Am I young for a 3G owner?

[lindsayanng]

I will repeat this, but i hope that person was posting while i was.

I could care less if a 13 year old saw porn. For christ sake, i listen to Howard Stern on a daily basis, my best friends work for a porn distributor, and I modeled for Maxim Radio... i'm no stranger to sexuality..

 

[nickspohn]

i still dont understand why this country is so stuck up when it comes to sexuality (thats everyone talking about the parental controls)

yes i realize the argument taht if there exposed, they emulate, but thats not really the way things work, look at underage drinking in america. Teens drink to get drunk and abuse everything. In Europe where its no big deal to let a child have alchohal now and again, alchohal ABUSE is hardly a problem

i think the same principle applies, sex and sexual behavior happens and is natural twisting it any other way just results in many sheltered kids that have no idea how the real world works


just my extremely liberal two cents tho, carry on

Meh, it's America. This country has a lot of good but the bad is starting to take over.

The X generation is the one at fault. It isn't the new Y generation.

 

[JCredible86]

first off...... WHAT?

Not sure what you mean by that..

secondly, you CAN shelter kids from the internet and be AWARE of their internet usage to an extent. Maybe not a 16 year old, but DEFINITELY a 13 year old, and no - i'm NOT talking about porn.. I could give a crap if a 13 year old saw boobies.. All 13 year olds seek that stuff out..The MOST concerning thing is Myspace and Facebook. I guess its more concerning if the 13 year old is a female, but either way, it is DANGEROUS! They all lie abotu their age because those websites have blocks enabled for people under 18 (rightly so) but the kids will lie so they dont have to deal with the blocks..

Its just a BAD place for most kids - and parents HAVE to monitor stuff like that

I Agree, girls are more vulnerable in certain ways. I dont like my nieces on the net, or around boys.

 

[na1577]

Who exactly does a 13 year old really need to be in contact with ??

Nothing that couldn't be taken care of with a prepaid phone.

I am 14, and I've had a cellphone since I was 10, which was my Dad's old phone. It was the size of a brick, didn't have a color screen, could not send text messages, and I had a limited amount of minutes. I took good care of it, and I had no problem using it. It was barely a step above a prepaid phone, and I got along just fine with it until my dad let me upgrade my phone late last year.

That's not to say that I don't have expensive gadgets. I have an iPod touch, but I bought it with money that I earned, not money that my parents gave to me for no reason.

Its just a BAD place for most kids - and parents HAVE to monitor stuff like that

The internet is only a bad place for idiots. I can say on behalf of other kids my age, that most of them are. But why are they that way? Because of their parents. If more parents paid attention to their kids when they were younger, they wouldn't have to worry about their online behavior when they're older. I have a MySpace, but I can safely say I am smart enough to know who to trust, and what kind of information is safe to put on the internet.

 

[lindsayanng]

You only THINK you are smart enough to know who to trust because you are 14, and 14 year olds think they know everything already. LIke i said, its a little different with girls and boys, but boys 14 years old are still vulnerable. You guys are YOUNG and are still KIDS. You dont have the real world experience that most adults have to make proper decisions.

All kids have to make mistakes in life, but the parents need to monitor what kinds of mistakes to make.

Let me ask you this.. how old does it say you are on your myspace?

Woudl you let your parents 100% access to your myspace account??

If the answer to that question is NO, then you probably are NOT making the best decisions at the moment. Believe it or not, the ONE thing i learned through my somewhat young life is that MOM IS ALWAYS RIGHT>

Oh yea, and i wanted to add. I ENTIRELY agree with you about the fact that most kids your age ARE idiots, and parents SHOULD monitor their kids to make sure they dont become COMPLETE idiots.. btu you CAN NOT do that if your kid has his own private computer, let alone one in his pocket.

 

[wacow45]

you are too young to have a cell phone

i got a cell phone just after my 12th birthday, and most kids in my grade already had one. but i REALLY want a iPhone3G but turn out existing at&t customers have to pay full price($400).

 

[na1577]

You only THINK you are smart enough to know who to trust because you are 14, and 14 year olds think they know everything already. LIke i said, its a little different with girls and boys, but boys 14 years old are still vulnerable. You guys are YOUNG and are still KIDS. You dont have the real world experience that most adults have to make proper decisions.

I don't think you understand what it is like to be a kid now. This isn't the 60's anymore. Things are so different now, that although parents can still relate to many kid's problems, technology has changed so much that there are some things that they cannot relate to. Even ten years ago, cell phones weren't common, and the internet as we know it was still a baby.

And of course kids are vulnerable. But we're not the only ones.

Let me ask you this.. how old does it say you are on your myspace?

Woudl you let your parents 100% access to your myspace account?

My MySpace account says I am 14, but you are correct about the fact that I wouldn't give my parents my login information. They don't need to know what I talk to my friends about, nor would I ask THEM what they talk to their friends about. I may be 14, but that doesn't mean that I don't need ANY privacy, which seems to be what all of your posts have implied.

Now let me ask you a few questions. Do you monitor everything that your kids do? If so that's just bad parenting on your part. Kids are more likely to do something rebellious if they don't have any freedom. On the other hand, if you, lindsayanng, don't monitor everything your kids do, that just makes you look like a hypocrite for preaching that parents should completely monitor their kid's online behavior, without doing so yourself.

If the answer to that question is NO, then you probably are NOT making the best decisions at the moment. Believe it or not, the ONE thing i learned through my somewhat young life is that MOM IS ALWAYS RIGHT>

You're close but not spot on. Just because you may be a mother, that makes you think that you are right. But you're not.

Oh yea, and i wanted to add. I ENTIRELY agree with you about the fact that most kids your age ARE idiots, and parents SHOULD monitor their kids to make sure they dont become COMPLETE idiots.. btu you CAN NOT do that if your kid has his own private computer, let alone one in his pocket.

If there is one trend I am seeing in your posts, it is that you hate children/teenagers. There is simply no other way to explain your tone towards the situation. Not to mention you seem to be grouping every kid into the same category, refusing to accept the fact that not every kid is the same. By doing so, you are only looking more and more ignorant.

But like I said before, if a parent doesn't monitor their kids when they are young (and need it most), then they certainly won't monitor their kids as they get older.

 

[iWantiPhone]

im 14 and have an iphone. i know someone who is 9 and has one.

but thats not the point.

IMHO, i am a reponsible teen. i get A's in all my honors classes and i know right from wrong. i have had my own computer since i was 5. i even built my first pc when i was 9. i got my first phone when i was 8. i know people who have more than me, and they are younger then me. and yea, i do have a myspace. it all depends on how matured the teen is. i know 13 year olds that are nuts, and i cant see them getting anywhere in life. but lets face it. every kid has a cell phone. i dont care what you say. just stop being jealous. if you would not be jealous, then you would not care if a 13 year old had an iphone. seriously. if you guys are so old and so wise and all, go do something more productive than make a 13 year old "child" feel too young. i honestly dont know any adults who spend thier time reading forums. seriously. be grown up. go do your businessy things. i think forums should be for people ages 13-25 use. no younger, no older.

if kids want to get raped on myspace, let them do so. seriously. worry about your own kids. its not my fault that girls my age want to show off thier boobs on myspace is it? and you know what? i quite like it. seriously, whats wrong with myspace?

 

[lindsayanng]

OK... let me clarify some things for you

I am 26 years old and DO NOT have any kids. I dislike CHILDREN, but i actually really get a long WELL with teenagers. I'm not THAT much older than teenagers. My youngest sister is 20 which is even closer.

I am NOT that out of touch with technology. I have my own myspace account. I KNOW what the website is lke. it is NOT a place for kids, unless they use it appropriately and put their correct age on it.

See, the thing is, the internet is a GREAT place for LOTS of information and a decent way of socializing (althogh not the best way) BUT the issue is when parents physically CAN NOT monitor what is going on in their kid's online life. Giving them a private computer - especially a portable one - is NOT safe for ANY teen

When i was 13 or 14, Chat rooms were HUGE and people were meeting in chat rooms, then IMing, then meeting in real life. That is what myspace is now. I am NOT nieve to what goes on in the world> I KNOW that there is less of a scare for boys, but to meet someone in real life without knowing them is INSANELY stupid to do at that age, and MANY teens do it.

Again, you are misunderstanding me. I am NOT saying teens cant be trusted with expensive items (although i also do believe in making a teen work their butts off for what they want) I am saying that NO teen should have unsupervised internet, and that is what the iphone does for teenagers. I'm not saying monitor EVERYTHING that they do, but i DO think that internet is the MOST dangerous thing out there for kids aside from drugs, and needs to be monitored.

If i had a teen under 16, i would definitely make them give me their myspace info. and look over their shoulder occasionally why they IM and Text.

my cousin has a daughter who is 14 years old. She is in NO WAY old enough to have a myspace in my opinion.. but she does anyway, AND it says that she is 18!!! I found out because she sent me a friend request!! Then, i went to her page and there were pictures of pot leaves, smoking dope jokes, and sex jokes. I'm sorry, but as mature as you migth FEEL, that is NOT appropriate for someone that age. The thing is, my cousin dropped the ball and SHOULD have been paying attention to that kind of content on her own kids personal web page. And SHE should have stopped it. But thats her kids.

Anyways, i'm not trying to group every kid into the same category but i can not POSSIBLY speak for every scenario.

The issue is that a 13 year old especially should NOT have access to the net like that, and if they do WANT it, they should earn it by proving themselves as trustworthy. You seem like a rather intelligent 14 year old, which is a GREAT statement to your parents, but MOST kids out there are NOT that well rounded, and they NEED supervision.

Teenagers are THE most vulnerable people out there when it comes to the internet because of their ability to always think that they are right, and always want to go against their parents. The thing is, it USED to be that rebeling was going down to the swimming hole and skinny dipping. now it is meeting up with strangers that you met on myspace at a bowling alley somewhere.

Listen, i am NOT totally nieve, and not even CLOSE to as clueless as you think i am. I was a rebellious teen not that long ago.. AND i went to school for social work and have volunteered at camps for troubled teens.. but during ALL of my training, the ONE thing that i know is that although teens SHOULD have privacy, it DOES need to be earned and they need to PROVE that they should have that privacy by NOT messing up.

 

[dukebound85]

I don't think you understand what it is like to be a kid now. This isn't the 60's anymore. Things are so different now, that although parents can still relate to many kid's problems, technology has changed so much that there are some things that they cannot relate to. Even ten years ago, cell phones weren't common, and the internet as we know it was still a baby.

And of course kids are vulnerable. But we're not the only ones.



My MySpace account says I am 14, but you are correct about the fact that I wouldn't give my parents my login information. They don't need to know what I talk to my friends about, nor would I ask THEM what they talk to their friends about. I may be 14, but that doesn't mean that I don't need ANY privacy, which seems to be what all of your posts have implied.

Now let me ask you a few questions. Do you monitor everything that your kids do? If so that's just bad parenting on your part. Kids are more likely to do something rebellious if they don't have any freedom. On the other hand, if you, lindsayanng, don't monitor everything your kids do, that just makes you look like a hypocrite for preaching that parents should completely monitor their kid's online behavior, without doing so yourself.



You're close but not spot on. Just because you may be a mother, that makes you think that you are right. But you're not.



If there is one trend I am seeing in your posts, it is that you hate children/teenagers. There is simply no other way to explain your tone towards the situation. Not to mention you seem to be grouping every kid into the same category, refusing to accept the fact that not every kid is the same. By doing so, you are only looking more and more ignorant.

But like I said before, if a parent doesn't monitor their kids when they are young (and need it most), then they certainly won't monitor their kids as they get older.

um ok. you know that you dont have any "rights" really when you are under 18 dont you? parents have every right to keep tabs on you if you like it or not. in fact i support it

children have no right to privacy, exp when its the internet or phone. i say this because you do not pay for phone service or internt do you? you cant sign a contract until 18 so you have no right to privacy

same logic applies when you get old enough and work in the real world where you have no priacy when using comapny resources..

get used to it

OK... let me clarify some things for you

I am 26 years old and DO NOT have any kids. I dislike CHILDREN, but i actually really get a long WELL with teenagers. I'm not THAT much older than teenagers. My youngest sister is 20 which is even closer.

I am NOT that out of touch with technology. I have my own myspace account. I KNOW what the website is lke. it is NOT a place for kids, unless they use it appropriately and put their correct age on it.

See, the thing is, the internet is a GREAT place for LOTS of information and a decent way of socializing (althogh not the best way) BUT the issue is when parents physically CAN NOT monitor what is going on in their kid's online life. Giving them a private computer - especially a portable one - is NOT safe for ANY teen

When i was 13 or 14, Chat rooms were HUGE and people were meeting in chat rooms, then IMing, then meeting in real life. That is what myspace is now. I am NOT nieve to what goes on in the world> I KNOW that there is less of a scare for boys, but to meet someone in real life without knowing them is INSANELY stupid to do at that age, and MANY teens do it.

Again, you are misunderstanding me. I am NOT saying teens cant be trusted with expensive items (although i also do believe in making a teen work their butts off for what they want) I am saying that NO teen should have unsupervised internet, and that is what the iphone does for teenagers. I'm not saying monitor EVERYTHING that they do, but i DO think that internet is the MOST dangerous thing out there for kids aside from drugs, and needs to be monitored.

If i had a teen under 16, i would definitely make them give me their myspace info. and look over their shoulder occasionally why they IM and Text.

my cousin has a daughter who is 14 years old. She is in NO WAY old enough to have a myspace in my opinion.. but she does anyway, AND it says that she is 18!!! I found out because she sent me a friend request!! Then, i went to her page and there were pictures of pot leaves, smoking dope jokes, and sex jokes. I'm sorry, but as mature as you migth FEEL, that is NOT appropriate for someone that age. The thing is, my cousin dropped the ball and SHOULD have been paying attention to that kind of content on her own kids personal web page. And SHE should have stopped it. But thats her kids.

Anyways, i'm not trying to group every kid into the same category but i can not POSSIBLY speak for every scenario.

The issue is that a 13 year old especially should NOT have access to the net like that, and if they do WANT it, they should earn it by proving themselves as trustworthy. You seem like a rather intelligent 14 year old, which is a GREAT statement to your parents, but MOST kids out there are NOT that well rounded, and they NEED supervision.

Teenagers are THE most vulnerable people out there when it comes to the internet because of their ability to always think that they are right, and always want to go against their parents. The thing is, it USED to be that rebeling was going down to the swimming hole and skinny dipping. now it is meeting up with strangers that you met on myspace at a bowling alley somewhere.

Listen, i am NOT totally nieve, and not even CLOSE to as clueless as you think i am. I was a rebellious teen not that long ago.. AND i went to school for social work and have volunteered at camps for troubled teens.. but during ALL of my training, the ONE thing that i know is that although teens SHOULD have privacy, it DOES need to be earned and they need to PROVE that they should have that privacy by NOT messing up.

great post. agree 100%

 

[na1577]

Your last post made some very good points and was very fair, and I agree with most of the points you made.

my cousin has a daughter who is 14 years old. She is in NO WAY old enough to have a myspace in my opinion.. but she does anyway, AND it says that she is 18!!! I found out because she sent me a friend request!! Then, i went to her page and there were pictures of pot leaves, smoking dope jokes, and sex jokes. I'm sorry, but as mature as you migth FEEL, that is NOT appropriate for someone that age. The thing is, my cousin dropped the ball and SHOULD have been paying attention to that kind of content on her own kids personal web page. And SHE should have stopped it. But thats her kids.

My mom would hit me over the head if my profile was like that. My profile is basic, a layout, a few videos, a song, and it's private. Only my friends can see it, and I haven't added anyone that I don't know. You are completely right that your cousin should have taken some control in what her daughter did. I don't do drugs, I don't think they're cool, and I don't associate with people who would ever try to get me to do things like that. And like you said in another part of your post:

I have my own myspace account. I KNOW what the website is lke. it is NOT a place for kids, unless they use it appropriately and put their correct age on it.

And that's what I've done.

I don't agree that parents should be over protective, but they should be at least aware of what their kids should be doing. Do my parents know what I am a member of an Apple message board? No. But I'm not using it in a way that could potentially be dangerous to me, and I know what to do should a threat ever come to me. I've gotten messages and friend requests from people on MySpace, and I reported them. Simple as that.

--

um ok. you know that you dont have any "rights" really when you are under 18 dont you? parents have every right to keep tabs on you if you like it or not. in fact i support it

children have no right to privacy, exp when its the internet or phone. i say this because you do not pay for phone service or internt do you? you cant sign a contract until 18 so you have no right to privacy

same logic applies when you get old enough and work in the real world where you have no priacy when using comapny resources..

Every time I get a phone call, my mom always asks who it is. And I tell her, because there is nothing to hide. I have a laptop, so it is not difficult for my parents to look over and see what I am doing, should they choose to.

And kids do have rights, but they are earned and their parents can take them just as easily as they give them. My parents trust me enough to know I'm not doing anything dangerous. And if I did, and my parents found out, they can take away my computer, my iPod, my phone, whatever they want.

 

[lindsayanng]

Dont you see that we AGREE>. the ONLY thing that we disagree on is that if a KID (or teen) gets an iphone, it is A LOT harder to monitor these things and puts the kid at risk (whether or not they know it)

The internet iny our pocket and COMPLETEL privacy while using it is DANGEROUS because teens can NOT make those kinds of decisions because they are not mature enough - generally speaking.

You are obviously a pretty good kid, but you bet your bottom your parents are watching you on the cpu.. whether you know it or not.. either that, or they were and you showed them they didnt need to anymore by being good.

Either way, the point is that the iphone makes it so a kid can go into the bathroom, sit on the toilet and have a conversation with someone via AIM that the parents cant just "pop in on"

I mean, kids can ALWAYS do this at their friends houses if their friends parents are into watching their kids, but putting it RIGHT INTO THEIR POCKETS makes it a thousand times easier, and i personally do not think that it should be done for kids under 16. A 16 year old is a different story though.. Although they do need supervision, they need more and more freedom too.. just in a safe way - i would still watch their myspace/facebook.. THAT WEBSITE IS BAD FOR TEENAGERS

the thing is, boys on myspace CAN and WILL accept a friend request from what they think is a hot chick, and all of a sudden there is LOADS of inappropriate content, or they are trying to meet in real life.. either way, its BAD NEWS

I'm definitely NOT the out of touch mom that you originally thought i was though

 

[na1577]

I'm definitely NOT the out of touch mom that you originally thought i was though

That is very true.

And remember, the iPhone does have parental controls that can remove Safari, the iTunes Stores, and music that is marked as explicit. That takes the internet right out of their pocket.

 

[PNutts]

Umm... Can we lock this thread? The OP is now 21.

 

[GoCubsGo]

Umm... Can we lock this thread? The OP is now 21.

LOL this thread was headed for wasteland around page 3...donde esta el moderators?

 

[lindsayanng]

in that case.. then give ALL THE 10 YEAR OLDS AN IPHONE.. just take the internet out of their pocket.. i have NO ISSUES with that.

 

[dukebound85]

And kids do have rights, but they are earned and their parents can take them just as easily as they give them. My parents trust me enough to know I'm not doing anything dangerous. And if I did, and my parents found out, they can take away my computer, my iPod, my phone, whatever they want.

when i say rights, i mean legal rights fyi

what you are referring to are privileges. rights cant be taken away, privileges can

 

[Coatsy]

I'm not generally a person who likes to see any thread turn into an argument. But, as a teen myself, I take serious issue with anyone who assumes that children and teens, by default, are untrustworthy and must earn such from parents. Blanket statements such as this are deplorable and betray an ignorance of parental sensibility. Parents know their children, and teens especially better than anyone else on the planet. If they see fit to respect their judgement, when it comes to social networking websites and the like, then no one has the right to tell them otherwise. That you cite examples of teens endangering themselves by socialising with unsavoury characters in irrelevant. This is the vast, vast minority of cases and I am a firm believer that acting in a draconian manner to try and prevent it will do damage to a greater number of children unnecessarily.

 

[dukebound85]

I'm not generally a person who likes to see any thread turn into an argument. But, as a teen myself, I take serious issue with anyone who assumes that children and teens, by default, are untrustworthy and must earn such from parents. Blanket statements such as this are deplorable and betray an ignorance of parental sensibility. Parents know their children, and teens especially better than anyone else on the planet. If they see fit to respect their judgement, when it comes to social networking websites and the like, then no one has the right to tell them otherwise. That you cite examples of teens endangering themselves by socialising with unsavoury characters in irrelevant. This is the vast, vast minority of cases and I am a firm believer that acting in a draconian manner to try and prevent it will do damage to a greater number of children unnecessarily.

yet it is that same statistical data that keeps insurance high for teens and driving is it not? statistics (where blanket sattements come from such as teens are more at risk for accidents) do have a place....

and your arguement is in line with what we are saying though. parents have the right to grant trust and priveledges to their kids. however that trust and such is NOT a right for teens and must be earned from the parents

 

[Apple?]

Thread Fail Ban The Op Lock Thread!!!!!!!!!

 

[nfg315]

this whole thread reminds me of this site
http://www.howmanyfiveyearoldscouldyoutakeinafight.com/

this thread sucks, im 24, which puts me somewhere in the middle i guess...i grew up with cell phones and the internet, started programing in jr high, and keep up with tech news better than most

facts:
kids are cocky and think they know more than adults
adults are cocky and think they know more than kids
both are wrong
people are idiots
everyone loves arguing on the internet
kids dont NEED iphones, but probably want them
adults dont NEED iphones, but probably want them
adults sound like idiots when they type things like "lol" and "omg"

/thread

 

[dukebound85]

this whole thread reminds me of this site
http://www.howmanyfiveyearoldscouldyoutakeinafight.com/

this thread sucks, im 24, which puts me somewhere in the middle i guess...i grew up with cell phones and the internet, started programing in jr high, and keep up with tech news better than most

facts:
kids are cocky and think they know more than adults
adults are cocky and think they know more than kids
both are wrong
people are idiots
everyone loves arguing on the internet
kids dont NEED iphones, but probably want them
adults dont NEED iphones, but probably want them
adults sound like idiots when they type things like "lol" and "omg"

/thread

explain that one for my work please.....

 

[nfg315]

explain that one for my work please.....

...think back to a little over a year ago, i really doubt the entirety of your existence is based on you owning an iphone, you dont NEED it, its just convenient

 

[Coatsy]

yet it is that same statistical data that keeps insurance high for teens and driving is it not?

That same statistical data? That is a completely different issue which deserves a thread by itself. If we are going to talk statistics, as it happens, we may as well cite them

In South Australia:

Young men from 15-24 years have 2.8 deaths per 10,000 persons compared to the males of all ages at a rate of 1.5
Elderly men aged 80 and over have 3.8 deaths per 10,000 persons

Appropriately, are we to attribute this disproportionately high number of deaths to a lack of outside responsibility, rather than lack of competence, or developing competence, in the case of young people?

statistics (where blanket sattements come from such as teens are more at risk for accidents) do have a place....

Except your argument still proves nothing. These statistics are the average of mountains of data collected over a multitude of cases. It is not a blanket statement, it is an informed average. If you don't believe me, look up the definition of a blanket statement.

and your arguement is in line with what we are saying though. parents have the right to grant trust and priveledges to their kids. however that trust and such is NOT a right for teens and must be earned from the parents

Except we differ vastly in attitude towards the children's facility for developing the respect. In my view, the parents, having known the child for longer than any other human being, will have developed a knowledge of the child's maturity and right to privacy (note I said right, not privilege, as I believe once granted it must not be easily revoked. Teens, as it happens, enjoy many if not all the rights you adults enjoy, not least privacy. I do not believe that 18 is the ethical age at which parents may no longer revoke rights, even if it may be the legal one) The point is, if parents don't trust their children by default, or have an idea of whether they can be trusted, by the age at which the internet becomes relevant to them, then it is a failing of the parent, not the teen.

 

[na1577]

when i say rights, i mean legal rights fyi

what you are referring to are privileges. rights cant be taken away, privileges can

I know I was talking about privileges in my last post, and I was talking about them in my original post too.

Why you brought up legal rights is beyond me.