I think there’s a difference between being an old grump and being concerned.
If kids spend time playing video games, great! Or if they like TikTok, that’s great too. They have their own humor and in jokes that I won’t get, and that is part of them being a kid and me becoming an old man.
But I am concerned at the same time. Kids are drinking less than ever - sure this is probably better for their health, but what is the cause? Kids are having less sex - I’m no fan of teen pregnancy… but why? My concern for kids is my concern for all people living in society these days - that the availability of cheap dopamine from electronics is making us more isolated, more anxious, and more depressed. And that the “good” behaviors we see in teens are really just a menifestation of these problems.
I feel like I take issue with the sentiment of “the kids will be okay” as a blanket statement because I was a kid, and I was not okay. I am still not okay, recovering from the tribulations of a childhood that is very much a precursor to the ones I hear about kids living today.
I think there’s a difference between being an old grump and being concerned.
If kids spend time playing video games, great! Or if they like TikTok, that’s great too. They have their own humor and in jokes that I won’t get, and that is part of them being a kid and me becoming an old man.
But I am concerned at the same time. Kids are drinking less than ever - sure this is probably better for their health, but what is the cause? Kids are having less sex - I’m no fan of teen pregnancy… but why? My concern for kids is my concern for all people living in society these days - that the availability of cheap dopamine from electronics is making us more isolated, more anxious, and more depressed. And that the “good” behaviors we see in teens are really just a menifestation of these problems.
I feel like I take issue with the sentiment of “the kids will be okay” as a blanket statement because I was a kid, and I was not okay. I am still not okay, recovering from the tribulations of a childhood that is very much a precursor to the ones I hear about kids living today.
That’s fair. I guess a more accurate assessment might be, “The will be as ok as they’ve ever been.”
There’s always some that do better than others, and there are a ton of variables beyond the existence of the Internet.