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Does a 4-year-old need email?
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Olivia_WebMD_Staff posted:
Rapheal Halberthal and Tom Galle are two tech savvy guys who have created Maily, a kid-friendly iPad app that introduces children 4 - 9 years old to email.

What do you think? Do 4-year-olds need email? Pros/Cons?

Olivia
10 Replies |Watch This Discussion | Report This| Share this:Does a 4-year-old need email?Rapheal Halberthal and Tom Galle are two tech savvy guys who have created Maily, a kid-friendly iPad app <a rel="nofollow" href="http://mashable.com/2012/08/03/maily-email-4-year-old/"><b>that introduces children 4 - 9 years old to email. </b></a> <br /> <br />What do you think? Do 4-year-olds need email? Pros/Cons? <br /> <br />Olivia
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Jeune1 responded:
I don't have children by my gut reaction: Yuck.

Young kids need this like they need their own cellphones or phone privileges in general. Maybe my mom was strict, but I wasn't allowed to use the phone until I was 10.

In addition, this country already has problems with childhood obesity. The little ones don't need something else that encourages them to be sedentary.

I also have to say, the lower age of their target user seems a bit puzzling. Is a 4 - 6 year old literate enough to send or read an email?

A very cynical part of me sees this as a rather blatant attempt to gain brand loyalty at a very early age.
Report This| Share this:Does a 4-year-old need email?I don't have children by my gut reaction: Yuck. <br /><br />Young kids need this like they need their own cellphones or phone privileges in general. Maybe my mom was strict, but I wasn't allowed to use the phone until I was 10.<br /><br />In addition, this country already has problems with childhood obesity. The little ones don't need something else that encourages them to be sedentary.<br /><br />I also have to say, the lower age of their target user seems a bit puzzling. Is a 4 - 6 year old literate enough to send or read an email?<br /><br />A very cynical part of me sees this as a rather blatant attempt to gain brand loyalty at a very early age.
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jians replied to Jeune1's response:
totally agree w/ you!maybe same kids were so intelligent or advance that in the age of 4-6 they were able to read and use cellphone and computer but still for them to have emails?no i dont think so.were not only exposing them to the web polluting infos but we are also causing them to be unproductive,unsociable at their age were they were just starting to learn how to communicate to people around them.this is a big NO.NO
Report This| Share this:Does a 4-year-old need email?totally agree w/ you!maybe same kids were so intelligent or advance that in the age of 4-6 they were able to read and use cellphone and computer but still for them to have emails?no i dont think so.were not only exposing them to the web polluting infos but we are also causing them to be unproductive,unsociable at their age were they were just starting to learn how to communicate to people around them.this is a big NO.NO
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ETFleming responded:
NO!!!!

Youngsters are given so many unnecessary items that they are
becoming loners. Instead of interacting with others,they are
playing video games;texting on cell phones;doing the computer tots thing. It has gotten out of hand,and will only get worse as the "toy and computer/cell phones/iphone,etc industry" grows.

E.T.
Report This| Share this:Does a 4-year-old need email?NO!!!! <br /><br />Youngsters are given so many unnecessary items that they are<br />becoming loners. Instead of interacting with others,they are<br />playing video games;texting on cell phones;doing the computer tots thing. It has gotten out of hand,and will only get worse as the "toy and computer/cell phones/iphone,etc industry" grows.<br /><br />E.T.
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ricegrl3 responded:
Are they crazy. These kids are desensitized as it is.
Report This| Share this:Does a 4-year-old need email?Are they crazy. These kids are desensitized as it is.
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jians responded:
if we are to support this,we are also supporting children to be antisocial.,children at this age should be nourished by parents by love and discipline and not with material things.sometimes bussiness men today doesn't seem to think how their bussiness affects the community,
Report This| Share this:Does a 4-year-old need email?if we are to support this,we are also supporting children to be antisocial.,children at this age should be nourished by parents by love and discipline and not with material things.sometimes bussiness men today doesn't seem to think how their bussiness affects the community,
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3point14 responded:
Absolutely yes, if your child is "playing" with an app, why not have it be something that actually benefits them? The kind of person who has this has to be someone with an iPad, and assumedly uses it a lot. The way society is going, it's likely that someone that young will also be using that kind of technology frequently. This makes a lot more sense to me than letting your kid watch tons of TVs and movies that provide absolutely no benefit and also create more socially isolated children.

It's going to encourage computer literacy in general, which makes more sense as more and more jobs go towards things being online. It's going to encourage literal literacy, forcing kids to read and understand not only how e-mail works but how communication in general works. Hopefully this will equate to more children using actual words while conversing online, not the dumb LOL OMG stuff that perpetuates itself now.

I don't have kids, but if I did I'd use this like any other piece of technology. I'd control the content, control the doses, and have this be an accessory to actually experiencing interpersonal relationships and being outside. It's a tool, why not use it and give your kid the heads-up in school? Intellect isn't just being smart, it's about being able to apply that smartness to tasks, and having a child who better understands a day-to-day task makes sense to me.
Report This| Share this:Does a 4-year-old need email?Absolutely yes, if your child is "playing" with an app, why not have it be something that actually benefits them? The kind of person who has this has to be someone with an iPad, and assumedly uses it a lot. The way society is going, it's likely that someone that young will also be using that kind of technology frequently. This makes a lot more sense to me than letting your kid watch tons of TVs and movies that provide absolutely no benefit and also create more socially isolated children.<br /> <br />It's going to encourage computer literacy in general, which makes more sense as more and more jobs go towards things being online. It's going to encourage literal literacy, forcing kids to read and understand not only how e-mail works but how communication in general works. Hopefully this will equate to more children using actual words while conversing online, not the dumb LOL OMG stuff that perpetuates itself now.<br /> <br />I don't have kids, but if I did I'd use this like any other piece of technology. I'd control the content, control the doses, and have this be an accessory to actually experiencing interpersonal relationships and being outside. It's a tool, why not use it and give your kid the heads-up in school? Intellect isn't just being smart, it's about being able to apply that smartness to tasks, and having a child who better understands a day-to-day task makes sense to me.
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Mommy032408 responded:
This is ridiculous! I understand the world is going all high tech....but this is just as stupid as giving kindergartners a computer class now. Whatever happened to going to kindergarten and making friends, taking naps, learning your ABC'S and doing little art projects?
Report This| Share this:Does a 4-year-old need email?This is ridiculous! I understand the world is going all high tech....but this is just as stupid as giving kindergartners a computer class now. Whatever happened to going to kindergarten and making friends, taking naps, learning your ABC'S and doing little art projects?
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Anon_35 replied to Mommy032408's response:
Mommy032408,
Re: "Whatever happened to going to kindergarten and making friends, taking naps, learning your ABC's and doing little art projects?" ...while none of that is a bad thing, and should be maintained...what happened is that the world changed.
Report This| Share this:Does a 4-year-old need email?Mommy032408,<br />Re: "Whatever happened to going to kindergarten and making friends, taking naps, learning your ABC's and doing little art projects?" ...while none of that is a bad thing, and should be maintained...what happened is that the world changed.
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Endoman330 responded:
As a child, I was asked to write letters to my grandparents. What percentage of people write letters over emailing these days? I think this discussion has gotten away from what this app does and on to how our culture exposes children to adult topics too soon (which we do). I heard about this app a while ago - the intention was to take kids using the Internet and filter it through a safe app - with email too. We need to face it - millennial kids are growing up in a different world than we did. In 2006, ninety percent of 3 year old used a computer and sixty percent use the Internet. This is the world they live in. I believe this app was intended to give parental control over this fact (and no, I don't work or have an interest in this company). Kids emailing is not inherently bad. Writing and sentence compositition are good things. With that said, parents need to control the accounts, monitor the communication at this age, and have them email family ... Like we wrote letters when we were kids.
Report This| Share this:Does a 4-year-old need email?As a child, I was asked to write letters to my grandparents. What percentage of people write letters over emailing these days? I think this discussion has gotten away from what this app does and on to how our culture exposes children to adult topics too soon (which we do). I heard about this app a while ago - the intention was to take kids using the Internet and filter it through a safe app - with email too. We need to face it - millennial kids are growing up in a different world than we did. In 2006, ninety percent of 3 year old used a computer and sixty percent use the Internet. This is the world they live in. I believe this app was intended to give parental control over this fact (and no, I don't work or have an interest in this company). Kids emailing is not inherently bad. Writing and sentence compositition are good things. With that said, parents need to control the accounts, monitor the communication at this age, and have them email family ... Like we wrote letters when we were kids.
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chocolatecity77071 responded:
Ohh please!!! Children need to remain children. Yes the world has changed but some things need to stay the same. Writing letters, addressing an envelope, buying a stamp....all these things i can still remember doing as a child and im 31 years old. I know for a fact my child will not have access to these things!
Report This| Share this:Does a 4-year-old need email?Ohh please!!! Children need to remain children. Yes the world has changed but some things need to stay the same. Writing letters, addressing an envelope, buying a stamp....all these things i can still remember doing as a child and im 31 years old. I know for a fact my child will not have access to these things!
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