Technology has become a daily part of our lives ever since the first Nokia phone came out in 1996. However, technology has advanced a lot, whether it’s for the better or worse, and has shaped people’s lives in many ways. One of those ways is for parents to shut their kids up by shoving a tablet into their hands and telling them to watch a brain-degrading video or play game.
Parents have found that using this technology lessens the burden of dealing with the children they decided to have, giving them 30 minutes of peace. What they don’t understand is that they are slowly creating monsters. I’m not saying that Gen Z didn’t have stuff like this to use, but our tablets and other electronics weren’t as advanced as Gen Alpha’s, so it was less likely for us to use them.
Since these kids grow up seeing their parents on their phones daily and consistently, they know that it is a form of entertainment and is normalized, which, in their brains, makes it seem like a normal activity instead of a reward. Nowadays, one can rarely go out to dinner and not see a family with their toddler or child sitting on a tablet the whole time, not even touching the food in front of them, or even taking a sip of their drink. While some parents do try to get their kids to eat their food when it comes, many give up after the child is screaming, crying, or even physically harming them. This can disrupt the whole restaurant, and parents end up just letting them play on their tablets the entire time. However, after they choose to take the food home because nothing was touched, the child suddenly wants some because they’re hungry. But at that point, the parents are frustrated and mad, and the child is screaming again. Not to mention, when they do decide to eat, they will still have the tablet in their hands, making the device all sticky and grimy, to the point it’s almost impossible to press any buttons on it, which frustrates them because it’s not working. Oh, and don’t even try cleaning it off because that will upset them too.
These electronic devices have grasped these children and their parents tightly, and they are not letting go anytime soon. Parents are trying to use the “gentle parenting” tactic to help manage these situations, but has anyone seen a change? We teenagers joke about being “iPad kids” all of the time because we sit with our phones and watch a show while eating or doing something, and we think it’s funny. But what is going to happen when the actual “iPad kids” grow up? According to Today, they have already developed unwanted, unhealthy, and downright strange behavior. These kids have lower reading levels than ever and have no imagination because all of it is put in front of them via a screen.
The amount of screen time given to kids should be limited, and other activities should be prioritized. Stuff like playing outdoors, playing with toys, and even playing with other human beings should be normal things that parents are having their children do, not setting them up in front of a screen while they go lay on the couch, watching TikTok or the hottest new TV show.
