Remember the innocence of childhood, before there was text messaging, social media and random, unnecessary drama of miscommunication? Remember that time when we use to come home from school, eat a snack and rush to finish our homework so we could go outside to play with our friends until dinner time? What happened to the good ol’ days? The simple life of having the same schedule every day, the same routine and the same outcome: happiness. Whereas my elementary school days consisted of school, family and outdoor activity, my heart breaks and goes out to the children of 2015, whose lives are overrun by overbooked, stressful schedules and more electronic devices than ever imaginable. There is no time to hang out with friends anymore and what kid would want to anyway, when the alternative is to stay inside on the comfy couch and be lazy? We are living in an era where children are brought up learning to text, Facetime and communicate with their peers through their video games, as opposed to riding bikes together or playing catch at the park.
Now fast forward a few years. These children are quickly growing up, entering the god-awful stages of puberty with high flying emotions and overreactions. At the ages of 12 or 13, any child that doesn’t already own a cell phone is getting one. The thrill of having your own number with unlimited calling, texts and data, where your friends [and enemies] can contact you at any time, brings much excitement to tweens. They don’t care who’s blowing up their phone at any given time, as long as it is constantly ringing. The school hours can’t end fast enough for these tweens, as their precious cell phone is their entertainment, their rock and their world.
Off to high school they go, scared out of their minds, yet still attached to their devices. Whether the most popular person in the 9th grade or the kid at lunch that no one wants to sit with, there is not a single person in an average high school cafeteria whose fingers aren't going a mile a minute on his or her phone. Sitting across from each other are the best of friends, occasionally laughing out loud to a text one sent to the other. Seriously, they text the person they are sitting right next to or across from. What’s the point of that? Why can’t we just speak out loud and have a ‘normal’ conversation? Whatever that is anymore…
College, graduate school, wedding days, operating rooms, childbirth… the list goes on and on as to where you will find someone on their cell phone. Why is this generation being brought up in such a high-tech and anti-social environment? This is the question that haunts me. I will never understand why children don’t want to go to the park to play ball or why they don’t want to ride their bikes, scooters or skateboards with each other. While technology has benefited our society so greatly, it has also put a huge damper on childhoods. Why are we teaching our kids to be anti-social? Why is it so important for our phones to be constantly ringing? If I could say anything to the children, tweens, teens, young adults and everyone younger, older and in between, it would be: Go outside! Get some fresh air! Hang out with your friends...in person!
And PUT DOWN THE TECHNOLOGY.
