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Tablets Are On Many Kids' Wish Lists

BOSTON (CBS) - Move over Barbie and Elmo, and make room for tablets.

They're a hot item on kids' holiday wish lists, but buying one for a child isn't necessarily an easy decision.

Mom of two Dana Marlowe keeps up with work and family using her iPad, but her three-year-old's interest in mom's tablet has prompted the question, should he have one of his own?

WBZ-TV's Paula Ebben reports

Like a lot of tech-savvy parents, Marlowe sees it as a tool to teach lifelong digital skills, she says her son is already benefiting from kid-friendly apps.

But putting a pricey tech device in the hands of a youngster who may not yet understand how to take care of it, is also concern.

There are a number of tablets cheaper than the iPad or Kindle Fire, just for kids, and kids tech expert Lesli Rotenberg says another alternative is a parent's hand-me-down, cleaned up.

Make sure that you secure that device. You want to sweep it of any personal information, particularly credit card information.

New tablet or used, she advises setting limits.

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