My sister is a short four years behind me in age, nothing too significant. You finished high school in four years, a presidential term is four years, and most graduate college in four years, but I don’t think things could be more different from when I grew up to what she is growing up in now.

It makes me worried and angry knowing what kids these days are developing as people in, with the influences of technology, the media and the lack of values. As a 13-year-old there are already enough inherent pressures placed on you by parents, teachers and peers despite having to worry about keeping up with the latest trend hour to hour. We live in a world that changes drastically each year, so each age group grows up in a completly different environment than the last.

Change can be great for a society if it is productive, but some of the changes that are effecting adolescents are nothing short of detrimental to their futures. Communication skills are dwindling because face to face communication has been replaced by texting, morals are no longer valued because the things our parents used to tell us were bad are being glorified in the media spotlight by celebrities and TV shows and we live in a world where it is viewed as OK to just worry about yourself and mind your own business instead of helping those in need.

Children are growing up with tablets in their hands at the dinner table to keep them quiet instead of playing countless games of tic-tac-toe on the coloring sheets at restaurants with their siblings.

The occasional bully on the playground has been replaced with the looming threat of someone talking about you on social media for everyone to see.

Walkman’s are no longer playing Kid’s Bop 17, but iPhones are blaring profane music about sex, drugs and alcohol into our headphones 24/7.

We collected Barbie’s and not Kylie Jenner Lip Kits.

As kids Limited Too was the best store, we didn’t worry about what celebrities were wearing and our glittery make-up was only used for dress up. Now hundreds of dollars are spent on keeping up with the latest Coachella trends, the best contouring makeup and the newest Michael Kors purse.

Hours and hours were spent outside daily and now we have to have professional football players endorse campaigns like Play60 to make kids go outside.

I understand that things change, but I don’t think that all of this change has a positive effect on those who will eventually have our world in their hands (pardon my old man mentality).