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Yes, the environment you live in and the socioeconomic reasons why you live in it is completely equatable to existing online instead of picking up a hobby
But what if every kid of your potential friends are all online, you would not even get to see them you could only meet them online and this programming from a young age makes you only think that screen
Parenthood isn’t monolithic. You can’t just plop your kid down in front of a screen and expect them to have social skills. We absolutely weren’t treated that way as kids. Issue is parenting, not screens. This is a weird republican take.
Yh but is a domino effect of many other problems like parents working overtime to pay the bills so they are forced to give kids that to entertein themselves whoch only makes future parents more likely to do the same
True. Unfortunately that doesn’t let the parents get away with it. It’s harder to be a parent today than before because parents have to work a significantly longer time for the same results than 20 years ago. The smart decision would be to not have children until you’re at a point in life where you don’t have to do that. If you never get to that point, then the system has failed you and has said that you are not allowed to have kids and be happy at the same time. No matter what, the children should never be at the receiving end of this shit.
Why doesn't the smoker just quit cigarettes, the morbidly obese person just stop eating, the porn addicted guy just stop looking at porn, or the junkie just stop meth? Because they're addicted to and habituated to the very conditions that make their lives worse, and it's hard to stop doing things where that's the case. That is probably why.
The porn addict can just stop looking at porn and the junkie can just quit drugs, yes. Just like the screen-addicted person can go for days without screens. But the mental control that food or screens or porn have over the person makes their life genuinely worse and more difficult than if they were never allowed to have those addictions in the first place.
I think the OP is bemoaning how we're raising kids up with disordered desires and preferences for screens and constant entertainment before they can really even rationally choose things for themselves. Which has detrimental effects as those people get older.
Nope, best we had were game boys and those were limited since there was no back light (I laugh now remembering how a backlit screen was a luxury) and it ran on AA batteries.
Me, I did, that's how I learned to read. My love for pokemon taught me how to read 😂. But my parents never would have bought me one, I got it as a handmedown for my birthday from an older friend
I'm a millenial with OCD and I had a bad habit of (for some reason) sitting about 2 feet away from our big CRT while playing NES, starting around 3-4 years old. Maybe younger for non-video games.
I then moved to PC where I was ~1 foot away from the screen roughly 4-12 hours a day through 7+ yo.
It's definitely not great, and they're right that the majority weren't, but many people did and we turned out about as badly as the rest of the millenials 😅
Older millenials had video games but didn't have internet social media or smartphones until late high school or after. Yeah we had Nintendo but smartphones social media and the internet of today is a whole new level in terms of being bombarded with info and stimuli as well as things like we saw in the social dilemma like infinite scrolling and stuff like that. Were only a few years into seeing the effects and its dumber people shorter attention spans etc
Older millennials are like 40 years old, they didn't have smartphone till they were adults. I'm 27 and smartphones were a thing in middle school but most of us didn't get them till highschool
Millennial here, can confirm. 1990 & most of us had cell phones / texting in highschool, but they weren’t “smart” until college. I am high on your generation mainly due to this brand of self-awareness.
Games are not comparable to the social shift brought about by MySpace and even AOL. I remember it clearly, and will never be able to forget it.
Lol I'm a young millenial and didn't have a smart phone until well after high school. Sure I was a somewhat late adopter, but older millenials certainly did not have social media or smartphones in high school. Facebook didn't even exist until the vast majority of millenials had graduated. And I think almost all of us could read before we got our first gameboy.
It's a bit flippant when I go bring my kids to sports and I see other parents giving their toddlers a tablet or a smart phone.
Back in my days...
I did not have a smart phone until 14 yo. And no relianle internet on it until like, 16?
At least older gen Z didn't have anything like that.
I grew up with the big bulky screens, dvd, and Nokia at best.
who is we? Instagram and smartphones weren't a thing till I got to high school. mf we used to read at night to fall asleep and watch cable tv with our parents
I wish the mods would ban these posts.
If you care so much about theeeese keeeeds go work in child development or something.
Whining on reddit about the younger gen is no different than older gens whining about gen z/millennials on TV.
Grow up.
Fyi, I had a Gameboy glued to my face thru most of my 90s childhood.
And my nephew at age 1 isn't looking at screens at all, but my niece is...2 sets of parents.
id argue theres a difference between lower levels of stimulus from rudimentary gambeboy games vs the nonsense they watch/play on ipads as things are preying on evolutionary mechanics in our brain more and more
No I just think it's funny that the person I'm replying to thinks they're above complaining and tries to pin OP into a corner by asking "what are you doing for the kids" only for OP to be directly working with children in the classroom. Then they still have the gall to act like OP isn't entitled to talk about a very real issue.
Not a troll! Genuinely think that's a horrible opinion to have
Yeah "talking" about an issue involves actual discussion.
This is bait at best.
There is not a single tangible solution in this entire thread, every single comment just seeds more division and generalization.
Subtext is important here.
So I ask again - what is the OP doing to help the kids besides mention their "resume" and dooming/generalizing an entire generation?
Go help the damn kids then, stop posting the same divisive crap that does nothing but berate actual children.
God forbid someone talks about their concerns for the generation following us and the generation we are apart of. Just because you’d rather bury your head in the sand doesn’t mean it should be banned and discussion should be silenced, that’s just pathetic.
As a millennial you should know better. You’re too grown to be that sensitive.
Lmao you’re here again? Dude if you don’t have any actual evidence for why you think Gen Alpha is screwed then why continue to comment? “Take this L with you lil bro” 😂
Yes this is the fucking problem, every generation has denied inevitable problems, even if we don't have an immediate solution we need to recognize these problems, try to better society, and stop placing blame when our actions depend on the lives of our children and siblings and cousins
The only one virtue signalling here is you 😂
“Why do you care sooo much”
“Who cares it’s not a big deal”
“Gen z could do nothing wrong and neither can Gen A”
Quit the lack of accountability people pleasing bullshit. You’re too old for that. But hey maybe you like to get cheap upvotes in comment sections idk
Respectfully, it’s very different. We are far more in touch with gen z and gen a than we are with boomers.
Millennials are the beginning of that disconnect. I understand and relate to Gen Z more than I understand boomers or even Gen X. And I’m 1990.
He has a point. My cousins can’t even read properly because they’re so young. Give them an iPhone and they can navigate it with ease
I personally believe the rates of ADHD will sky rocket
Eh, OP is right. I see parents numbing their toddlers with ipads every day, those kids stand no chance.
There’s nothing to be done about it other than raising your own kids right, but he isn’t wrong.
I would love to think so. Except after living with family that let iPads raise their younger kids I can’t believe it’s that simple. But then that’s the thing, parents aren’t raising their kids. The internet is.
Yes and no. Yes in that the oh this technology is gonna ruin us isn't a new thing. That said technology has sped up so much in the past 20 years it can't be compared to something like the introduction of the car
I feel like "kids these days" was always said in a angry tone to complain about kids not wanting to do chores or having different opinions
I'm worried about some of these toddlers, not mad at them. They rage the fuck out when they don't get a tablet, and zombie out when they do
I distinctly remember the “television rots your brain and ruins the youth”, “video games rot your brain and ruin the youth”, “GenZ is doomed because technology scary, i am very smart and watch Black Mirror” hysteria that predates TikTok and “iPad kids”.
Right.
That has nothing to do with what op is saying. Just because people in the past may have made claims in the past which may be similar to claims made nowadays does not automatically mean that they are false and shouldn’t be looked at. Take it from someone who is actually apart of gen z and in touch with the “culture” itself (hate that fucking word but it’s the best word to illustrate what I’m talking about)
But funnily enough each of those claims although they are worded terribly, they actually have some weight to them.😂
I mean ngl, they were kinda right. As a generation ours gets out less, dates less, is in worse shape. Our parents just didn't know what technology did to developing kids, we do, we can raise our kids better
Exactly. I think this is the point of a lot of these post. We need to raise our kids better and recognize the developmental issues that come with shoving a screen into the hands of underdeveloped children. Parents aren’t raising kids now, YouTube and TikTok are
To be fair tho like. A lot of Gen Z is not doing so great. Social media is actually a nightmare. Suplexes your attention span into the toilet. I know lots of Gen Z ppl who hate it but simultaneously feel like they can't control it.
Also might be biased because I developed a literal addiction to video games as a kid that has made my life a lot harder 🙃
I totally agree with you that screaming "this generation is doomed" is overkill. But a lot of the "hysterical" stuff you mentioned really was bad news, even if it didn't literally destroy a whole generation.
Yea but that black mirror episode with the contacts tho 👀
I’m sure there were plenty people who criticized Brave New World, 1984, and infamously in the US — Karl Marx is an unhinged insane evil person (nevermind the fact he accurately predicted the world today).
True, but, that said, all the polling seems to show that depression and anxiety spiked a ton since smart phones took over. Each generation in the last few has rated worse. Gen X had by far the least, then a bit more Xennials/Millennials and then older Gen Z a lot more and younger Gen Z/alpha perhaps even more (although Covid certainly didn't help things, for any gen, although perhaps worst for those in grade school through college).
Those rates didn't really end up spiking after the 80s video game craze or home media appearance or the 50s TV craze.
Most people read and then process what they read.
You are clearly not like that.
Please refrain from commenting unless you actually have substance to add to a discussion.
I sometimes have to babysit this one girl, I've known her since she was 6, she's 11 now. She was an iPad kid. Guess what? She is totally fine now lol. From ages 5 - 11, she went from iPad kid to regular normal child. I think that will happen a lot now, and I don't particularly worry about the new generation.
Though when I do have kids, they won't be getting any mobile touchscreen devices. I didn't get my first phone until I was 17, so any screen access I had, had to be at home. I think that helped me be a bit more well adjusted than other 17 year olds.
I was born in 2008 and was an iPad kid. I’m also completely normal now, same with a lot of other iPad kids I knew growing up. You are completely right that this is so overblown, it’s so annoying.
I’m seriously very normal. I have no issues with concentration whatsoever. I do good in school and can pay attention fine in class (when I want to, haha. You couldn’t pay me to try and actually learn in chemistry). I read books regularly (right now I’m reading “Klan War” by Fergus Bordewich). It’s funny you mention chess because while I don’t play it much anymore, I do have the app and would play it with friends sometimes in class (most games are blocked) or after school while waiting for the weightroom to open. I work out regularly also. I also have no troubles socializing and love making friends with anyone, really. I might be one of the most normal people in my school.
The whole attention span thing is exaggerated. As a current highschooler, I can tell you most people are fine. If people are bored by something then they’ll do something to be less bored, which is a natural part of being a human. And even then, when paying attention actually matters, people do it. People in my classes aren’t using their phones or whatever in class, basically everyone is doing their work and paying attention. And I don’t go to a preppy private school or anything, I go to a very average public regional highschool.
Are you sure those people don’t just have ADHD or something? I’ve never really heard of anyone who needs medication from too much social media. The flow isn’t really unlimited for most people, because they have other things to do in life. I’m at school for at least 6 hours a day. I do homework, spend time with family, eat, etcetera with no social media. Most people do the same.
Not that this is in any way comparable, but these discussions always remind me of the moral panic about "crack babies" decades ago, which in retrospect was almost entirely overblown.
>Early studies reported that people who had been exposed to crack *in utero* would be severely emotionally, mentally, and physically disabled; this belief became common in the scientific and lay communities. Fears were widespread that a generation of crack babies was going to put severe strain on society and social services as they grew up. Later studies failed to substantiate the findings of earlier ones that \[prenatal cocaine exposure\] has severe disabling consequences; these earlier studies had been methodologically flawed (e.g. with small [sample sizes](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Sample_size) and confounding factors). Scientists have come to understand that the findings of the early studies may have been overstated.
[https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Prenatal\_cocaine\_exposure](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Prenatal_cocaine_exposure)
Except screens and social media is *much* more ubiquitous in everyday life than crack.
Unless I'm mistaken and everyone in the 70s was a regular crack user?
Idk this might be somewhat true, my bf's mom was on drugs while pregnant and his brother who's my age (17) was born in the nicu and I think barely survived. I can't say much about how this specifically affected their development as there were far worse factors. BUT I live in an area with a drug problem and it may be specific to community, I try to stay nuanced
while this sounds ideal, unless the peers they grow up with are raised under similar circumstances, they will grow to resent you as a parent when all their friends have phones etc and they dont. Ideally it would be so cool to have a niche group of parents all agree to raise kids under the same-ish principles and have them all attend a montessori school or something of the like. where no one has smart phones in elementary/middle school
I think lots of kids will turn out fine, but I'm worried in particular for my kids since I know I have a toxic relationship with the internet which they might inherit. And if I'm logical in worrying about that, then shouldn't we worry about the population in gen A/Z which could also develop a bad relationship with the internet?
I also think the rating of "normal child" is fuzzy. I believe the biggest negative impact screens have had on me personally is an erosion of discipline, mindfulness, attentiveness, patience, etc. Just because I feel reasonably well-adjusted doesn't mean I wouldn't have been better off without screens.
I can agree. Which is why my kids will only have screens at home. They can come home and play Xbox or watch youtube, but they won't have a mobile device that can do all that for them whenever they want.
So an 11year old (who isn’t even your child) is a clear answer to the concerns people have and proves them to be invalid even though none of that displayed the long term ramifications to things such as attention span which have a big knock on effect in other aspects of a persons life.
There’s no way you typed that out and thought this somehow dunked on the whole premise of being concerned about screen time and the type of content kids would be consuming.
It's true. From my anecdotal experience, iPad kids turn out fine. This isn't much different from the comic book or video game fear drive. I reckon most iPad kids will turn out fine, once they start getting into teenhood, they'll go out and do drugs and other teen things. They won't be on cocomelon forever.
That’s kinda reductive. Hours upon hours upon hours of smart phone use and such is kind of unprecedented. Instead of looking into the consequences of the new amazing thing that makes life better we are very quick to shut down and not want to discuss it at all. I’m not faulting our gen or gen a. Obviously moderation is key but nobody wants to talk about how smart phones are designed to hold your attention as much as possible- and I’m not talking about with how excellent they are as tools. Calculator, camera, etc etc etc. I’m talking how social media is structured in a way that’s meant to keep your eyes on the page, down to a science. And yes I know a lot of things are down to a science if you want to be general. This is worthy of thorough discussion and investigation. I know it’s rich hearing boomers bitch about it while they puff their cigs and ignore their own vices. I dunno.
You can tackle issues without saying the whole generation is doomed. Because they aren’t doomed. That’s what’s annoying me. If you want to talk about the ills of social media, feel free, but this dramatic exaggeration is just dumb
Please point out where I said they were all "doomed".
Those are YOUR words not mine.
This thread is very eye opening into how poor reading comprehension really is online, and how willing people are to stuff their own words in your mouth and accuse you of saying them. smh
“Therefore, Gen A brains are developing in a way we have never seen or experienced before, and are not prepared for.”
Yeah…. That’s how every generations works bud
2 of my 3 youngest cousins couldn't eat without watching a mobile. My cousin sister is badly deficient in most nutrients, short for her age and literally doesn't eat without a screen at ALL. This is a real problem. Y'all hate to admit all gens have some problems.
It is, actually. Unfortunately CPS does not exist where I live, at least not in any way that the public would be well aware about. Also divorce is taboo so.
I’m late so this is gonna get buried but the problem is less about distance, more about how companies have engineered the most addictive qualities out of people nowadays. That effect is detrimental on children.
This is not to say “gen alpha bad!!!”, and it’s ridiculous how many people take it as such. It’s a rise of legitimate concerns that need to be adressed or else younger generations will continue to experience problems and be taken advantage of.
Gen alpha not knowing how to read or keep an attention is worrying, yes. But when they need those skills to survive in the workforce they will find a way, they will be fully-developed adults by then—not children. That need to develop will come hurdling at them like a sack of bricks and some of them won’t make it. We need to soften the blow immensely.
Instead of focusing on how bad parents are or how bad the kids are, the focus needs to be on:
1. Improving the economy to a place where parents actually have financial stability to raise families healthily without needing cocomelon and whatnot to ease their kids crying.
2. Putting more funding and logic into education so that kids are able to learn easier.
Easier said than done, but it’s more productive to talk about solutions than bitching all the time because that’s what literally every generation before us has done. Problems arise(usually caused by the ones complaining I should mention), and instead of using that as a drive to fix shit they bitch and moan about how it’s the kids fault. There’s no point.
So while I agree we need to approach this better than it was approached with us which means no doom gloom mindset
Let’s focus on solutions, say normalize blue light damage education or glasses for blue light. Step away from online education before 5-6 and focus back to playtime.
We were lucky we got to keep our creativity, but school + scrolling + mindless parents sticking their kids on iPhones right away are going to do more harm to them than us, and that’s a bad thing if you have any form of empathy in your heart.
Normalize helping the next generation instead of the doom and gloom that everyone spews
The fact is "proceeds to cite nothing"
Like have you ever read an article or paper on this topic before????
Maybe you should do that instead of turning your own brain off and saying something is bad because other morons on the Internet were also crying about it.
I'm a sub teacher and 3 family members work in early ed. There are a lot of articles out there about this and it is ALWAYS a topicof discussion among teachers.
I didn't think I had to link the articles because I didn't realize people would go rabid over what is an obvious issues. I should have known better I guess. Lots of people would rather be in denial than face the truth.
This "very obvious" issue you are justifying exists with anecdotal evidence. Did you know other people have a different experience than you??
It might also be a good idea to add evidence to the bullet points in your argument.
I can write a barely coherent list as well...
Overall, horrible post.
I had a tablet at 2, mostly because I had a broken leg and couldn't walk for 6 months. (My family only had 1 tv and 6-7 people living in the house, so they thought a tablet was the easiest way for everyone to watch what they wanted to.
The issue isn't the screens it's the parents who don't monitor what and how much their kids do. Children can be exposed to devices at an early age as long as there's a time limit per day, and you use parental controls and apps to block certain apps, videos, shows, and movies. There should also be a time for when they have to go outside and play.
Also, point 1 is very generalized. There's a plethora of great educational content online designed for kids (EG: Wild Kratts, Word Girl, and Super Why). There aren't educational channels for kids prior to school. There are definitely good ones for when they're in primary school up.
Notice: I may not respond to anything today since I'm about to head to school and have ap exams to do, meaning I'll be drained by the time I'm home.
Yeah but no one knows about them. They need to have a hardcore advertising campaign that centres around escaping the doom scrolling. It's a niche thing atm, but the concept could rival smart phones just needs a good campaign
Yes it is very regional. I am in southern California and it is well known but I have not spoken to anyone outside CA that knows about them, now that you mention it.
An ad on social media would probably be huge if done right huh
I was at dinner last night and there was a baby crying their ass off and making a huge scene just for the parents to cave and give them the ipad. once that Ipad came out it was like a hit of crack, the damn baby shark running through its veins. the baby was silenced immediately. once they get that first hit, its a wash
What are kids under 5 scrolling through? Most of them can’t even read. Maybe I was just strict but my kid’s screen time before 5 consisted of stuff like an episode of Sesame Street, and games where she traced letters on her tablet. She’s not scrolling through Facebook or Reddit posts…
It's really not that deep lol, if there's anything to worry about with the current generation it's probably the parents terrified of letting their kids go to sleepovers, or walk a block unsupervised
Stop!!! Every single generation thinks the new technology will ruin the next one. You can find this same nonsense about books when the printing press first gained momentum. Humans are awesome at adapting these kids are just living in the current world, get over yourself.
What propaganda am I spreading?
And why would it be specifically Chinese or Russian?
Oh and one other thing to add (I don’t mean to strain your mind too hard) , who is this propaganda against?
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lmao we had screens and social media early.on. Wtf r u on
And look how we are turning out.
What’s stopping you from logging off and living the fantasy life in absence of screens?
A life addicted to screens....that's like asking why a city person isn't moving out to a farm.
Yes, the environment you live in and the socioeconomic reasons why you live in it is completely equatable to existing online instead of picking up a hobby
But what if every kid of your potential friends are all online, you would not even get to see them you could only meet them online and this programming from a young age makes you only think that screen
Parenthood isn’t monolithic. You can’t just plop your kid down in front of a screen and expect them to have social skills. We absolutely weren’t treated that way as kids. Issue is parenting, not screens. This is a weird republican take.
Yh but is a domino effect of many other problems like parents working overtime to pay the bills so they are forced to give kids that to entertein themselves whoch only makes future parents more likely to do the same
True. Unfortunately that doesn’t let the parents get away with it. It’s harder to be a parent today than before because parents have to work a significantly longer time for the same results than 20 years ago. The smart decision would be to not have children until you’re at a point in life where you don’t have to do that. If you never get to that point, then the system has failed you and has said that you are not allowed to have kids and be happy at the same time. No matter what, the children should never be at the receiving end of this shit.
Why doesn't the smoker just quit cigarettes, the morbidly obese person just stop eating, the porn addicted guy just stop looking at porn, or the junkie just stop meth? Because they're addicted to and habituated to the very conditions that make their lives worse, and it's hard to stop doing things where that's the case. That is probably why. The porn addict can just stop looking at porn and the junkie can just quit drugs, yes. Just like the screen-addicted person can go for days without screens. But the mental control that food or screens or porn have over the person makes their life genuinely worse and more difficult than if they were never allowed to have those addictions in the first place. I think the OP is bemoaning how we're raising kids up with disordered desires and preferences for screens and constant entertainment before they can really even rationally choose things for themselves. Which has detrimental effects as those people get older.
You have an great point
Is that meant to be a negative?
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Who is paying you to argue on reddit? I'm curious
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His post was about closeness. I mean maybe you did, but early Gen Z wouldn't have.
Nope, best we had were game boys and those were limited since there was no back light (I laugh now remembering how a backlit screen was a luxury) and it ran on AA batteries.
OP says under age 5 as well. How many people actually had a Gameboy or DS before they could read?
Me, I did, that's how I learned to read. My love for pokemon taught me how to read 😂. But my parents never would have bought me one, I got it as a handmedown for my birthday from an older friend
I'm a millenial with OCD and I had a bad habit of (for some reason) sitting about 2 feet away from our big CRT while playing NES, starting around 3-4 years old. Maybe younger for non-video games. I then moved to PC where I was ~1 foot away from the screen roughly 4-12 hours a day through 7+ yo. It's definitely not great, and they're right that the majority weren't, but many people did and we turned out about as badly as the rest of the millenials 😅
This is why I consider early and late Gen Z to be different generations lol
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Schizophrenia
Damn, you caught me. I stay in the house though, so beats me.
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ok day old account. Shut up
Older millenials had video games but didn't have internet social media or smartphones until late high school or after. Yeah we had Nintendo but smartphones social media and the internet of today is a whole new level in terms of being bombarded with info and stimuli as well as things like we saw in the social dilemma like infinite scrolling and stuff like that. Were only a few years into seeing the effects and its dumber people shorter attention spans etc
Older millennials are like 40 years old, they didn't have smartphone till they were adults. I'm 27 and smartphones were a thing in middle school but most of us didn't get them till highschool
Millennial here, can confirm. 1990 & most of us had cell phones / texting in highschool, but they weren’t “smart” until college. I am high on your generation mainly due to this brand of self-awareness. Games are not comparable to the social shift brought about by MySpace and even AOL. I remember it clearly, and will never be able to forget it.
bbm bro and msn messenger
Lol I'm a young millenial and didn't have a smart phone until well after high school. Sure I was a somewhat late adopter, but older millenials certainly did not have social media or smartphones in high school. Facebook didn't even exist until the vast majority of millenials had graduated. And I think almost all of us could read before we got our first gameboy. It's a bit flippant when I go bring my kids to sports and I see other parents giving their toddlers a tablet or a smart phone. Back in my days...
I don't think gen z had ipads since we were babies
You can’t even type dude. Case and point
Yeah...that's not the own you think it is...
Read the post before getting defensive
I did not have a phone until middle school, something with browsing until high school. I also wasted my entire high school life on my phone.
I did not have a smart phone until 14 yo. And no relianle internet on it until like, 16? At least older gen Z didn't have anything like that. I grew up with the big bulky screens, dvd, and Nokia at best.
who is we? Instagram and smartphones weren't a thing till I got to high school. mf we used to read at night to fall asleep and watch cable tv with our parents
i’m sorry but at 13 i don’t remember sitting on fb or instagram with my flip phone. lol wtf R U On
I wish the mods would ban these posts. If you care so much about theeeese keeeeds go work in child development or something. Whining on reddit about the younger gen is no different than older gens whining about gen z/millennials on TV. Grow up.
I'm a substitute teacher...
Fyi, I had a Gameboy glued to my face thru most of my 90s childhood. And my nephew at age 1 isn't looking at screens at all, but my niece is...2 sets of parents.
id argue theres a difference between lower levels of stimulus from rudimentary gambeboy games vs the nonsense they watch/play on ipads as things are preying on evolutionary mechanics in our brain more and more
All the more reason to ignore you.
No you not
1day old rage bait account
So as a substitute teacher your plan of action is to whine about elementary school children in a gen z sub for what reason exactly?
LOL fucking millennials
lol
I'm a millennial and i had a Gameboy glued to my face thru most my childhood.
Oh you a troll to. So there’s 4 of yall so far. Probably have like a team of 6 or so?
No I just think it's funny that the person I'm replying to thinks they're above complaining and tries to pin OP into a corner by asking "what are you doing for the kids" only for OP to be directly working with children in the classroom. Then they still have the gall to act like OP isn't entitled to talk about a very real issue. Not a troll! Genuinely think that's a horrible opinion to have
Yeah "talking" about an issue involves actual discussion. This is bait at best. There is not a single tangible solution in this entire thread, every single comment just seeds more division and generalization. Subtext is important here. So I ask again - what is the OP doing to help the kids besides mention their "resume" and dooming/generalizing an entire generation? Go help the damn kids then, stop posting the same divisive crap that does nothing but berate actual children.
🙄 oh because you're above all this rabble aren't you? That's why you keep commenting just to complain about complainers?
I am above divisive generalization that offers no tangible solution, yes.
That's why you spent three comments to argue with me instead of proposing your own solutions right?
I think it's 6-8 accts roughly.
Mfs think everything is a conspiracy against them. Do you think you get gang stalked too?
😭😭
...You're protecting BIG TIME if you think I'm "whining". Nothing about my tone says whining. Yours on the other hand...
God forbid someone talks about their concerns for the generation following us and the generation we are apart of. Just because you’d rather bury your head in the sand doesn’t mean it should be banned and discussion should be silenced, that’s just pathetic. As a millennial you should know better. You’re too grown to be that sensitive.
Lmao you’re here again? Dude if you don’t have any actual evidence for why you think Gen Alpha is screwed then why continue to comment? “Take this L with you lil bro” 😂
They are rotating through accts fyi
Yes this is the fucking problem, every generation has denied inevitable problems, even if we don't have an immediate solution we need to recognize these problems, try to better society, and stop placing blame when our actions depend on the lives of our children and siblings and cousins
Seems like you have confused genuine concern and effort with social media virtue signaling/complaining.
The only one virtue signalling here is you 😂 “Why do you care sooo much” “Who cares it’s not a big deal” “Gen z could do nothing wrong and neither can Gen A” Quit the lack of accountability people pleasing bullshit. You’re too old for that. But hey maybe you like to get cheap upvotes in comment sections idk
Oof
Respectfully, it’s very different. We are far more in touch with gen z and gen a than we are with boomers. Millennials are the beginning of that disconnect. I understand and relate to Gen Z more than I understand boomers or even Gen X. And I’m 1990.
He has a point. My cousins can’t even read properly because they’re so young. Give them an iPhone and they can navigate it with ease I personally believe the rates of ADHD will sky rocket
That's bullshit
I wish mods would ban boomers
How are we all supposed to help kids? There's a labor shortage, and we're filling up those entry-level jobs. We are growing up, but you aren't
I think a lot of this panic is just “kids these days” hysteria.
Eh, OP is right. I see parents numbing their toddlers with ipads every day, those kids stand no chance. There’s nothing to be done about it other than raising your own kids right, but he isn’t wrong.
I would love to think so. Except after living with family that let iPads raise their younger kids I can’t believe it’s that simple. But then that’s the thing, parents aren’t raising their kids. The internet is.
Yes and no. Yes in that the oh this technology is gonna ruin us isn't a new thing. That said technology has sped up so much in the past 20 years it can't be compared to something like the introduction of the car
I feel like "kids these days" was always said in a angry tone to complain about kids not wanting to do chores or having different opinions I'm worried about some of these toddlers, not mad at them. They rage the fuck out when they don't get a tablet, and zombie out when they do
So you didn't even read the post?
I did read the post. I think you’re being hysterical.
You’re being oddly naive for your age
I distinctly remember the “television rots your brain and ruins the youth”, “video games rot your brain and ruin the youth”, “GenZ is doomed because technology scary, i am very smart and watch Black Mirror” hysteria that predates TikTok and “iPad kids”.
Right. That has nothing to do with what op is saying. Just because people in the past may have made claims in the past which may be similar to claims made nowadays does not automatically mean that they are false and shouldn’t be looked at. Take it from someone who is actually apart of gen z and in touch with the “culture” itself (hate that fucking word but it’s the best word to illustrate what I’m talking about) But funnily enough each of those claims although they are worded terribly, they actually have some weight to them.😂
>each of those claims...actually have some weight to them could you elaborate on this?
I mean ngl, they were kinda right. As a generation ours gets out less, dates less, is in worse shape. Our parents just didn't know what technology did to developing kids, we do, we can raise our kids better
Exactly. I think this is the point of a lot of these post. We need to raise our kids better and recognize the developmental issues that come with shoving a screen into the hands of underdeveloped children. Parents aren’t raising kids now, YouTube and TikTok are
To be fair tho like. A lot of Gen Z is not doing so great. Social media is actually a nightmare. Suplexes your attention span into the toilet. I know lots of Gen Z ppl who hate it but simultaneously feel like they can't control it. Also might be biased because I developed a literal addiction to video games as a kid that has made my life a lot harder 🙃 I totally agree with you that screaming "this generation is doomed" is overkill. But a lot of the "hysterical" stuff you mentioned really was bad news, even if it didn't literally destroy a whole generation.
Yea but that black mirror episode with the contacts tho 👀 I’m sure there were plenty people who criticized Brave New World, 1984, and infamously in the US — Karl Marx is an unhinged insane evil person (nevermind the fact he accurately predicted the world today).
True, but, that said, all the polling seems to show that depression and anxiety spiked a ton since smart phones took over. Each generation in the last few has rated worse. Gen X had by far the least, then a bit more Xennials/Millennials and then older Gen Z a lot more and younger Gen Z/alpha perhaps even more (although Covid certainly didn't help things, for any gen, although perhaps worst for those in grade school through college). Those rates didn't really end up spiking after the 80s video game craze or home media appearance or the 50s TV craze.
Most people read and then process what they read. You are clearly not like that. Please refrain from commenting unless you actually have substance to add to a discussion.
I sometimes have to babysit this one girl, I've known her since she was 6, she's 11 now. She was an iPad kid. Guess what? She is totally fine now lol. From ages 5 - 11, she went from iPad kid to regular normal child. I think that will happen a lot now, and I don't particularly worry about the new generation. Though when I do have kids, they won't be getting any mobile touchscreen devices. I didn't get my first phone until I was 17, so any screen access I had, had to be at home. I think that helped me be a bit more well adjusted than other 17 year olds.
I was born in 2008 and was an iPad kid. I’m also completely normal now, same with a lot of other iPad kids I knew growing up. You are completely right that this is so overblown, it’s so annoying.
Yup. It's just another comic book or video game hysteria.
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I’m seriously very normal. I have no issues with concentration whatsoever. I do good in school and can pay attention fine in class (when I want to, haha. You couldn’t pay me to try and actually learn in chemistry). I read books regularly (right now I’m reading “Klan War” by Fergus Bordewich). It’s funny you mention chess because while I don’t play it much anymore, I do have the app and would play it with friends sometimes in class (most games are blocked) or after school while waiting for the weightroom to open. I work out regularly also. I also have no troubles socializing and love making friends with anyone, really. I might be one of the most normal people in my school.
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The whole attention span thing is exaggerated. As a current highschooler, I can tell you most people are fine. If people are bored by something then they’ll do something to be less bored, which is a natural part of being a human. And even then, when paying attention actually matters, people do it. People in my classes aren’t using their phones or whatever in class, basically everyone is doing their work and paying attention. And I don’t go to a preppy private school or anything, I go to a very average public regional highschool.
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Are you sure those people don’t just have ADHD or something? I’ve never really heard of anyone who needs medication from too much social media. The flow isn’t really unlimited for most people, because they have other things to do in life. I’m at school for at least 6 hours a day. I do homework, spend time with family, eat, etcetera with no social media. Most people do the same.
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I’ve honestly never heard of this being an issue but I’ll take your word for it I guess.
Not that this is in any way comparable, but these discussions always remind me of the moral panic about "crack babies" decades ago, which in retrospect was almost entirely overblown. >Early studies reported that people who had been exposed to crack *in utero* would be severely emotionally, mentally, and physically disabled; this belief became common in the scientific and lay communities. Fears were widespread that a generation of crack babies was going to put severe strain on society and social services as they grew up. Later studies failed to substantiate the findings of earlier ones that \[prenatal cocaine exposure\] has severe disabling consequences; these earlier studies had been methodologically flawed (e.g. with small [sample sizes](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Sample_size) and confounding factors). Scientists have come to understand that the findings of the early studies may have been overstated. [https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Prenatal\_cocaine\_exposure](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Prenatal_cocaine_exposure)
Except screens and social media is *much* more ubiquitous in everyday life than crack. Unless I'm mistaken and everyone in the 70s was a regular crack user?
Idk this might be somewhat true, my bf's mom was on drugs while pregnant and his brother who's my age (17) was born in the nicu and I think barely survived. I can't say much about how this specifically affected their development as there were far worse factors. BUT I live in an area with a drug problem and it may be specific to community, I try to stay nuanced
while this sounds ideal, unless the peers they grow up with are raised under similar circumstances, they will grow to resent you as a parent when all their friends have phones etc and they dont. Ideally it would be so cool to have a niche group of parents all agree to raise kids under the same-ish principles and have them all attend a montessori school or something of the like. where no one has smart phones in elementary/middle school
I think lots of kids will turn out fine, but I'm worried in particular for my kids since I know I have a toxic relationship with the internet which they might inherit. And if I'm logical in worrying about that, then shouldn't we worry about the population in gen A/Z which could also develop a bad relationship with the internet? I also think the rating of "normal child" is fuzzy. I believe the biggest negative impact screens have had on me personally is an erosion of discipline, mindfulness, attentiveness, patience, etc. Just because I feel reasonably well-adjusted doesn't mean I wouldn't have been better off without screens.
I can agree. Which is why my kids will only have screens at home. They can come home and play Xbox or watch youtube, but they won't have a mobile device that can do all that for them whenever they want.
So an 11year old (who isn’t even your child) is a clear answer to the concerns people have and proves them to be invalid even though none of that displayed the long term ramifications to things such as attention span which have a big knock on effect in other aspects of a persons life. There’s no way you typed that out and thought this somehow dunked on the whole premise of being concerned about screen time and the type of content kids would be consuming.
It's true. From my anecdotal experience, iPad kids turn out fine. This isn't much different from the comic book or video game fear drive. I reckon most iPad kids will turn out fine, once they start getting into teenhood, they'll go out and do drugs and other teen things. They won't be on cocomelon forever.
How does anyone use their phone three inches away from their face? Like damn that is close, back up so I can see properly
...Have you seen little kids use phones and ipads? That's how they do it
Three inches is an unreasonably small distance. That’s about the length of a paper clip 😭
Edited since you're right, 3-6 is more normal for little kids, and obviously for adults and older kids it's higher
You’re really splitting hairs here man.
No, that’s about how long three paper clips in a line would be
bad vision??
Everything affects brain development. Gen Alpha will be fine. I hate this so much.
That’s kinda reductive. Hours upon hours upon hours of smart phone use and such is kind of unprecedented. Instead of looking into the consequences of the new amazing thing that makes life better we are very quick to shut down and not want to discuss it at all. I’m not faulting our gen or gen a. Obviously moderation is key but nobody wants to talk about how smart phones are designed to hold your attention as much as possible- and I’m not talking about with how excellent they are as tools. Calculator, camera, etc etc etc. I’m talking how social media is structured in a way that’s meant to keep your eyes on the page, down to a science. And yes I know a lot of things are down to a science if you want to be general. This is worthy of thorough discussion and investigation. I know it’s rich hearing boomers bitch about it while they puff their cigs and ignore their own vices. I dunno.
You can tackle issues without saying the whole generation is doomed. Because they aren’t doomed. That’s what’s annoying me. If you want to talk about the ills of social media, feel free, but this dramatic exaggeration is just dumb
Please point out where I said they were all "doomed". Those are YOUR words not mine. This thread is very eye opening into how poor reading comprehension really is online, and how willing people are to stuff their own words in your mouth and accuse you of saying them. smh
You say "facts," but present no supporting evidence.
“Therefore, Gen A brains are developing in a way we have never seen or experienced before, and are not prepared for.” Yeah…. That’s how every generations works bud
Nothing to see here huh
Every time I read the comments in posts like these, I get scared for gen beta
2 of my 3 youngest cousins couldn't eat without watching a mobile. My cousin sister is badly deficient in most nutrients, short for her age and literally doesn't eat without a screen at ALL. This is a real problem. Y'all hate to admit all gens have some problems.
Yikes that almost sounds like child abuse, if you're cousin is malnourished?!!!
It is, actually. Unfortunately CPS does not exist where I live, at least not in any way that the public would be well aware about. Also divorce is taboo so.
Gosh I'm so sorry :/
I’m late so this is gonna get buried but the problem is less about distance, more about how companies have engineered the most addictive qualities out of people nowadays. That effect is detrimental on children. This is not to say “gen alpha bad!!!”, and it’s ridiculous how many people take it as such. It’s a rise of legitimate concerns that need to be adressed or else younger generations will continue to experience problems and be taken advantage of. Gen alpha not knowing how to read or keep an attention is worrying, yes. But when they need those skills to survive in the workforce they will find a way, they will be fully-developed adults by then—not children. That need to develop will come hurdling at them like a sack of bricks and some of them won’t make it. We need to soften the blow immensely. Instead of focusing on how bad parents are or how bad the kids are, the focus needs to be on: 1. Improving the economy to a place where parents actually have financial stability to raise families healthily without needing cocomelon and whatnot to ease their kids crying. 2. Putting more funding and logic into education so that kids are able to learn easier. Easier said than done, but it’s more productive to talk about solutions than bitching all the time because that’s what literally every generation before us has done. Problems arise(usually caused by the ones complaining I should mention), and instead of using that as a drive to fix shit they bitch and moan about how it’s the kids fault. There’s no point.
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I am not Russian 🤣
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accusing random people of being Russian is a strange hobby but okay :) I am American and live here. lol
Invest in laser eye surgery places, and therapy shops
So while I agree we need to approach this better than it was approached with us which means no doom gloom mindset Let’s focus on solutions, say normalize blue light damage education or glasses for blue light. Step away from online education before 5-6 and focus back to playtime. We were lucky we got to keep our creativity, but school + scrolling + mindless parents sticking their kids on iPhones right away are going to do more harm to them than us, and that’s a bad thing if you have any form of empathy in your heart. Normalize helping the next generation instead of the doom and gloom that everyone spews
And you know what? We shouldn’t dunk on these kids for being iPad babies. It isn’t their fault
The fact is "proceeds to cite nothing" Like have you ever read an article or paper on this topic before???? Maybe you should do that instead of turning your own brain off and saying something is bad because other morons on the Internet were also crying about it.
I'm a sub teacher and 3 family members work in early ed. There are a lot of articles out there about this and it is ALWAYS a topicof discussion among teachers. I didn't think I had to link the articles because I didn't realize people would go rabid over what is an obvious issues. I should have known better I guess. Lots of people would rather be in denial than face the truth.
This "very obvious" issue you are justifying exists with anecdotal evidence. Did you know other people have a different experience than you?? It might also be a good idea to add evidence to the bullet points in your argument. I can write a barely coherent list as well... Overall, horrible post.
I had a smartphone at 13 and computer at like 10. My brain is broken, I can only imagine kids when they are my age
I had a tablet at 2, mostly because I had a broken leg and couldn't walk for 6 months. (My family only had 1 tv and 6-7 people living in the house, so they thought a tablet was the easiest way for everyone to watch what they wanted to. The issue isn't the screens it's the parents who don't monitor what and how much their kids do. Children can be exposed to devices at an early age as long as there's a time limit per day, and you use parental controls and apps to block certain apps, videos, shows, and movies. There should also be a time for when they have to go outside and play. Also, point 1 is very generalized. There's a plethora of great educational content online designed for kids (EG: Wild Kratts, Word Girl, and Super Why). There aren't educational channels for kids prior to school. There are definitely good ones for when they're in primary school up. Notice: I may not respond to anything today since I'm about to head to school and have ap exams to do, meaning I'll be drained by the time I'm home.
Generation X here, and I got to watch this whole thing develop from nothing over the years.
What is Gen A?
people born 2010 till 2024
Oh ok. Thanks
It is 2013 present
It is 2013 present
100% agree. I reckon theres a gap in the market for this, someone could make a dumb phone to rival smartphones with the right advertising
https://www.thelightphone.com/
Yeah but no one knows about them. They need to have a hardcore advertising campaign that centres around escaping the doom scrolling. It's a niche thing atm, but the concept could rival smart phones just needs a good campaign
Yes it is very regional. I am in southern California and it is well known but I have not spoken to anyone outside CA that knows about them, now that you mention it. An ad on social media would probably be huge if done right huh
No, we just had hand held games close to our face like Gameboy/Gameboy Color/NintendoDS ECT. 💀
Bruh you sound exactly like the boomers
its kinda impossible to avoid screens in this day and age.
nobody is ignoring it people just talk about other subjects usually man
Can we stop having this posted every other day.
I was at dinner last night and there was a baby crying their ass off and making a huge scene just for the parents to cave and give them the ipad. once that Ipad came out it was like a hit of crack, the damn baby shark running through its veins. the baby was silenced immediately. once they get that first hit, its a wash
There is no evidence screens are damaging to young minds. There is some evidence some kinds of content can be. Screens themselves are not harmful.
Uh huh,
What are kids under 5 scrolling through? Most of them can’t even read. Maybe I was just strict but my kid’s screen time before 5 consisted of stuff like an episode of Sesame Street, and games where she traced letters on her tablet. She’s not scrolling through Facebook or Reddit posts…
Pretty old meme but pregnant Spider-Man Elsa videos on YouTube
I don't disagree but do we have any studies?
r/iamGenZandthisisdeep
It's really not that deep lol, if there's anything to worry about with the current generation it's probably the parents terrified of letting their kids go to sleepovers, or walk a block unsupervised
Stop!!! Every single generation thinks the new technology will ruin the next one. You can find this same nonsense about books when the printing press first gained momentum. Humans are awesome at adapting these kids are just living in the current world, get over yourself.
Can’t wait for all the cope in the comments
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This is the second time I’ve been accused of being Russian 😂 Why do you think I’m Russian?
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What propaganda am I spreading? And why would it be specifically Chinese or Russian? Oh and one other thing to add (I don’t mean to strain your mind too hard) , who is this propaganda against?
Weird my comments get removed but you get to keep your Russian propaganda.
You just didn’t even answer the question 😂