Spoiling children to prevent technophobia?
Thursday, September 1st, 2011I think it is quite odd to note the kinds of Christmas presents that children expect to get these days. On the train to work yesterday morning, I overheard two young boys (who couldn’t have been older than 13) comparing their models of iPod before sharing what is in store for them on 2010’s 25th of Dec.
On the list of Christmas requests were iPod touches (their Nano models were no longer good enough apparently), £900 (!) iPads, huge capacity memory hard drives, as well as the less expensive gift of a portable DVD player. One of the kids also mentionednetbooks so that he could (and I quote) “check his emails before school.” The boy is barely a teenager; I doubt anything in his life is that pressing that non-immediate internet access would be crippling!
I think that it’s great that children are being exposed to the latest technology early because - let’s face it - technology will only get more complex as these two children get older and having a good understanding of these developments will be of paramount importance. But it is important to note however, that a no-thrills standard MP3 player would do exactly the same thing as their adored (and overpriced) iPods yet it wouldn’t stop their parents being able to afford to replace the dishevelled washer dryer or pay January’s gas bill.
It also stands true that the more you give your child, the more that they will wants and expect in the future. I find it odd that whilst these kids are wasting their youth talking about gigabytes and digital downloads, at the same age I was discussing Pogs and Pokemon. Is this a reflection of decreasing youth innocence, or just a sign of the technologically led times? Either way, I contend that parents should stop spoiling their children a £150 iPod is not a suitable gift for a pre-teen.
