I have an 11 and 9 year old. They don't have phones. They do have devices, mostly for Minecraft. They are restricted with parental controls and time limits. They do not have unrestrained internet access and YouTube is completely blocked.
As a parent I find myself frustrated at the filtering options and conflicted by my close-fistedness. They moan every day that they are the only one in their class that doesn't have a phone, can't be on TikTok, can't watch Squid Games, etc.
Parents are just throwing the entirety of the internet at their children and I'm left trying to explain to two kids why I don't think it's a good idea.
Am I wrong? Am I just creating an environment of anxiety?
God, being a kid in 2020 is different than it was in the 80s/90s
> Am I wrong? Am I just creating an environment of anxiety?
No. Parenting and schools have gone completely to hell. You're not wrong, everyone else is. I still can't believe schools started letting kids carry their cell phones with them to class all day. As early as elementary school. WTF.
For my part, I figure my kids can have an unrestricted cell phone (and so, unrestricted Internet) as soon as they can pay for the device and plan on their own. If they can hold down a job to cover the bill, they can probably handle it. Fuck giving 8-year-olds personal smartphones. Or even 12-year-olds. That's insane.
I completely agree but it seems like the rest of the world including my kids school makes this work hard. You are smart to keep the Youtube pandoras box from opening.
As a parent I find myself frustrated at the filtering options and conflicted by my close-fistedness. They moan every day that they are the only one in their class that doesn't have a phone, can't be on TikTok, can't watch Squid Games, etc.
Parents are just throwing the entirety of the internet at their children and I'm left trying to explain to two kids why I don't think it's a good idea.
Am I wrong? Am I just creating an environment of anxiety?
God, being a kid in 2020 is different than it was in the 80s/90s