| Depends on your goals. If your goal is for your kids to not have access to smartphone apps, dangers and distractions, I fear it'll fail spectacularly. If your goal is to build self reliance and problem solving skills, you may succeed in unintended ways. I was born in 1979. I touched my first computer probably at age 6. I programmed in GWbasic when I was 10 or so, started turbo Pascal and oracle db lessons when I was 11. War started when I was 12, my dad got wounded when walking to work, and I was basically a fully fledged prepubescent adult partially responsible for family survival. And I am not special. (This is lateral to the meticulous way I built a flame thrower at 12 as well:) Point is, 12 and 13 year olds are smart and resourceful and have a lot of time and motivation to outwit you. We somehow forget our 12 year old selves when we become adults. I reread enders game when I need to remind myself (my initial reaction to the book was "what a horribly unrealistic way to portray kids, they think like adults", followed by the realization I did think like that as a kid! We just start telling ourselves weird tales of superiority as we get old). You are not repeat not going to successfully keep your kids from this stuff until they're 14. My 12 year old niece who is like the most innocent person I know taught me more about dark Web than I knew. You don't raise your child in isolation. They'll learn from you but also hundred other kids. You can hope to be involved and maybe, maybe guide. I fear that by not giving them access yourself in a guided fashion, all you'll be doing is ensuring they have it in unguided fashion. (Fwiw I have a 2 and 4 year old and struggle with exact same questions coming up) |
That is hilarious.
I agree with you. I feel about as clever now as I was at 13. Might have been even more so then, just with more facts and experience to make up for it now.
My dad (an IT guy) tried but couldn't keep me from accessing the internet while he was at work. I spent entire summers indoors. Which was terrible for my social life, but I was a damn good video gamer and eventually video game hacker. He had to disconnect and take the modem with him, which he did for two weeks once as punishment for viewing porn. So I called up my friend and went to play video games in his basement. It was a lot of fun actually. I learned about the value of socialization and we're still best friends to this day.