Even I used to giggle when one of the adults in my life referred to something wrong. I grew up in the Nintendo DS era, and I remember my grandmother always saying things like, “... all of the kids these days want a Game Boy…”, I would laugh to myself and then say, “It’s a Nintendo, Grandma!” Or when someone would refer to any video game as an Xbox, we would correct them and say it was DDR or Wii (then explain how to play the interactive games). These examples are just a glimpse of how quickly our culture is moving along. One of the most disturbing parts of this development is the impact on children of this generation. We are Generation Y, but what is to come of Generation Z?
My sister is six years younger than me, and I have seen first hand how the pace of technology has affected her generation. I remember her coming home from school in fourth or fifth grade telling us that a number of her classmates had received iPhones. I was astonished that kids that young were getting them, let alone using them! I didn’t have a cell phone until high school graduation. I cannot believe that society thinks it’s necessary for kids to have electronics that are able to connect to social media. For kids, this is imprudent and useless until they actually have groups to be a part of or friends to reconnect with in high school or college. Young kids could find suggestive pictures, comments, and even videos. It can open children up to things that they shouldn't be exposed to until they are older. These sort of topics should be discussed at home with their parents.
Through media/electronics, they are learning stereotypical social labels. One thing that I am sad kids are taught is that different genders should not show certain emotions. Men shouldn’t cry and women shouldn’t be strong. Movies and TV shows show buff men and they have to show their strong, intimidating side. Every time men show their emotions, they think people will say they’re “weak” or “girly”. Boys watching will think they cannot be open about their emotions with anyone. This could be detrimental for relationships in the future. It’s the exact opposite for women; society gives women the titles such as weak, frail, damsel in distress, etc... They need to see that it’s okay to be strong and have opinions. This next generation needs to know that they were made to show emotions from both sides of the spectrum; everyone can cry and have a strong independent side.
It’s crazy to see how quickly things are moving in society and the hole we have dug for ourselves. Social media and TV show children unrealistic representations of the world and how things are. Where things should be taught is at home. Until the time comes where children should have social media, let them run outside and play on the playground. Let girls play soccer with the boys in the neighborhood, and show them that it’s okay for a boy to cry if he falls and scrapes his knee. Let’s raise the next generation to be better than the current one and give them hope for the future.
