How young is too young for a child to have an ipod?

Question

Also Please explain your reasoning

Answer 1

I got an ipod shuffle for Christmas (i am 12) and my brother did as well (10 in April). Our neighbour who is 8 and a half has a brother (3) and they are spoilt rotten. They got an ipod video/photo went they came out. I think that the ipod software is terrible and i wouldn't get an ipod maybe a mp3 player with a screen if they are 9 or older. if they are younger maybe a few Cd's and a discman wouldn't hurt. Good Luck with your problem

Answer 2

HMM.. It depends on the type of Ipod. For a shuffle i would say a good age to give it is 8. This is because its pretty cheap (100.00) and its very hard to actually break. A nano i would say....11 Because it is so tiny, you have to be very responsible and very, very, safe not to drop it too high from the ground. And the video i say about 12 because they have sports cases you can put it in so it doesn't break. And they can watch movie and have all the great things that come with having a small electronical device.

Answer 3

It depends. An ipod or any mp3 player is pretty easy to use for a child who is about age 13 or up. I say this because, computers and software can be pretty complicated, and frustrating. If the child --along with your assistance-- isn't emotionally mature enough to sit and handle the trouble-shooting, you may want to wait till he/she is older. And remember, most players require a computer to update their playlists, so every time you need to add or remove something, you will need to sit down at the pc or mac.

Also, if there are certain kinds of music that you do not want your child exposed to, you need to make sure you check what's being loaded onto his/ her player --ex. music with violence, cursing, sexual suggestion, degrading statements about women/ any ethnic group/ people in general. Or you may not want to buy the mp3 player/ ipod at all.


An ipod itself could be a good learning tool, if the child is young --age 6, 7, 8--, and you supervise them, and help them load things onto the player. You can download audio-books, video-clips, fun second language songs, etc.

It all comes down to the child's age and maturity, and how much supervision you can give :)

Answer 4

I think that depends on the child. Are they responsible enough for an iPod?

My sister is 10 and got an iPod last year in April.
She lost it by October and its gone. We cant find it.
She obviously didnt need one.

Thats up to you, but I would more likely say around 12 or 13. Thats when kids act a little bit more maturer.

Answer 5

well i would say that a good age to get one is 12 or 13 if they are responsible. 11 at the youngest if they are a very responsible 11 year old. i got mine when i turned 13. iPods are expensive and they should last. if there is a chance that the child in question will accidentally brake, lose, or allow someone to steal their iPod, then they are too young. like i said, iPods are expensive

Answer 6

I don't think children should have ipods, unless they can prove they can be responsible with care and use. Preferably if they are old enough to have a job and can pay for it themselves.
1) Expensive
2) Fragile
3) Too easy to fall into careless use. Seen many kids that have them and they never take them off when talking with someone else, even their own parents.
Older kids might also have tendency to leave them on in the classroom when in classes they don't like.
If you do buy one for your child you will also need to make sure they don't load any inappropriate content onto the ipod.

Answer 7

I think you can never be too young, but I think the responsibility has to do with it. How responsibile is your child. iek some 8 year olds are more mature then some 12 year olds, figure our if the child is ready to have the responsibility of this 200 - 400 dollar item.

Answer 8

If they are paying for it themselves, never too young. If you pay for it, it depends on your kid. If they are particularly immature and irresponsible with their belongings, 12. But if they have shown you that they can take care of things themselves and usually have a firm hold on their lives, I would say 8. Kids should always be encouraged to listen to music and form their own tastes.

Answer 9

well my friend's brother has an ipod shuffle & he's 6.
Just as long as you know they are responsible enough to have one, they can.
Of course if you know that they are going to break it the first day, or in a weeks' time, i wouldnt get them one. but thats just me. I dont like wasting money like that.
Ipods are fragile, they do break if not handle with care.

Answer 10

That depends. I got my two year old son a FP3 player for christmas. He loves it and uses it correctly. I think if they are old enough to take good care of it and you moniter what they are listening to. Those are the factors you should pay attention to.