Post: What Parents Need to Know About What Kids Are Asking For This Holiday Season
What Parents Need to Know About What Kids Are Asking For This Holiday Season
High-tech, high-dollar gadgets are topping kids’ holiday wish lists this season -- a trend that has plenty of parents in a dilemma. Which are the right gadgets to get, what’s worth the money, and what is age appropriate?
Tech gadgets can be really fun for kids, but they also put parents in a bind. First of all, they tend to be really expensive, so they can quickly deplete your holiday budget.
But it’s also important to remember that they can eat up a lot of time. The average kid already spends six hours a day with the media, so if you do decide to buy your kid a new gadget for the holidays, make sure to set clear time limits.
Here are some tips to help parents sort through the items kids are asking for this season:
Wish List Item 1: Cell phones with music and video capabilities
Examples include: Chocolate by LG (Verizon Wireless); Motorola SLVR with iTunes (Cingular)
Why kids are asking for them: They’ve got everything a multimedia kid could want, all in one: .mp3 player, video and still photo camera, video games, the Internet, text messaging…and, oh yeah, a phone.
Common Sense View: Don’t forget that all of the fun features on these phones cost extra money. And you could be introducing a major point of contention -- do you want fight the "Stop texting and do you homework!" or "Turn off that cell phone game and come to dinner" battle?
Wish List Item 2: Digital Cameras
Examples: Casio Elixim “Card” – 6.0 megapixel camera that’s no bigger than a credit card; Canon Digital Elph.
Why kids are asking for them: One of the things kids like to do most on social networking sites like MySpace and Facebook is share pictures. Digital cameras are easy to use, and it’s simple to transfer the photos onto a computer and then onto the Web.
Common Sense View: These cameras are a great way to get into photography, and you can now buy a pretty nice model for $100 to $200. The biggest issue for parents is what kids will take pictures of. The news is filled with stories of people who have posted compromising pictures of themselves on the Web and paid the price when it came time to look for a job or apply to a new school. If you buy your kid a digital camera, make sure you talk to them about Internet safety. Remember, once something is posted on the Internet, it lives forever.
Wish List Item 3: .mp3 players
Examples: Apple’s iPod (standard starts at $250, Nano starts at $150 and the redesigned Shuffle starts at $80); Microsoft’s Zune ($250).
Why kids are asking for them: They’ve got space for thousands of songs, so music that would have filled up an entire room with CDs can now fit snuggly in a kid’s pocket. The newer models allow people to view photos and video -- including TV shows they can buy online -- so there is a multimedia element as well.
Common Sense View: If you get your kids .mp3 players, you’ll need to talk to them about how they are getting their music. There are still sites where kids can download music illegally for free. And while $.99 a song from iTunes sounds inexpensive, it can add up quickly.
Wish List Item 4: Next Generation Gaming Consoles
Examples: Sony Playstation 3 ($500 and $600), Microsoft Xbox 360 ($300 and $400) Nintendo Wii ($250)
Why kids are asking for them: Kids -- especially teen boys -- love video games, and these new systems take gaming to an entirely new level. The graphics are ultra-realistic and the gameplay is incredibly sophisticated.
Common Sense View: The best piece of overall advice here is: know what you’re getting into. These game systems are expensive, and the games aren’t cheap either. Also, to get the full benefit of the great graphics, you really need an HDTV, which will set you back plenty. Just remember, video game systems are a lot of fun, but they are designed to eat up time and money.
And before you buy, understand that a lot of the games that kids will want to play are really violent. This is especially concerning with the new high definition graphics, because the violent content looks disturbingly real. Make sure to check content ratings on all games before you rent or buy them for your kids.
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