My son turns 9 this month. He wants something to play games with. He plays sports, reads books, does fine in school, etc. so I think it's pretty okay
The question is: what has less chance to be harmful, a gaming PC or a console?
My son turns 9 this month. He wants something to play games with. He plays sports, reads books, does fine in school, etc.
Both has chances to be harmful, but a console is a more tightly controlled environment and isn't optimized for normal browsing, so I guess at least there he won't browse LULZ.
Consoles are also a tad more collaborative, that reduces the chance of him becoming a full world of warcraft neckbeard.
Buuuuut, if you know a bit about computers (unlikely), you can teach him basics of computers, which will be quite helpful down the line.
TLDR; Do the normie thing and get a Playstation.
i used a computer to access porn at 11 and it ruined my life. now im here. take that as you will
this, but i also used a dreamcast to look at porn when i was a child
>9
>get him a computer
>that would be the worst decision of your life
Lol, get him a nintendo switch or platstation not xbox youll turn him gay
Also tell him he can only use it after he's done his work
You don't want him to be a retard like all the kids in his school
I think that's the age children should start being computer literate so I'd get him the gaming PC. Installing games isn't as easy as just clicking buy and being done with it. Getting him a console is analogous in digital realm to never letting him go outside because he might get hurt.
A couple of tips:
Tell him the dangers of talking to, or sending pictures to random strangers on the internet. If you are here, you already now what kind I'm talking about. Drip feed him stories children being harassed and coerced for nudes.
Install an adblocker. Ublock origin is the best one. It's on chrome extension store
Show him what it is. You need that because there advertisements are the biggest virus vectors. Explain why this is needed.
Teach him to use strong passwords and write them down in a notebook in his drawer. I used to be bad and steal all my friend's game accounts back in middle school and it's such a devastating experience for a child. Nowadays insta accounts get stolen and the damage is far worse.
Use the parental control features to discreetly keep an eye on his behavior. If you find something messed up in his history, well you should be warning him and doing the parenting.
Finally, encourage him to experiment with different things. Experimentation is how you learn how to actually use a computer.
I dont think its wnough to tell them the dangers.
You need to load that shit up on monitors and controls and watch that shit and be computer literate yourself to know what to look for.
I'm telling you what my parents did for me plus a couple of additional things I found out myself over the years.
At some point I went down the rabbit hole and met with groomers on discord as a child but at that time my parents conditioned me about the dangers more than enough and I was aware of what I was doing so I never ended up giving them what they wanted. No pictures, no voice recordings, but a lenghty report about their obnoxius harassment to authorities that got them arrested.
I never got doxxed or harassed because my parents taught me to never use my name anywhere. Never talking about where we live. What we do for a living. Where I went to school. Et cetera.
You can teach these things to a child that is willing to listen.
>I understood and followed the instructions
>therefore ALL children understood and will follow the instructions
^first of all the "It didnt happen to me so its fine" fallacious approach is the litmus test for the absolute dumbest among us. Dont do that.
Secondly, Not like some children can't resist the allure of having super cool grown up friends who are really nice to them and make them feel so mature.
OP said his kid is doing well in school so I'm assuming he is intelligent. The thing I hate about these conversations is that treating the child as if he doesn't understand anything and needs to be babysat constantly all the time. Sit with him and talk the reality into him as you would with an adult.
If he is retarded, sure, get him a Switch and turn off messaging so he can't get hurt or whatever.
And yeah forgot to add, limit his time. He can only use the computer after he is done doing his work. Maybe you can set a password on the computer and only enter it after your conditions are met.
Don't be afraid to take away his PC if he starts showing signs of gaming addiction.
Yeah, he's going to need to know how to use a computer in this world. It's necessary at this point if you want him to have a shot at making good income. Us terminal internet dwellers aren't necessarily healthy to the highest degree, but some of us are scholars with the entire breadth of human knowledge at our fingertips. I have accumulated bachelor's level understandings in many fields, so if your son has a curious mind, the computer is an incredible tool to sharpen it
>The question is: what has less chance to be harmful, a gaming PC or a console?
What the fuck are you talking about, OP? Harmful? What you need to buy is a fucking time machine that way you can go back and unhave that kid, because I really feel bad for and think no kid deserves to have to grow up with a parent that retarded
Both are extremely harmful if used in excess, especially when it comes to online. Not even OP, lifelong gamer since 3, internet became publicly used at home en mass around the time I was 10.
Computers especially, and double especially qirh tech illiterate parents.
I had an ex who had unbridled access to a computer. She was basically raised/groomed by pedophiles.
Neither are harmful in moderation, both can have major cognitive benefits even, probably the console because PC has internet browser access and that shit or children is no bueno at all.
He's 9 ffs, he doesn't need a full on gaming PC ffs. What kind of games do you think a 9 year old is going to play?
Ask him what games he's trying to play, that will inform whether you want him to have a console or a PC. At 9 he doesn't need anything powerful.
A PC has the added benefit of being able to be used for email, video calls and school work. Perhaps a laptop PC might be best.
Get the little dude a Nintendo Switch and set a time limit for use per day. I had a limit of only 2 hours per day of video games. I didn’t like it as a kid, but as an adult I appreciate the effort my parents made to curb me wasting my life on the crap, while still allowing me to enjoy a bit of it.
Get him a nintendo switch so that he can play with his friends and get him a barebones notebook for schoolwork, learning the grips of computing and fill it chockful of monitors and parental controls.
The fact that you would even consider allowing your child to be a console plebian shows how far we have declined as a society
I don't think being on the Internet as a 9 year old in 2023 is the same as it was in 2003
Ya, it's better
>giving a 9 year old his own PC he can use alone in his room with the door closed and be online with
this is why seemingly everyone online under the age of like 40 is either a incel or SJW - both of which have weird fetishes and sexual issues
get him a whatever gaming console, so he's less likely to start looking at porn and give himself internet brain damage
steam deck
rog ally
Legion go
choose between these 3 for a handheld pc gaming
OP is a homosexual
Dont let your kid be a homosexual like you and buy him a pc. Its a better decision in every sense
internet should be for adults only, so buy your child a console (which is a toy (these are for children)). I fucking hope you don't get him a smartphone
remember that the net is fucking designed for spying and manipulating people. and its filled to the brim with pedos and other groomers (some "just" want to groom your kid to their political cause).