Debating: a child's computer should be kept in the his/her room.

One: They can use this to spy on you and even see what you’re typing. My parents absolutely adore it and I want to slit some throats over it. That means it works.

Two: It’s more convenient for the parents if you have your own computer in that you don’t have to use theirs when they need to be doing taxes and such.

Three: Can’t think of 3. Collective, help me out.

I think as long as the parents are able to supervise what their child is doing with their computer, it would be OK. There are blocks available so parents can control what types of websites their child can “visit”. A computer can be a great resource, but can also be a dangerous “toy” if kids are not supervised. Parents need to stay on top of what their child is doing.

1. It’s great for the child to have easy access to a computer for homework, etc.
2. It can be a bad thing if they are left totally unsupervised
3. It can free up the parents’ computer

Shouldn’t you be coming up with this on your own if this is homework?

Supervision is the key. I agree with ABJustPlainBarb. My son has a computer in a spare room that he uses and I let him know that I will check anytime. He is required to give me his passwords and I check the websites he has been to.

1. you can ask fluther all your homework questions saving valuable time for games.
2.games, even though this may affect your grades/report card.
3. using photoshop to change that D-to a B+ on said grades.

Hang on a minute. We’re not your personal homework servants here.

I for one am not going to give you any arguments. Not just because you’ll never be any good at debating if you can’t figure out your own position, but also because I have better things to do. Like answering the questions of those who don’t try to bribe us with upvotes to put effort into that which you can’t be bothered to put effort into yourself.

At least try to figure it out yourself first.

I’ll be sure to keep my thoughts on this subject to myself until after your due date. Unless you post some ideas of your own first, and show some willingness to participate in this thread.

Uh…I would’ve said I would’ve answered if you didn’t just basically say that you want the community to do the homework for you.
Then again, who am I to judge? Maybe you can’t think of some. I’ll give you as much as I can.
1. For one, letting a child keep a computer in his room is a sign of trust, and the child will greatly appreciate this. My parents don’t trust me with my computer (rightfully so) but I don’t mind, the watchful eyes keep my homework done.
2. Letting a child have a computer in his room signifies the start of independence…that I think is kind of important.

I don’t have a 3rd reason though…my apologies.

@Fyrius Yes…you have a point, but we don’t know all about this guy, maybe he really can’t think of anything, or he’s strongly against computers being kept in children’s rooms…I really don’t know, but I’ll give this jelly the benefit of the doubt.

No computer in their room till they are old enough to buy one themselves. Birthday and holiday money does not count.
If they do have a computer in their room. No un-supervised internet access until they can afford that.
It is about responsibility. Something the internet does not have.

It is a shame that the educational system has dropped the ball. If schools had an INTRANET for the kids to access this would not be an issue.

The average age a child see’s hard core porn on the internet is 10.

@belakyre
I suppose you’re right. The benefit of the doubt. Maybe I’m being a bit harsh.

Then again, looking at @07020996‘s profile, I see one more homework question asked and zero answers given. Not even a “thanks for your 39 very helpful responses, guys” reply on the other question.
That doesn’t look like a well-meaning new jelly who’s here to participate in a community where everyone helps everyone. It looks more like someone who’s using us as an easy way to cheat with his homework.

Am I wrong, @07020996?

@ChazMaz Teachers will often assign something to do at home that requires a computer and that you can’t really do at school. For one, I almost always have 2 or more homework assignments each week that require a good amount of time on a computer with internet access, sometimes up to 3 hours. That’s a long time without your computer.

And what about charging your kids for internet access? Do you run an airport or hotel or something?

You also say that there is no responsibility on the internet. (It is about responsibility. Something the internet does not have.) Well, I’ve got a quote just for that quote.

There is also responsibility lying in running the computer itself. You have to continually maintain it if you want it to at least run as fast as it does when it is new. viruses and other fun stuff show just how vulnerable the computer is and how it needs to be protected.

I got a $1200 Dell for Christmas in 2004. It’s a piece of $#!t now, but it’s my piece of $#!t and I’m proud of it.

And by the way, my school does have internet access, even though plenty of academically good sites are blocked by the filtering system.

“Teachers will often assign something to do at home”
They always have. We just use to go to the library.

“time on a computer with internet access, sometimes up to 3 hours.”
The need for an INTRANET. Just like going to the library but without all the other crap.

“Do you run an airport or hotel or something?”
It is an exercise in self control and responsibility. Why not let your 10 year old drive the car. Would you do it if it was legal?
The parents of today giving their children what they did not have.

“The pen is mightier then the sword”
The soul is willing but the flesh is weak.

“There is also responsibility lying in running the computer itself. ”
Maintenance has nothing to do with what I said. I basically said NO unsupervised internet access.

“even though plenty of academically good sites are blocked by the filtering system.”
That would not be a problem if the school has an INTRANET.

The internet, and I have been using it before most had access to it, is a place with no walls and no rules. As much as you want to convince yourself otherwise.
Actually, when we were using it to communicate from institution to institution it was just business with a few rudimentary games between two people.

If you you left your kids locked in a liquor store that had a shelf with candy and said we will be back tomorrow. Do you think that all they will do is eat the candy?
Even if you say not to touch the drink? No. They will touch, and they will look, they will read and plenty will drink.
They will just fill with water and put the cap on real tight. And as long as you play stupid they will do it again and again.

The sad part is the internet is not for kids. You just want it to be.
What is sadder, we can do something VERY easy to fix that. No one does.

Everyone is so hung up on embracing the technology.

Right on ChazMaz…GAs/lurve to you…

I think we both work in the same field…for me, I’m in education as well as Professional Media, so your points really resonate!!

@07020996 perhaps you should learn to do your own homework with greater diligence and independence, so that you might impress upon your parents that your strong research skills and work ethic justify the expense and investment of a personal computer for your room.

No computer in the room. A computer used by a child or an adolescent should be located in a common area, like a kitchen or dining room. The rule for parents is don’t ever let your child put a door between you and the computer. A child should NOT have a laptop of any kind.

Other rules: the child should always have a restricted account and not know the administrator password (for Windows. I don’t know what the equivalent is on a Mac). Filtering software is mostly a waste of money, as it’s easily bypassed and can’t keep up with the proliferation of unsuitable websites.

Our daughter had her computer in her room (she is 13). The rule was that the door had to be open. Well, the door closed because her room was air conditioned and she didn’t want to lose the cool. Even so, if it was open, any time we went in, she’d cover over what she was doing (facebooking with all her friends).

We never saw her anymore. Then the computer broke, and I couldn’t fix it. I think the power supply died. It’s not worth fixing it, I think. So she moved back to the family computer, and now we see her again. She’s getting a netbook for Christmas, but she will not be allowed to hide in her room with it. You can be sure she will come up with some excuse as to why she needs to be in her room.

It’s not that we want to oversee her activity online. For better or for worse, we trust her. I’m the one who needs to be watched. It’s just that we don’t want her disappearing in her room, so we never see her. I, too, am getting a new computer, so pretty much three of us will be able to hang out together, computing.

i had access to the internet from about the first day it came out. i used to go on it and do as i pleased. nothing bad ever happened to me. i have no problem with the idea of kids using the internet any more than i have a problem with the idea of them going to the park.

haha…you guys are so unbelievable. I had a computer in my room since I was 11, had access to the internet since I was 13, and had a laptop since I was 14. And it was rarely supervised other than that every now and then my parents would ask me what I was doing online (such as Q&A sites and all that). My parents have none of my passwords. It just goes to show that my parents trust me more than other parents trust their kids. And why shouldn’t they? What have I done that should cause them to lose their trust? And of course I didn’t buy my own computer because my parents never gave me any money except to buy food with my friends. They bought everything else for me.

I think some people are driven insane by the fact that I was 14 and on Q&A sites and speaking to people more than twice my age. I actually greatly enjoyed it and think I benefitted greatly in life from being on sites like this from a young age.

Keep in mind I’m not talking about a young child. The internet wasn’t the same when I was 11 and under. Technology advanced rapidly since then.

Well your childish behavior for one.

@ChazMaz

Are you talking to me?

;-)

You sound like an 18 year old.
I already made my argument.

Not meant to be disrespectful. Somethings are learned in time.

If all you can do is call me “childish” because you disagree with me, then your argument is severely weak. Face it, you don’t want there to be an example of a child who turned out fine and had a computer in their room, because you don’t want that to work. You’re threatened by it. I on the other hand completely respect a person’s decision to not allow a computer in a child’s room, but I completely disagree with the notion that it never works, because it can work with the right child, the right parents, and the right arrangement.

@ChazMaz

Then how come my parents didn’t learn it? They’re 51. How come my parents allowed me to have a computer? How come they felt that was the right choice?

And yes, it is disrespectful, because you would’ve respected my opinion more if I had lied and said I was 28 or something. It’s ageist crap and you are known for it.

Sorry to say and in a world so big.

Sounds like your problem. Not mine. Nobody is perfect.

I just hope it does not become my problem one day. :-)

@DominicX @ChazMaz

Im now 28 and i had basically the same upbringing as dominicX. One computer in my room since i was 12 basically, one in the livingroom and one laptop since i was 15. Parents never had either passwords or monitoring software or whatnot, and just like dominic the only interaction they ever had with me on the subject was genuine interest in what i was doing in the form of encouraging questions.

I dearly value the trust my parents bestowed in me and i genuinely think i am a better, more experienced, more understanding and more intelligent person because of it. I think you parents who think blocking Internet access or setting up spy software on your kids computers need to rethink what trust, freedom from control and individuality means to you and what message you are sending to your kids. The Internet is here whether you like it or not, and the only thing you can accomplish by trying to shield your kids from it is thwarting their growth as human beings.

I say get them a computer in the livingroom so you can see them on a daily basis while they play or do homework or whatnot, and another computer in their room so they can explore and learn without being spied upon.

Ah, for the good old days. This is not your father’s Internet – not like it was in 1998 or 2005 for that matter. Things have gotten a LOT worse out there. I’m not just talking about cyberstalking, cyberbullying, and perverts trying to hit on 12-year-olds. That’s been on the rise, too, but the real danger is malicious software. Your computer can get hit just by fat-fingering a URL.

Think of it as a neighborhood. When you were a kid, there were some things to look out for, but mostly it was safe to go outside. Now there are street gangs and packs of rabid dogs roaming the streets. You don’t want your kid going outside without an escort.

I think, in the case of a young child, the computer should not be kept in their room. At least, if it has an internet connection. I feel children should have some freedom to explore and expand their horizons, but the internet can be a pretty dark and dangerous place. Some things can’t be unseen, some things can’t be unlearned, and sometimes children make bad decisions when it comes to the internet.

This is not about trust, it is about responsibility. Not necessarily on your part but the adults.
You have to understand something. Been there done that. I know what you are thinking.

I hate using the booze analogy. But it works best.
You keep tapping into the liquor cabinet. Eventually you get found out.
So now it is ok to drink? Since you were already. And now you have to be trusted?
No it gets locked up, you get warned.
When you become capable to pick yourself up when you fall down. Well, I hope you learned how to use that skill best. IT is best to pick and choose your fights.
As we all do.
Some people become drunks, some do not. But because some do not. alcohol should be available to everyone at any age and for any reason?
This is not a discussion about keeping you from something you have had and want. But it really is that is it not. You want it. I visualize a child kicking and screaming on the floor. Wanting that cookie so badly.
This is not about, what you did and “nothing happened.” I guess that makes it ok? You need to start seeing the bigger picture. As you start becoming an adult are have become one you need to see how it can effect others.
Do you honestly think it is ok for a 10 year old or younger or any child for that matter to be looking at people sucking on horses dicks or Suzie sweetheart being gang banged. As does anything and everything else that the world has to offer. Good and bad.
Because that also comes with free and “trusted” access to the internet.

It is about balance and individuals wisdom that should be used properly to guide our youth.

Now, there is a curve ball. The internet is just now showing its ugly head.
Some of us had that “wisdom” to see where it was going. Some were still too caught up in the real world to give that new fanged internet much thought.
“Sure honey go ahead”, after all the computer is just a video game.

It comes down to this. I said it before. It is VERY fixable. But it seems no one wants to take that direction.

So what if they make bad decisions. I much prefer my hypothetical kids make bad decisions on the Internet versus the real world where they will get killed. Bad decisions are a part of growing up. How would you ever know a good decision from a bad one if you were never permitted to make bad ones. I also disagree with the position that the Internet today is much worse than it was in 1999 or 2005 although I think the 10–15 year olds today are much more hardened than i was, and hell i was splitting people with a chainsaw playing Doom when i was 12. I am perfectly normal human being in spite of all the moral panic storms that game brought down in the 90’ies. I think you are basically reenacting that moral panic but in a 21’st century version.

I think the problem is with your attitude towards your children, and not in your children. They will swear and curse and watch porn and shoot fireworks and do stupid stuff no matter how much you try to coerce them not to. The best thing you can do is have a sensible discussion with them and factually warn them of the dangers, and then leave it up to them to handle it properly. In my opinion that’s how you foster mature and responsible human beings.

I dont think we’ll ever have the same opinion on this matter, so ill just state that i disagree completely with what you are saying.

“I much prefer my hypothetical kids make bad decisions on the Internet versus the real world ”

It is the real world.

Give them a pack of smokes a 6 pack of beer and a hooker while you are at it.
Sounds like the party is at your house.

“How would you ever know a good decision from a bad one if you were never permitted to make bad ones.”
We all end up in that situation no matter what. We do not need help. But it is nice to have guidence when available. There is a time for everything.

“They will swear and curse and watch porn and shoot fireworks and do stupid stuff no matter how much you try to coerce them not to.”
Not getting along with your neighbours?

“The best thing you can do is have a sensible discussion with them and factually warn them of the dangers, ”
I agree. It is a good start.

“dont think we’ll ever have the same opinion on this matter, so ill just state that i disagree completely with what you are saying.”
I respect that. :-)

Edit: removed because ChazMaz edited his answer so mine didn’t make sense.

Yes you should as long as it has learn then play on it so the parents can watch what their child is doing from anywhere.

uh…................ isn’t this yyyooouuurrrr beeswax?????? I’m not doin the homework for yyyyyyyyyyyyyyyoooooooooooooooooouuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuu!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!! what ever!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!! and, don’t ask HOMEWORK on THIS site!!!!!!!!!!!!!

Nice to meet you, everyone. I’m Ah-ro Oh, and I believe that a child’s computer should be kept in the family room. A child might watch sexual and violent videos. Well, if you forbid them, the child will want to see them more. You know that. Children are curious and rebellious when they are forbidden to do things.