JoyM- There are apps and settings out there that parents can use to restrict access to certain parts or the entire ipad after certain hours that way eliminating the temptation you speak of. So don't worry and embrace it.

I believe every school needs to look at these as an alternative to books, greater learning because you can see, experience and hear on these and the ability to update will make replacing textbooks look dirt cheap in a few years. Also, for those kids that are unable to afford a home computer this gives them a device to type their papers on as a word processor.

I can't find much of a downside, but hey, that might be me.

MBHammer.....A correlation does not always mean cause and effect.

There exist studies that indicate a significant reduction of I.Q. in developing children from the overuse of these electronic devices.

Until this blog, Greg, I thought an ipad was product for women. Just kidding...Just ordered one. Now to figure out how to plug it in and turn it on.

It depends on if the child will be using it during dinner, family gatherings, or vacations?? Will they be using it instead of playing outdoors or learning something hands on?? As soon as my grandaughter got hers it was like she checked out of interaction with us. It is up to the parents to rein in the amount of time it is used and the appropriate usage.

At birth in this messed up society.....

Yeah, an iPhone is not an iPad. Schools all over the USA are issuing iPads to the kids in schools. Is 10 to young for an iphone? Probably, but that's the beauty of America. You can make that choice, even if it may be wrong. I think there are probably more important things that we need to be looking at.

Uh Greg, an iPad is not a phone. And an iPhone is not very much like an iPad. An iPad is a tablet, something like a mini laptop. It's much more useful than an iPhone, even if you can't call home with it.

I think the benefits far outweigh the risks. My daughters have had smartphones since they were 10 & 12, and, my younger kids (6 & 8) love their tablets. Educational and fun. And, they can download books and music...

I'm not looking forward to when Milton School District provides one to my child next year in 7th grade...yes, I know the learning enhancement is great, etc., but it is still something I am going to have to take away at bedtime, so if she doesn't have her homework done by then, she won't get to stay up and do it because I am not letting her stay up all night and go on the internet with it.

Iam 86 and my wife thinks Iam too young to have one, I love my iPad

Why wouldn't a child receive an iPad at age 1 or 2? Our Grandchildren have grown up with theses devices and are able to use them effortlessly. The iPads are an incredible learning tool. The children are already able to read words at age 4. And I would think an iPhone with its GPS capability would be a must in another year or so. It is the older crowd that cannot work devices like these that need to stay away from all of them.

As long as the parents are OK with the consequences of the kid smashing the device on day 1, it's never too early. Just don't go whining to Apple when it happens.

@ janesvillean that is an interesting comment about "pre-literate" stage. It makes me think of Freud and Lacan and wonder if these are tools that somehow a child can use before developing a symbolic way of perceiving the world (language) which also makes me wonder if somehow these tools appeal to the unconscious mind somehow. Maybe that is what we mean when we call them "user-friendly."

How young is too young to be introduced to a book? IMO nowadays this is a literacy issue and there is no such thing as "too young" and I have even seen resourceful parents use their laptops as pseudo-mobiles next to cribs. Kids can learn to take care of these items just like they learn to handle glass which is also breakable. Kids need to learn to use these tools just like they learn to hold a book early on.

I teach young children (ages 3 to 6) with special needs, and when I saw some of the apps available for the iPad, I just knew I needed to purchase one to use with the children in my class. I haven't been this excited about an educational tool in decades! (Note: because of the fragility of the device, I would not recommend impulsive young children use an iPad without close adult supervision.)

janesvillean: You'd lose that bet. I have 80-some sent texts and another 80-some received ones I have to find time to kill off someday. Can't seem to handle that task while driving down the highway (joking, of course), and I can't seem to find other free minutes to keep up. My son texts me more often than he calls, and I also contact racquetball buddies about playing arrangements, and my 80-year-old mom.
Greg Peck

The interactive features on smartphones and tablets are incredibly easy for a pre-literate child to learn. There are many YouTube videos of toddlers playing games on iPads or similar devices. They have more use for something like that than the phone features, actually.
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The old-fashioned call-only phones are pretty old hat nowadays -- they only let you call people. I bet you haven't even sent a single text, Greg!

If you lay a certain number of usage ground rules, as a parent, (and stick to them) I don't see a problem. If the parents are the least bit tech savvy, there's no reason 10 isn't an appropriate age for a device that could last, entertain and serve him/her for a good 5 years. It's rather expensive, however, and I'd certainly buy the extended warranty, and make some careful guidelines on when the child could leave the house with it.

I think that delicate, ill-informed and maybe ancient citizens, like me, should not be allowed to use iPhones,Tracphones, cell phones or iPads. Only people 10 or younger should be allowed such use. Youngsters will grow acclimated to its proper use and will learn to protect themselves, like they protect themselves against bullies in the schoolyard. All this technology really "bugs" me but I still enjoy an occasional game of Angry Birds with my grandson. Someday, I'll teach him chess.

Which is it I-phone or Ipad?
I think a regular cheap cell phone for 10 yr old. But some could handle it I am sure and some cannot. I agree they can learn quickly on an I-pad. Never to young to learn- or old ;)

my friend has an ipad for their 18 month old. The child is really learning a lot from the developmental games and learning apps on it. Most Kindergartners love them and embrace them. Never too young.

according to my wife, 42 must be too young.