More and more companies are offering a special children’s tablet. Such a tablet often has a colorful kids-friendly design. A tablet for children is relatively cheap – much cheaper than an iPad – but what exactly can you do with it? And how responsible is such a purchase?
Although there are many games for young children (and even babies) on the Google Play Store and Apple App Store, experts agree that it is not wise for children to own their own tablet (or computer, or smartphone). Of course you can play a game in its time, on the iPad or the laptop of mom or dad. But only if the parent is there.
Even innocent-looking games sometimes contain frightening images or are interrupted by commercials that are not at all suitable for young children. As an educator, you have to take this into account and be able to intervene.
Ideally, a child will not get his own tablet or smartphone until the last year of primary school. Because it is only at the age of 10, 11 that children are able (with the help of the parents) to learn to deal with such an enormous influx of media, and they can learn to distinguish (again with the help of their educators). between what is real and what is not, and they are able to articulate what they have trouble with or what they are not ready for.
Find the best children’s tablet
A children’s tablet must meet a number of important requirements. Not only does the price play a role, it also has to be sturdy – of course you don’t want the device to break quickly. More importantly, the device can easily be ‘locked up’ by parents to prevent children from seeing unwanted content or downloading things without permission.
An iPad (mini) meets the latter requirements reasonably, but is certainly not a cheap choice. Certain Samsung Galaxy tablets also have their own ‘kids mode’, which can only be deactivated with a pin code. Unfortunately, that kids mode does provide access to YouTube, the web browser and the App Store.
Better in this case, for example, are the Kurio Tab models, which can not only block the App Store for children, but even have a built-in filter to only visit allowed websites. A very nice device for young children, although this tablet is not suitable for Fortnite or other more intensive games.
The battery life is also limited – although you can see that as an advantage, because it does help to limit screen time. The Kurio also has a strong housing, which can often withstand a fall.
Are tablets dangerous for children?
A tablet is not an innocent toy. Keep in mind that if you give your child a tablet and ignore the parental control settings, he or she will immediately have full access to the entire internet. We can imagine that you do not find this desirable.
Not all games (and videos) are suitable for children. Games in the Google Play Store therefore also have a PEGI rating, which indicates whether or not games contain harmful content. By harmful, PEGI means that the images can frighten children and even cause nightmares, or that the games can contain intrusive images about drugs or racism.
PEGI is not an “eligibility age” by the way. A game with PEGI 3 is therefore not intended for children from that age. Chess, for example, has PEGI 3. PEGI is only about harming the content.
The most important advice here is to treat games as you would treat TV and film. Just as you don’t show your 9-year-olds movies for ages 16 and up, games with a PEGI 16 rating aren’t safe for them in the same way. After all, you don’t want to expose them to violence that scares them. Games are now almost as realistic as movies. In the Apple App Store you will not find PEGI, but Apple’s own system with an age indication.
In addition to playing games, watching Youtubers is also extremely popular with children. Although this can of course be fun entertainment in itself, these online videos often contain (hidden) sponsored parts.
These internet personalities also often ask for donations from their viewers, and the images they make are not always suitable for young viewers. The most important advice here is: watch every now and then, and talk to your kids about what they see. They themselves are not able to see the difference between the true opinion of the Youtuber and when it comes to paid advertising.
How expensive?
Although you can buy a tablet for a few tens, cheap is really expensive here. Under 100 euros, the screen and battery are insufficient and important parental control options are missing. So such a very cheap tablet might not be what you’re looking for. Fortunately, several very good models can be found from 100 euros.
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