Only if you want a child tethered to a screen from that point forward. I was that child, I’m in tech, I’m not sure I’d want that for my kid. Shared computer and a course would be much better imho.
A dedicated laptop signals “go do whatever you want with it anytime you want” also, where a shared one signals “we own this and we tell you when to use it”
I was first given a laptop at 5. But I could not give that advice to anyone in 2022.
The world and the Internet is a different place now. Pedophiles and predators run rampant. It's just not possible to keep a child safe without being a total buzzkill.
And there are surely going to be people who believe being a buzzkill is necessary or even your responsibility as a parent to curb the content your child is allowed to see. I have no objections to that way of parenting. But my opinion does not change:
I can not recommend giving a child access to the internet from a young age. It worked back then. It does not work today. Especially since apps like TikTok completely ruin young minds, imho.
That makes sense if you take a hand-off approach to parenting, but if you spend any time trying to raise your kids, it's the wrong choice. A computing device they can easily program (so not an iAppliance or game console) is a powerful tool for developing their minds. Many children that age, if taught like an adult how sugar can harm them, will limit their intake of sugar. Giving them an assortment of other foods that are healthy makes it even easier for them to make the right choice. It's the same for TikTok.
If they are unable to understand, you have identified a problem you need to work on. If they understand but do not have self control, block it at DNS and work on self-discipline. By the time they can circumvent your controls, they will likely be ready to make good decisions.
> A computing device they can easily program (so not an iAppliance or game console) is a powerful tool for developing their minds.
No argument here. I grew up programming from about the age of 8. I actually didn't program my computer directly -- I learned Roblox scripting first (Lua).
> Many children that age, if taught like an adult how sugar can harm them, will limit their intake of sugar. Giving them an assortment of other foods that are healthy makes it even easier for them to make the right choice. It's the same for TikTok.
TikTok was an example, for what it's worth. There are vast amounts of unhealthy time sinks that exist in the world, and they make money off of it. They have no reason to be respectful to children, and most of them aren't.
I don't know much about children, as I've never been a parent myself; all I know is that most of what exists today did not exist when I was a child, and most of what I used back when I was developing also does not exist anymore. That means I'm heavily biased, and I have no idea how you would keep a child in today's world off of those time sinks, because they were not a problem while I was growing up.
IOW the reason I can't recommend this is because I don't think it would have worked for me. It certainly doesn't work for everyone. And whether it's the "wrong choice" or not, it's a risk and one I would recommend against taking.
> By the time they can circumvent your controls, they will likely be ready to make good decisions.
I would say this is true in the majority of cases, yeah. Although, creating a game of bypass-the-security-stuffs would make a good incentive for a child to learn technology...
A dedicated laptop signals “go do whatever you want with it anytime you want” also, where a shared one signals “we own this and we tell you when to use it”