Anyone forbidding Minecraft for their 9 year old?

[Anonymous]

Gamers make good surgeons.

http://www.themedicalbag.com/article/gamers-make-good-surgeons

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:Oh my. There are still people out there who seriously think a 5 year old needs to start learning about technology. The technology he will be exposed to and needing to deal with when he is 20 is a completely different one, than the one that is around today. No child needs to know how an iPad works at age 5. Honestly...are any of you aware that there are 1-2 year olds who can handle an iPad? What does that tell you about how hard it is or how long it would take someone to pick it up if they never did it before? Really!?

Children have no need for technology. You try to make them and us believe that they do - but they just don't. Once they enter high school - maybe. Once they enter college - surely. Once they enter the job world...the basic stuff, absolutely. Programming? Coding? Only if their job takes them that way. In our world today everyone picks up the necessary skills almost automatically. A child does not need to learn how to type on a keyboard before they get into the teenage years. Honestly, no child even actually needs to 'learn' that either. Just having them exposed to PC and internet from an appropriate age on automatically slowly has them pick up the typing skill. There is exactly ZERO need to start at age 1 with introducing children to technology. Zero. And if you feel differently and really have your young children have screen time daily from birth I feel sorry for their brain development.

You seem to think that "technology" merely means being able to surf the web and make a powerpoint presentation. You are not very bright. Hopefully, your children will succeed in spite of you.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:Oh my. There are still people out there who seriously think a 5 year old needs to start learning about technology. The technology he will be exposed to and needing to deal with when he is 20 is a completely different one, than the one that is around today. No child needs to know how an iPad works at age 5. Honestly...are any of you aware that there are 1-2 year olds who can handle an iPad? What does that tell you about how hard it is or how long it would take someone to pick it up if they never did it before? Really!?

Children have no need for technology. You try to make them and us believe that they do - but they just don't. Once they enter high school - maybe. Once they enter college - surely. Once they enter the job world...the basic stuff, absolutely. Programming? Coding? Only if their job takes them that way. In our world today everyone picks up the necessary skills almost automatically. A child does not need to learn how to type on a keyboard before they get into the teenage years. Honestly, no child even actually needs to 'learn' that either. Just having them exposed to PC and internet from an appropriate age on automatically slowly has them pick up the typing skill. There is exactly ZERO need to start at age 1 with introducing children to technology. Zero. And if you feel differently and really have your young children have screen time daily from birth I feel sorry for their brain development.

You seem to think that "technology" merely means being able to surf the web and make a powerpoint presentation. You are not very bright. Hopefully, your children will succeed in spite of you.

Well to be fair, we were talking about kids playing video games. Someone seemed to be arguing that video gaming = essential exposure to technology which will magically turn the kid into programming genius and prepare him for a lifetime of using advanced technology in a variety of job settings.

Those of us in opposition are calling bullshit on that idea. Perhaps for some very small group, playing video games will translate into a serious interest in and understanding of computer programming. But for most of our kids, giving them iPads and iPhones and letting them play computer games and surf the internet will teach them exactly nothing except how to play video games, surf the internet, and chit-chat in chit-chatty rooms. And if you're lucky, they won't become completely addicted or accidentally run into freaky people.

[Anonymous]

DC, 7, attends an immersion language school and plays Minecraft in Mandarin. Has been great for his reading skills.

[Anonymous]

Those of us in opposition are calling bullshit on that idea. Perhaps for some very small group, playing video games will translate into a serious interest in and understanding of computer programming. But for most of our kids, giving them iPads and iPhones and letting them play computer games and surf the internet will teach them exactly nothing except how to play video games, surf the internet, and chit-chat in chit-chatty rooms. And if you're lucky, they won't become completely addicted or accidentally run into freaky people.

My 10 year old was upset because we wouldn't let him play online on public servers.

Guess what he did?

He went online and figured out how to build his own whitelisted minecraft server, set it up, and got his friends and cousins online so they could play together.

Then, he taught several of his friends how to build their own servers.

I can't do that. My husband was the first to try and he gave up. But our kid did, and so did a bunch of his 10-11 year old friends.

He is now working on learning basic coding.

The computer and online play gave him the bug. Now he is taking it to the next level.

The progression is not just video games-facebook-instagram-selfies-nude selfies-internet porn.

There are a lot of different ways that screen time can evolve, and many of them are bridges to some really cool stuff.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:Oh my. There are still people out there who seriously think a 5 year old needs to start learning about technology. The technology he will be exposed to and needing to deal with when he is 20 is a completely different one, than the one that is around today. No child needs to know how an iPad works at age 5. Honestly...are any of you aware that there are 1-2 year olds who can handle an iPad? What does that tell you about how hard it is or how long it would take someone to pick it up if they never did it before? Really!?

Children have no need for technology. You try to make them and us believe that they do - but they just don't. Once they enter high school - maybe. Once they enter college - surely. Once they enter the job world...the basic stuff, absolutely. Programming? Coding? Only if their job takes them that way. In our world today everyone picks up the necessary skills almost automatically. A child does not need to learn how to type on a keyboard before they get into the teenage years. Honestly, no child even actually needs to 'learn' that either. Just having them exposed to PC and internet from an appropriate age on automatically slowly has them pick up the typing skill. There is exactly ZERO need to start at age 1 with introducing children to technology. Zero. And if you feel differently and really have your young children have screen time daily from birth I feel sorry for their brain development.

You seem to think that "technology" merely means being able to surf the web and make a powerpoint presentation. You are not very bright. Hopefully, your children will succeed in spite of you.

This thread is about forbidding a 9-year old from playing Minecraft. This thread is not about a 15 year old wanting to learn computer programming. You seriously call me 'not very bright' for sticking to what the thread is about. Hmkay...

[Anonymous]

It depends on he child really but I personally regretted for allowing my 9 year old. He is all into forums, mods and ways to do things better but it's an obsession into a game. He cannot go out with a grumpy face and complains when he has reached his quota of computer time. Plus blocks with no gravity just doesn't make sense to me.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:Yes, forbade it for my ten year old. Someone tried to "kill" her character and she FREAKED out. She was crying, wailing.... no more Minecraft.

She is allowed to play Wizard 101 which appears to have better controls.

Yeah, I wouldn't let a 10 year old play in a server. She could play alone or against you though, if you ever want to try it again.

Yes, my DD is highly emotional, and she over reacted to this. Therefore, she is not allowed to play anymore. I have talked to some folks about a "whitelist" server.

[Anonymous]

Servers are really bad. It introduces a schedule and it's their schedule not yours anymore. They pout and whine. My daughter is grumpy too. I am so tempted to throw the PC out

[Anonymous]

I have a 9 year old who is obsessed but we don't let him play. He plays at a friend's house and likes to talk about it but he would sit and play video games all day if we let him. I felt like we have set controls on TV/video already and just don't want another thing for him to grump about when 90% of the time we will say he can't play and now he seems to fill the time with reading and math computer games.

I am also concerned about how my son will play the game. While he seems to talk about clever ways to turn some type of skeleton into a black skeleton to make it faster, etc. he seems to be drawn to the violent aspects. I don't see him building a town - I see him starting wars and fighting in the game.

That is my opinion - can't say if the restriction will work or backfire. Wish I could redirect his obsessions away from video games and violence to more creative outlets. Tried to do that by restricting time with videos and introducing legos/books, etc.

Anyone else find a way to redirect gun/shooting games and video game time?

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:It depends on he child really but I personally regretted for allowing my 9 year old. He is all into forums, mods and ways to do things better but it's an obsession into a game. He cannot go out with a grumpy face and complains when he has reached his quota of computer time. Plus blocks with no gravity just doesn't make sense to me.

[Anonymous]

People who say kids have no need for tech are LOONS - tech is the world they live in and will continue to live in. Yes, they of course need to run around and be outside and read and play games with friends too, but to say that don't need to know technology is to deny the world they exist in.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:Ugh...Kids do not NEED TO LEARN coding, computer language and how technology works. If you choose to go that route with your kids - fine. But don't transfer your opinion on all other kids. Not everyone wants to be an IT guy when they grow up -.-

Yes, someone will need to sweep the floors and pump the gas.

[Anonymous]

I can't wait to introduce my 4.5 year old to minecraft. Mainly, so I can play with her. How old were you when you allowed your kids to start playing?

She has a garden game now where she's been building a garden (growing and planting seeds, watering the flowers, etc.) but I think she's outgrowing it and getting bored.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:Ugh...Kids do not NEED TO LEARN coding, computer language and how technology works. If you choose to go that route with your kids - fine. But don't transfer your opinion on all other kids. Not everyone wants to be an IT guy when they grow up -.-

Yes, someone will need to sweep the floors and pump the gas.

Yes because there is only "Work in IT" or "Pump gas"...those are the only two job fields in the world...