Buying a Tablet for 11 Yr Old

I told my 11 year old that until her dad and I have them, there's no way she's getting one! What's next? A Ferrari?

I don't think you've given us enough info for any of us to make an informed opinion.

However, based on just what you said...... personally, I think it depends on the kid..... and the parents.

My daughter (11 1/2) has an iPhone4s and a kindle. She is SUPER responsible, sets limits, I monitor and she is learning how to use this technology appropriately. She also reads regular books too, does Tae Kwon Do, volunteers at an animal shelter and catches Frogs to keep as pets.

Technology is the wave of the future. I graduated from grad school last year and MOST of my books were available online as a download. Many high schools give kids laptops or pads and have smart boards. My daughter (again 11 1/2 and in 6th grade) had to do **5** prezi's in the month of April for her classes. Once the prezi's were finished they uploaded them to their teacher, who put them on the smartboard and they presented in class. THIS IS 6TH GRADE PUBLIC SCHOOL.

My daughter has a grasp of technology and things are very innate for her. She uses technology to complete assignments, conduct research, inquire about things that interest her (and that runs the gamet..... "does the clarinet come in different colors like bright blue and does the sound come from the finger holes or the hole in the bottom?"..... to "when is the next One Direction concert"). But we also talk about the dangers that are out there and how to keep her safe.

I believe you don't let kids be kids by keeping them AWAY from the next generation of things. You let kids be kids by teaching them how to use it appropriately for their age and how to be safe while enjoying the discoveries and advancements we have made.

For anyone who says what's next and that all this stuff just spoils our kids..... I ask did you shake your hips to Elvis or the Beatles? Because your parents thought you would go straight to hell. Did you have a hotplate in your dormroom? Because that was once thought of as extravagent. Do you use a calculator? Lazy.... cavemen had to actually count.

just my $0.02

I think it matters if the child is responsible and also is it for educational purposes?for example is your child one of those kids that like to play video games or read? If they just want to be connected to the web for gaming or social sites then i don't think its a good idea.hope this is helpful

How about more time at the library for free, old-fashioned books...

Are you talking about an iPad or similar? Or are you referring to an E-reader?
Either way, WAY too young for an iPad, and there's real value in children picking up an actual paper book and feeling the pages turn in their hands, etc.

Why would you even consider giving a child unsupervised access to an internet connection? Sorry to be so critical, but doesn't anyone GET IT, that this is how children fall prey to internet chat room predators, or how they google inapporopriate information that they may have overheard on the school bus or playground?
Eleven year olds are perfectly happy with movie tickets, Nike ANYTHING, a new basketball, jewelry, art supplies, hair accessories, a "date night" with a parent to their fave fast food restaurant, a manicure, etc. We need to quit overindulging and underparenting. Ugh.
And for those who claim "wave of the future", my kids are getting plenty of Smartboard prep at school, we have 2 online PCs and a laptop at home for their supervised use, our kids' school uses laptops and Excel programs, and has the kids do their Powerpoint presentations and upload them...blah, blah, blah. This is not what we are talking about. We are talking about electronic babysitters, and reasons that kids are obese, and unsupervised access to things kids shouldn't be exposed to. Tell your kids to GO OUTSIDE AND PLAY! @wickerparkgirl-I also see no reason whatsoever that your daughter would need an iPhone. Unless of course, she is coming home to an empty house and it is for checking in and/or safety and security, which then would help me to understand all the electronic babysitters.

I'd buy one for an 11 year old only if I'd be okay replacing it in 6 months. That's how long it would take to be broken, lost, or stolen.

It's like a whole library of books (some are even free or very cheap) at a child's fingertips. If it's monitored, and the child loves to read, what's not to like about that?

My 6 year old got an iPad last year for his birthday...so I disagree with being to young. He only gets it in the car so he's not glued to it and he still enjoys reading his good old fashion books.

Nope, not in a million years! I do think that an 11 year old should have access to a computer for educational purposes and even entertainment, I would agree to let them use a "family" tablet, but I don't think it's good practice to let a child have their own computer/internet capable device (tablet/smart phone/i-pod). I do not they they have the maturity or foresight to keep themselves safe online without close supervision.
So my vote would be for a "family" tablet that the 11 year old can use, but not their own device.

I think it depends on how responsible your child is. Also, whether it will be connected to the internet all the time.

My son is 10, and has had a laptop for a couple of years. He uses it for schoolwork, some "educational" online games, and for watching movies in the car when we travel. He takes very good care of it, keeps it on his desk, and knows how to connect things to it.

My husband got me a Kindle for Christmas. It was not a present for my son, but he has ended up using it the most. He uses it to play android-based games such as angry birds. And occasionally for reading books. Sometimes he uses it like a tv, so I make sure he's not viewing inappropriate YouTube videos. We have had to change the settings so that he can't purchase anything(normally it saves the credit card info). Even some of the free games have a way to buy items inside the game- with real money. So we read the reviews very carefully before adding new games.

My son does not "own" the kindle, and he is not allowed to take it out of the house unless we're with him. He is responsible enough to make sure it is always charged, but not responsible enough to clean the sticky fingerprints on the screen.

My 6-year-old has an iTouch (like an iPhone with no "phone") and she loves it. She's had it since December and it doesn't have a scratch on it, so to those claiming that the 11-year-old will break or lose the tablet, I doubt it. I think as long as your child is responsible and willing to abide by whatever limits you want to set on things like internet usage or time using the gadget in general, it's fine. I haven't seen a decrease in my daughter's interest in other games, toys or reading since she got her "toy."

We bought our 6yr old son one from Christmas. We have the Vizio tablet. Its less than $200 at Costco. He did extra chores to earn half of the money. He was saving for an iTouch, but we felt the iTouch was to small for his age and would get lost very easy.
As long as he has good behavior at home and school he doesnt loose privledges. Once he gets in trouble, he looses it for 3 days and he knows it. It kills him to, so we know it is working.
We have the password protection so he cant purchase or download anything. We installed our email address on everything so he does not have his own.
When he watches anything on netflicks or yourtube, he has to sit right next to us, so we see what he is doing.
Good luck with whatever you decide!

What kind of tablet? My girls (12 and 9) both have netbooks, iPod touches and cell phones. Cell phones rarely get used, netbooks rarely get used and iPod touches are used for the music and books. There are some really good quality tablets that are quite a bit less than the iPad's. You have to judge the 11 year olds maturity level with such an expensive gift.

I would. I also think there would be some restrictions as to where it can be carried, used, and how much privacy he can expect.

He would not be able to take it out of the house. He could expect no privacy. I would be able to have full admin rights on the tablet. If I could not get a file to open or see an email he would find himself out of luck because at 11 he would no have any right to privacy.