Do Kids Need Electronic Gadgets?

Nothing is inherently evil or bad. Everything should be balanced.

I don’t think its practical in a computer age to expect kids to entertain themselves by reading. Some do, and that’s great, but most don’t. I think kids should be allowed to have them on certain conditions. Like if they finish all homework by x then from x-x they can play with it, and if it needs to be taken away for whatever reason then it will be.

An argument that was not brought up here is cost, and these things usually run up a tab.

*kapusta*

The problem with all these gadgets is that people misuse them and don’t limit their use. My husband uses his Blackberry strictly for work. I text only when neccessary and try not to make a habit from it. Please tell me what the gain is from using the electronic devices. Obesity is rampant in this country because, Adults and children are on these gadgets constantly, not getting proper exercise. Families are suffering from bonding, each one. They don’t do things together anymore, like talking about things. Conversations are interpetted or even neglected. They are so involved in themselves. Can your kids really pay attention to what you’re saying when they are on these things. The kids are so oblivious to the whole world. It is dividing families up. No, I can’t think about one benefit of electronic devices.

I think these electric gadgets are a terrible distraction to learning. It also creates a feeling of “needing” among the kids. It begins with small things and escalates….

NEED electronic gagets? Well, maybe not a NEED but in moderation I think it is very nice to have –

needs vs wants

what a struggle to define –

Queen, don’t feel uncomfortable, try to feel empowered. You are the parent, you decide if and when it is ok to allow your daughter to play with it.

its way too addictive, even when they r not using it thats what theyre thinking about

mi keamcha yisroel – I won’t. Thanks for the advice.

To answer the question posed at the beginning of this thread — do kids need electronic devices? — I think we can all agree the answer is no, kids don’t *need* them.

Of course, that doesn’t answer the question of whether or not it is a good or bad thing for them to have — but that wasn’t what the OP asked.

The Wolf

I dont think kids should have any electronic gadgets. It’s totally a waste of time. What do u think they did in the “olden” days before xbox and gameboys and nintendo

I dont think kids should have any books. It’s totally a waste of time. What do u think they did in the “olden” days before the invention of the printing press…

The Wolf

Everything must be in moderation, I was a MAJOR book reader- my parents used to tell me I had to finish my homework before I could read any books. And mi keamcha yisroel, I wouldnt say that books are always educational- not quite. Maybe vocabulary wise- but a good book can make you think about it for a while. When I was into the Harry Potter’s – thats all I could think about for a day or two after I read them.

I think electronics are fine, good sometimes even but it must be in moderation.

luv2hack,

I said something painful to you in another thread, and then upon remorseful reflection, wrote this:

Yeshiva Delay – Children Sitting Bored For Week At Home

Can you please be Mochel me?

Totally forgotten, Bemused…

Dont worry about it 🙂

I was outta line too.

If you let your kids use them and moderate their use they won’t feel like they have a “void” in their life, that they are missing out on something. Once they have this feeling of a “void” you never know what they will do when they are by a friends house.

I heard of a story of two parents who never let their kids have soda. What do you think they did by parties and kiddushim when their parents weren’t there? They drank soda as if there was no tomorrow. Is that better than restricting soda to only Shabbos?

Let your kids get these gadgets but make them earn its use and keep on top of them. I could think of much worse things that kids could be doing if they are bored and don’t have these gadgets.

Great Idea!

SJS, books are not all educational, but generally reading as an activity is perceived to be more intellectually engaging than playing with electronic gadgets or watching television/ movies.

Reading can be a solitary & even isolating activity. My kids do read a lot, but besides reading to my younger kids (& my older ones if they’ll let) I also talk to them about what they’ve read.

I agree with Dr. Pepper that depriving children of something can make them desire it more. When I was growing up, my parents had a television, but my siblings & I didn’t spend much time watching it (probably because my parents didn’t spend much time watching either). Most of my high school classmates did not have televisions at home. Many of them still watched more television than I did–at the homes of friends, grandparents, and babysitting clients–and spent much more time talking/ thinking about it.

edited to add:

That said, I don’t have a television at home now. My children do play computer games but I try to limit this somewhat. Most of them are very active, & none are at risk for obesity.

You know, a lot of the kids books out there are educational, and some of them, even if you don’t realize it, you end up picking up facts about history, nature, and all other stuff. And I’m not talking about Harry Potter or other stuff like that. I’m talking more about the younger kids stuff.

But yes, it is true that if you “deprive” a child from something they will gravitate to it. I remember chalishing to go to my grandparents to watch a “video”, or sneaking the soda from the fridge during the week. But that’s how children are. Curiosity is just a part of them. How many of you had teachers who said “okay we’re skipping the next perek in chumash/navi and someone went home and looked in artscroll or the little medrash says and came to school the next day and told everyone what the perek was all about? That’s just how kids are.

But its not a klal gadol. Neither myself or my sibling every had a gameboy, or anything like that, and I do not remember ever wanting one. I don’t think I even tried playing gameboy – maybe once, but that’s it. And I remember thinking that the kids who were addicted were pathetic. I mean, there’s a reason why certain camps banned gameboys — the kids were spending their activities sitting on the grass next to the courts playing gameboy instead of sports.

Doc, yes there are a lot of worse things than these gadgets that kids can be doing when they’re bored, but if your kids dont know about them, they wont want to do them. Do you think that the kids in Meah Shearim are bored out of their minds? No, they find lots of good things to do with their time.

And as for the computer thing – my parents approved all of the computer games that we played, and when they saw something wrong with a game, they took it away. They also gave us a reasonable time limit, and after we were finished with our homework, if we asked permission, then we could play more.

Maybe it’s because I didn’t grow up with all these new electronic “zachen”, but I don’t feel I had a “deprived childhood” cuz i didnt have a tv, or gameboy, or xbox, or whatever else there is. And quite frankly, I don’t think my younger sisters feel left out either.

squeak-

In some neighborhoods it’s Crack-Man & Bong 🙂

P.S. here’s a post in your style:

Do Kids Need Electronic Gadgets?

YES!

-A GPS, so they don’t “get lost” on the way to school, shul, the grocery, …

-A volume control w/ mute button

-Noise-cancelling mouthpiece (for when they must talk but you don’t want to hear them).

-A timer, which upon expiration causes an involuntary reflex stopping play and returning child to studying.

-A tracking device (makes hooky obsolete).

-A guilt-giver (for fathers only, mothers have one built in).

As an aside, there were video games well before we even had computers. I did not have any exposure to those (such as tennis for two, or odyssey). But when Pong and Pac Man came out there was a huge excitement because those games could be played with a home television set and a controller (that contained the game software). Everyone was excited about it, and certainly no one was buying it with their kids in mind! Stuff was expensive!

A melamed once told my father that he can tell exactly which of his talmidim spent their free time on electronic gadgets, or watching (Jewish) videos. They were much more spaced out and had much less patience/cheshek for their learning.

SJS & Ames, this discussion reminds me of a book I read,_Everything Bad is Good for You_, by Steven Johnson. His premise is that many aspects of popular culture, including video/ computer games, are more intellectually challenging than many people think. I agree that games do develop fine motor skills & problem-solving abilities. However, books (even less-intellectual ones) develop reading & thinking skills in ways that most computer games can’t.

And 90% of JEWISH books are educational

Where’d you get THAT from??