Would it be the right thing to Give My 12 year old his own computer with internet?

Question

well he could delte his history,, but i was gunna give him 1 in his room so tell me what you think . he is not a bad kid and i think i trust him

would you give ur kid a pc at 12?

Answer 1

I would put a computer in the family room or somewhere he is not alone with it too much.  Monitor the sites he visits, etc.  Talk to him about the crazy people out there and how he has to be careful.  Also talk to him about cyberbullying.  I see kids all the time on computers without adult supervision and the things the see is astonishing.  I work in a library and I kids are always looking at pictures of half naked woman on myspace.  There parents are nowhere around.

Answer 2

I'm not sure if I would or not.

Good kids look at p**n sites too!  They're just curious and hormones are raging.  I'd be afraid of him seeing things that he didn't mean to.  There are some seriously sick websites.

If you decide to give him a computer anyway, I agree with the first poster.  Put a monitoring program and make sure he knows it's there.  Then he might not be so tempted.

Answer 3

I would not. They can use the family computer and still be just fine. That's how kids talking to people online and meeting up with them gets started. If they have all that privacy in their own room, you're mostly asking for trouble.

Not to mention, they're at the curious age where they are looking up p**n and getting viruses on their computer. And what better way to do so if you have your own computer in the privacy of your own bedroom!

Answer 4

i would say that is your choice as his parent. if you are going to do it you need to be prepared for open conversations and the knowledge that that is not is private computer. i would install software that links to the family computer so you can actually check to see where he going what he is doing and who he is talking to. there are alot of creeps out there that look forward to the day when we give our 12 yr olds their own comp with internet access bc they are betting that those kids wont be monitered and the majority of the time they are right. so if you are going to do it thats ok but take the proper precautions. in keeping your son safe. im sure he is a good kid but good kids still make unsafe choices sometimes. so get the software so you know what hes doing and talk to him about what hes doing. i hope this helps in your decision!

Answer 5

Our 11-year-old has his own computer, and has since he was about 2.  Our 7- and 9-year old girls have their own computer.  Our 4-year-old has his own computer, but it's in plain sight from our desks.

They all have Internet access, but we also have locked down most of their access, and can turn off all Internet access for them in three mouse clicks from my computer.

If you have a router to share Internet access among several computers, the router can log all of the activity in a way he can't delete without the router's admin password.

If his computer has Vista, you can give him a limited account and turn on parental controls, which can log all Internet activity in a way he can't delete without the admin password.

Answer 6

I think you should......his at the age when he will start needing it for school and social stuff.

do some research on whether you can put a password on the history so that he cant delete it, or just put some parental control on it

Hope this Helps!!

Answer 7

Sorry moms who've answered already.....the kid is gonna see a stray boob, or hear a curse word no matter how much you try to be their overlord.

He's a maturing boy, let him have some time alone behind locked doors and he'll probably even teach himself about s*x.

I'm just saying, he's gonna do it anyways at his buddy's house if you don't have it there for him.

-spruce

Answer 8

I wouldn't do it. It's one thing for a boy his age to sneak a dirty magazine, but a completely different thing to grant him access to an entire world's worth of virtual p**n.

I would only let him use the family computer.

Answer 9

I would be really cautious about this.  Do you have time to monitor his activity on-line?  I know you said you trust him but hes 12 and the pull of whats on-line could be overwhelming to him.  

I trust myself too but I do not always do the right thing in life.  At his age you want him to learn that the opposite s*x is more then just something to lust after and if he is exposed to p**n on-line he will have a hard time learning that.

I work with middle-schoolers as a counselor and I see a lot of kids screwed up in their heads because of this very thing {girls and guys}.

The Internet is a great source of information and fun but it also has a seedy side that your boy needs to be protected from.

The analogy I use is this, when he was a toddler you put those plastic caps over the outlets and locked up the chemicals to protect him from hurting himself.

Well now he needs to be protected from the effects that being exposed to ponography can have on him.  His maturity level mentally is not ready to handle all that - even though his body may seem on fire.

- I hope this helps

Answer 10

That would be good, but put the computer in a room where you and your hsband walk through frequently....family room and put on parental locks. If you have AOL set up a young teen account which only allows them to go on certain sites(no myspace, facebook..ect) and go only into young teen chat rooms...not chatrooms with 70 yr old men and are highly monitered by mods at all times....but it is a good idea, especally if he is starting middle school....they have LOTS of reports.

Answer 11

Just make sure he knows not to put personal information on the Internet and he will be fine.

Answer 12

Yes, but I would probably set something up to monitor the sites he visited...

Answer 13

NOPE, we have one computer. I have two kids and 11 and 9. There is no need for them to have their own. All they do is play video game and watch music videos on the computer anyways. And I don't let them on the computer for more than an hour a day. I think giving your son a computer of his own will keep him in his room and he won't socialize with the rest of the family. Besides the Internet could be such a dangerous place for kids. They should always be supervised while on-line. GOOD LUCK!!!!

Answer 14

I would let him have his own computer but only in a common area of the house. My reasoning is I trust my kids but I don't trust anyone else. So it's not about trusting your kid at all.

It's funny most people my age couldn't even have a phone or tv in there room at 12. Now kids have there own apartment by the time they are 8.

Answer 15

I would not give my child their own computer. Why does he truly need one? Why does anyone truly need one?!?!!! *Jump kicks screen, walks away*