From what age did your grandchildren start to use gadgets?

I started programming in Algol in 1964 and worked through many generations of computers since but I don't have a smartphone. My DGC have had them since starting secondary school. I might ask their advice.

"At what age do you think a granny should acquire a smart phone? I haven't got one yet." Neither have I Varian. Though when I was in hospital recently husband lent me his, and I managed to call home a few times.
I agree it's too late to put the genie back in the lamp now, but the aspect that worries me is that it cuts down the time children have for exercise, face to face socialising and forming relationships, to some extent original thinking, etc.
As for when our grandchildren started, one family is almost banned altogether, another is rationed, and the eldest is an adult now, I don't think she had one as a young child.

My Mum has a mobile, but it's not a smartphone. She struggles with the one she's got and doesn't want a smartphone. She's quite technically able in other ways, but seems to have a mental block when it comes to her mobile.

I find my fingers are too fat when I use a 7 inch tablet. Smartphones are all smaller so might be easier for wee folk with wee fingers. I can't be bothered with using a stylus. How do you smart grannies manage?

Wilma, I've heard a few friends complain that they have no idea how to work their smartphones, can send texts but can't read any etc.
I've thought, if you don't actually need one that complicated, why get one?
Mine does calls, texts, a few other things that are handy, but it isn't smart.
Me neither.

All my Mum wants to do is make and receive calls, and send texts. She doesn't even have her mobile switched on unless she is going to be using it. Must admit that last bit drives me mad.

varian my Mum has Raynaud's disease and struggles with the keypad on her phone. She has a 10" tablet and I made the keyboard a bit bigger for her. Did you know that you can change the size of your keyboard? On my phone I use a different keyboard called the Big Button keyboard that I downloaded as an app because I struggle with the size of the keys too. Why not have a look for a big button keyboard for your tablet?

FarNorth in Germany a mobile phone is called a handy!

Steve451
I can`t understand why anyone would not support modern technology either , you would be putting your children at such a disadvantage . Actually it has been around for so long now can we actually call it a modern trend anymore ? My GC can all use ipads, phones etc , the world has moved on , parents can limit the time spent as they are in charge . What will happen when XYmox`s GC go to school and are so far behind their peers because the others have grown up with `modern trends` !!

Some 40 years ago, when my DDs were in Primary School. a salesman for Encyclopedia Britannica came to the door and started his spiel. I was in a fiesty mood that morning and cut him short saying 'Encyclopedias contain the past. computers are the future'. The next day we went as a family and bought a Sinclair Spectrum, took it home and were soon all (except DH) adept at programming in games, spreadsheets, music. Within a few years we had a proper PC and the rest is history. Both DDs were well ahead of the game, it was particularly beneficial for DD2 who was/is dyslexic and I had a valuable skill to add to my CV.

I've recently attended a safeguarding course for work entitled 'Keeping children safe online in the digital world' (or something like that)
One of the things I learnt about was a thing called Homehalo. It sits next to the router and controls access to the Wi-Fi for each device individually so everyone in the house can have personal limits. It's controlled by admin (mum and dad!) using a password system. The guy running the course had each of his kids' phones set to be able to access at different times for different lengths of time and they all went off an hour or more before bed. Each child had to show that homework etc had been done before they got access. Costs about £5/month but I reckon it's worth it

In the distant past a child would spend hours in solitary amusement with a book. Was there all the heart-searching by adults about that? Computers/phones, etc. are a way of life and will become more and more so over the next few years. As with all things, children need to be taught safe usage from as young an age as possible, and ensure they are in control if the equipment, not it in control of them. So, no minimum age for them to start.

I was just thinking how much a mobile phone would have made my childhood so much happier. I was a rather clingy child who would cry so much I would vomit when my parents had to leave me in the care of someone else. They were promoters and had to go out quite a bit in the evenings to make sure things were running smoothly, but could easily have taken a quick call from me when I needed reassurance that they were coming back. And a quick video of where they were would have taken my mind off my self-pity. Later when it was harder to find reliable babysitters I was sent to boarding school at 6. To have a mobile phone then that I could use to have a quick comforting chat would have made all the difference to that miserable experience - we were only allowed to borrow the office phone under exceptional circumstances, and a weekly letter wasn't really a substitute for the immediacy of a chat.

The other big advantage of these gadgets is on long journeys.
Parents these days have no fear if long journeys, compared with the fidgeting, seat kicking, bickering and "are we nearly there yet?" that used to make travelling a nightmare!

Thanks s * Wilma*, am trying to find the big button option for my phone. Is it straightfirward and is there a charge for the app. .?

My DD's are older (20s) and started using a PC from the age of 2-3 and used to love the Cbeebies games - DD1 taught herself to read using them at 4.

One of DD2's first gadgets was a Kindle - she wanted it so that she didn't have to lug so many heavy books.