When did you get your first computer?

When did you get your first computer? by kOoLiNuS (/home/kOoLiNuS)

Do you have a child? How soon and in what forms did you let him/her play with smartphones and tablets?

I got my first computer in 1980 when I was 14 years old. I had begged my father for a computer for my birthday, and he bought me a brand new Commodore VIC-20. It was one of the most popular machines of its time. I loved that thing and spent many hours learning BASIC and programming my games. My grades dropped because I was so focused on using that computer. My father had to take the computer away until my grades improved.

When the first child got a computer when they were just a few years old, it was an old Windows PC running Windows 98. I installed a few simple games allowing them to make things happen. When they were older, I bought an iMac for the entire family to use.

But their very first personal computer was my old iPad two which I presented on their 11th birthday, followed by an iPhone when they started high school.

My nephews are much younger than my kids and started using these devices much sooner; elementary school. I think that was a mistake. They can’t function without them. Going out to dinner, I see my sister-in-law struggle to keep them focused on the meal or even just casual conversation.