Technology isn't so bad... Here's why...

Being a tween in today's world is so much different, than being a tween in the late 1980s/early 1990s - back when I was a tween... You read and hear all about so many families who are anti-technology, have screen limits, or are screen free because, they're trying to mimic a lifestyle similar to their childhood - and of course, they have the right to do whatever they want with their own children - But, I think they're missing the main difference between our childhood and today's childhood...

Freedom...

When we were kids, we ate breakfast, hopped on a bike or walked to our friend's house. We then spent the entire day with them, pretty much doing nothing. Of course, some days were more productive than others, like a game of backyard baseball or teams of hide and go seek. But, 90% of the time, we sat on my porch and just talked or sat in my bedroom and listened to Alanis Morissette on the highest volume...

In today's world, kids can't just hop on a bike and go outside for hours without parental supervision. And, they can't just go to a friend's house and spend the entire day because, today's families are over scheduled - and someone has to go somewhere, at some point.

Kids can't ride their bikes throughout the town because one, it's not safe and two, someone would call the cops or file a report that kids are unsupervised.

You don't find groups of tweens and teens playing baseball in an open field or basketball courts filled - without parental supervision... Because, you can't. And, parents are too busy to sit there for hours - and besides, what early teen wants their parents lurking in the background?

So, what does that leave today's kids with? Technology.

It leaves them playing Roblox and Fortnite for hours, to emulate social interaction with friends... It leaves them talking for hours on video chat... And, their faces glued to phones, while texting...

They're trying to create a childhood of social interactions, but with the only tools they have... Sure, it looks completely different than we did it. However, this is a completely different time.

So, instead of viewing these tools as "brain eaters." Maybe we should start looking at them as their childhood of socialization. Because, not every minute of childhood, needs to be productive. And, there really isn't a difference between kids today sitting on video chat and talking about life or us sitting on a porch swing, talking about life in the early 90s...

-----------------------------------------

Catch me over on Instagram where I post daily in my feed and vlog in my stories -- Click Here!