How young is too young?

[Gymgenius]

I'm thinking of buying my daughters a 16gig, 4th gen iPod Touch each for Christmas.

Does anyone think the youngest, at 6 is too young to have one?

To be used mainly for games / apps. I won't be encouraging them to listen to music via headphones, and will certainly restrict settings on them (including max volume).

GG

[racoonboy]

Hayohhhh, demographic for Ipod touch is getting younger and younger everyday.


I think it will be fine for her as long as kids game are preloaded to the device. There are many violence game these days as well.

[Nevzorus]

This is MY opinion but:

I think everybody should get a phone/iPod at the age of 11 or 12.

[chrf097]

You can restrict the settings enough to the point where you wouldn't need to monitor over them, really. Every app has a rating and some apps (like Web Browsers, Facebook, and violent games) have to have a higher rating so if you block the app install to the 6+ apps, block out safari and limit TV shows to TV-Y and clean music only you should be fine.

[Gymgenius]

Originally Posted by chrf097

You can restrict the settings enough to the point where you wouldn't need to monitor over them, really. Every app has a rating and some apps (like Web Browsers, Facebook, and violent games) have to have a higher rating so if you block the app install to the 6+ apps, block out safari and limit TV shows to TV-Y and clean music only you should be fine.

I'm liking the sound (pun intended) of restrictions!

They are smart cookies, and regularly use my ipad mini unsupervised, so some control will definitely be required.

I will pre-load them with suitable apps then restrict app install and delete (and max volume) at the very least I think.

[Macman45]

I think the Touch is a wise choice for younger children. It's a great device, but is missing the one thing you would NOT want any child of that age to have....The phone. I see no reason why a 6 year old shouldn't have a Touch...She will learn about taking care of technology too.

[firedept]

Great idea! My children were 6 & 8 when they received there first iPods. They enjoyed them and learned to respect them. Actually sold them a few years later when we upgraded them. My kids really appreciate their iPods.

[eRondeau]

I gave an iPod touch to my 8-year-old niece for her birthday and she had it for about ten months before she lost it. During a sleep-over at her friend's house. The family turned the place upside-down looking for it but couldn't find it. She was very sad. So my only advice -- if you get her one, it doesn't leave her house, ever. And get the biggest, clunkiest case you can find for it too.

[GeekGuys]

Only you can decide if you can trust your child with a very expensive device.

I gave in and got my youngest two (6 & 7) and ipod each and within 6 months we had lost 1, broken 2 (yes, I even replaced them!) I got mine cheap so not so much of a pain... but still

So, if you think your child will be able to look after it, or you can afford to lose it, then go for it. For the replacements I also bought very large and rubbery cases... still managed to lose one of the replacements though.

Now I'm going for iPads for them (7 & 8 now) with these cases http://www.speckproducts.com/tablet-...-for-ipad.html

That should keep them quiet at christmas!

[LostSoul80]

Too young for such a device. I'd point to a family iPad, and let her play with it under supervision.

Oh, and by the way, I'd suggest you not to use "GG" often here -- you might get caught by our Master.

[Ffosse]

Get a good case for it as kids are more liable to be clumsy with things.

I don't think that is too young - it's up to you and there are plenty of options for controlling the content.

[WSR]

On cases, I just got a Griffin Survivor case for my new iPod Touch 5th gen. Since it's one designed for military use, I think it would be the best for a 6yo. There is no way to directly touch the iPod Touch, but the touch screen still works. The videos show dropping an iPhone in one of these cases off a 120ft bridge on to the ground and the iPhone survived.

As far as general iOS use for a 6yo, as long as she's still playing outside some of the time and doing other things, it should be fine. I would just give her a time limit, or something so that she not just playing on it. Otherwise, needing glasses by age 8 might be the least of your worries.

Younger than 5, to me gets questionable, I once saw a video of a 1yo, that though he could change pages on an iPad, he couldn't figure out how to turn the page of a real book. So at an early age, I would say they need to learn the physical before they learn the virtual.

[maestrocasa]

Maybe too young, but my 3-year-old toddler figured out how to use our family iPod touch long ago. She could unlock it a year ago and quickly figured out how to navigate to screens and certainly recognizes icons for her apps. Now that my wife and I have iPhones, we've pretty well given her the ipod touch as her own. It has strong parental controls and only apps that are appropriate for her. It never leaves the house. We limit how much she can use it each day, but figure she will benefit from understanding and being comfortable with digital technology. There are some great reading, math, alphabet, animals, shapes, etc. games out there for even young toddlers

[rmhop81]

Originally Posted by Gymgenius

I'm thinking of buying my daughters a 16gig, 4th gen iPod Touch each for Christmas.

Does anyone think the youngest, at 6 is too young to have one?

To be used mainly for games / apps. I won't be encouraging them to listen to music via headphones, and will certainly restrict settings on them (including max volume).

GG

everyone has their own opinion....but i think anything under 12 is too young to own such a device. what is wrong with having a family iPad where the kids can learn to share?

why does a 6 year old need their own iPod touch?

[Regbial]

Originally Posted by Gymgenius

I'm thinking of buying my daughters a 16gig, 4th gen iPod Touch each for Christmas.

Does anyone think the youngest, at 6 is too young to have one?

To be used mainly for games / apps. I won't be encouraging them to listen to music via headphones, and will certainly restrict settings on them (including max volume).

GG

YES YES YES, she will thank you when she's older and has healthy hearing. I myself have Tinnitus and hate it, but that's because someone thought it would be funny to blast a trumpet an inch from my ear.

[Diet Pepsi]

My granddaughter has navigated the iPad since she turned 2. I had an old ipod touch and would let her play with it, but she preferred the iPad or iPhone. So, she is almost 3 now and has quite a few apps on the ipad. I would think that a 6 yo would be responsible enough, to have their own iPod. And I agree with your supervision ideas. They couldn't add an app w/o your password, right?

[Nethan]

I remember when I was six (which I'll admit, was just over 11 years ago).

I rode my bike, played sword fighting with sticks, had a $5 portable FM radio, and had the coolest teddy bear a kid could ask for.

Honestly, I'm no parent nor do I have the slightest idea how to raise a child, but a six year old having their own iPod Touch? Really? I see no benefit from it whatsoever.

[mohsy90]

Originally Posted by Nethan

I remember when I was six (which I'll admit, was just over 11 years ago).

I rode my bike, played sword fighting with sticks, had a $5 portable FM radio, and had the coolest teddy bear a kid could ask for.

Honestly, I'm no parent nor do I have the slightest idea how to raise a child, but a six year old having their own iPod Touch? Really? I see no benefit from it whatsoever.

Yeah, maybe my thinking is old fashioned as well. At 6 years old I never had tv nor a radio to listen to. Spent most of my time playing outside with friends and with toys. Yes, ipods are great. But addicting kids to technology also has its downside just like video games. I'm no parent but looking at kids today with cell phones and texting and sitting on their computers all day is crazy....sounds like me lol.

[mrsir2009]

Yeah, iPod Touches are pretty normal for young kids to have these days - Any reason why you don't want them listening to music via headphones, tho?

[teknikal90]

I think children in their formative years need to be able to have more exposure to the more traditional flavours of entertainment... running, playing with a pet, playing in the sandbox... you know work with their hands and run and laugh and jump...
i dont think theres nothing wrong with an ipod, but i think theres a time for everything and i think it's important for really young (really, babies..) to not miss out on those exposures.
I read a study once on this kid who was kept pretty much sterile in their younger years... when that kid grew up, he had an impaired immune system.
Not entirely relevant here, but it goes along with my point i think.

Just my 2 cents, your kid's mileage may vary

[Gymgenius]

Originally Posted by mrsir2009

Yeah, iPod Touches are pretty normal for young kids to have these days - Any reason why you don't want them listening to music via headphones, tho?

I would load their devices with a few playlist that I have on my iTunes, but I'd be buying them more for using learning apps and games - mini iPad minis if you like!

I wouldn't want a child of any age listening to music for hours on end via headphones for the obvious reasons.

----------

Originally Posted by teknikal90

I think children in their formative years need to be able to have more exposure to the more traditional flavours of entertainment... running, playing with a pet, playing in the sandbox... you know work with their hands and run and laugh and jump...
i dont think theres nothing wrong with an ipod, but i think theres a time for everything and i think it's important for really young (really, babies..) to not miss out on those exposures.
I read a study once on this kid who was kept pretty much sterile in their younger years... when that kid grew up, he had an impaired immune system.
Not entirely relevant here, but it goes along with my point i think.

Just my 2 cents, your kid's mileage may vary

I fully agree, and we do an enormous amount of that type of stuff. These would be for occasional, supervised use - and would probably not leave the house!

[Solomani]

Originally Posted by Nevzorus

This is MY opinion but:

I think everybody should get a phone/iPod at the age of 11 or 12.

NO! You are absolutely wrong. No one should ever have an iPod at age 11 or 12.

They should only have it at age 13 or 14. And also at age 58. Age 9 is also acceptable. But never age 8 or 10.

[Jord5i]

Originally Posted by Gymgenius

I'm thinking of buying my daughters a 16gig, 4th gen iPod Touch each for Christmas.

Does anyone think the youngest, at 6 is too young to have one?

To be used mainly for games / apps. I won't be encouraging them to listen to music via headphones, and will certainly restrict settings on them (including max volume).

GG

I got my first gameboy around that age I think... So I don't see why not really

[Solomani]

Originally Posted by Jord5i

I got my first gameboy around that age I think... So I don't see why not really

Didn't that original GameBoy Tetris rock? Original MIDI music was so addicting! And very few people realized they were listening to Russian folk music (Korobelniki, the main Tetris theme song, is a Russian folk song dating way way back to the times of the Russian Czars, before the Soviet Union ever existed).




** Original GameBoys were usually bundled with free games like Tetris.

[Jord5i]

Originally Posted by Solomani

Didn't that original GameBoy Tetris rock? Original MIDI music was so addicting! And very few people realized they were listening to Russian folk music (Korobelniki, the main Tetris theme song, is a Russian folk song dating way way back to the times of the Russian Czars, before the Soviet Union ever existed).




** Original GameBoys were usually bundled with free games like Tetris.

Oh I didn't actually have that, my first gameboy was the 'gameboy advance', after checking the release date I found out I wasn't actually 6.

I was about 8 years old, but my brother (who got it the same time I did) was 6...