When Should You Buy Your Kid Her First "PC?

When my son got to middle school, he asked for his own computer. He insisted he needed it for school. We argued; at that point in his life, I felt that need was still debatable. I knew he really wanted one so he’d have unpestered access to computer games. His school was then still carefully avoiding any homework that required a computer. And we had a family computer he could use — though not to play games endlessly.

That was only a few years ago. Since then, the timing of this particular parenting decision has moved from high school or middle school to elementary or even preschool. And it’s not because the kids have gone insane or because parents are suckers. It’s because schools have embraced technology so enthusiastically. They now use computers to teach and assign homework that requires it, and technology itself is an important academic topic.

So as you face this year’s back-to-school shopping, you’ll find stores stocked with computers and tablets, some of them targeted at kids as young as three. Paul Friday, a merchandise manager for electronics at Walmart stores, told me, “Back-to-school is a big time for us. We listen to what our customers want. And we are stocking computers and tablets — such as the Sprout Channel tablet — for very young kids.”


What is the right age to buy your kid his or her first computer? It’s something I’ve given a lot of thought to, both as a parent and professionally. As a contributing editor for GreatSchools.org, a contributing editor covering technology for Family Circle magazine, and a freelance writer who frequently focuses on the intersection of parenting and technology, I’ve written more back-to-school technology stories than I can count