are out and about she usually have it to entertain herself. So I was flirting with idea of getting her own. I would not let her take it to school or nothing like that. She would just use it at home or with me if we are out.
 

dukebound85

macrumors Core
Jul 17, 2005
19,131
4,110
5045 feet above sea level
I'd say its okay to let her use but I wouldn't get her one of her own quite yet. She may be an extremley responsible youngen but it only takes one of her friends to ask to see it and drop it or break it. I would go with a shuffle or nano probably, at least for her age...then again I'm only 19...almost 20 :D so I have no first hand experience but i remember how kids were when I was in elementary school.

i agree, a nano would be best as the touch is more prone to breaking if she drops it which is highly likely at her age group
 

notjustjay

macrumors 603
Sep 19, 2003
6,056
167
Canada, eh?
When I first had my Touch, I suddenly became the new best friend of my buddy's 9-year-old boy. Of course all he really wanted were the games.

As for when is an appropriate age to own one, that really depends on the maturity level and risk tolerance that you're willing to accept.

Worst case, your kid will drop it, break it, or get it stolen. What will his/her response be? (a) Yell and scream and beg and sulk for you to buy another one, (b) accept that "them's the breaks" and be willing to move on, or (c) accept full responsibility including taking on chores or jobs to help pay for a replacement? And, knowing your kid, how long do you expect it to be before it happens again?

If it were my kid I would want them to be somewhere between (b) and (c). I'd encourage them to save up the money to buy it on their own, and learn about financial management, patience, self-discipline and property ownership while they were at it.

So my short answer would be, when they're capable of saving up and buying their own (whether they actually do so is the parent's call).
 
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