I was more concerned that we were at a large mall and she didn't have any adults with her, and though Seattle is generally a good place, i still think that some degree of adult supervision is good.
Hating this is just hating human progress. As technology becomes cheaper and more advanced, it becomes more accessible and the benefits is shared by more people.
Televisions are expensive too. There's been a lot of comments about how it makes people dumb but it's been proven that children remember what they learnt from shows like Sesame Street.
If you can't give a valid reason why children shouldn't use a smart phone then you're just blindly parroting what others are saying.
Kids shouldn't use smartphones because, A: this can have a negative impact of focus, B: overuse of devices can lead to posture problems, and C: it facilitates extreme inactivity and disinterest in anything outside of their screen.
My nephew is 5 and he has an iPhone 6, of course its used to track his blood glucose since he had diabetes. It sends a message to my sister so she can monitor him while he's at school. They're really not that expensive in the grand scheme of life. If you go to any major city (i.e. Seattle), the cost of living is so high they're a drop in the overall bucket. I lived in Iowa and my rent was $500 a month, in Seattle my apartment would be $4,500 a month if not more. So an iPhone 6 would be less than 1/9th of rent in Seattle.
@bwaters
A. Do you have any prove?
B. Overuse of anything is bad. Are you trying to say moderate use is good?
C. Any prove? The same can be said for anything: computer, radio, books, cards
I read that somewhere. I don't care enough to prove it. If you're that interested, look it up yourself. And as anyone whose ever used one would know, devices are extremely addicting. I can't think of any possible good reason for a kid to be using a phone, tablet, etc.... Basically, there are no pros and a bunch of cons.
Pros: ability to adopt new technology faster, learning new things with apps (ebooks, audiobooks, blogs et), practice skills such as maths (lots of education apps), improved communication with classmates, parents etc, tools to improve productivity (todos, notes etc). express creativity (camera, music apps, drawing apps). Those are just the obvious ones. You're too biased.
So what's the conclusion when we tally all the points we've discussed so far?
My conclusion is that they still get handled way too inappropriately. I'd say that gradual introduction to useful functions could begin at age 7 or 8. Pretty much everything you just mentioned can be done non electronically, without creating an over reliance on these devices. Sure people could use them responsibly, but they don't. They're just pacifiers that screw up the kids in the long run.
Please don't hate the whole generation. If the twelve year old was alone, it is possible that she was texting her parents. Seattle gets pretty cold, perhaps she needed a drink to warm up. Or vice versa.
Maybe the parent bought a 7 and gave their old phone to her? There is no reason for a kid, or anyone for that matter, to be ridiculed for having new technology just because theyre young.
If you can't give a valid reason why children shouldn't use a smart phone then you're just blindly parroting what others are saying.
A. Do you have any prove?
B. Overuse of anything is bad. Are you trying to say moderate use is good?
C. Any prove? The same can be said for anything: computer, radio, books, cards
So what's the conclusion when we tally all the points we've discussed so far?