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Do you think kids and technology don't mix well?


Mendez

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I always thought of it this way:

Many kids have been using technology (video games, tablets, arcades in the 90s etc) since the age of probably 3. They become obsessed with it, don't bother to play outside, and begin to gradually become obese, or at least chubby due to snaking constantly when using their devices)

That part is a for sure thing IMO.

But this next part is just speculation: they actually try to play outside or interact with other kids or whatever, but then are made fun of for being fat (or chubby), so they return to their devices for a sort of false consolation. They become trapped in the digital realm and develop social issues (due to bullying and whatever) as they grow up.

What do you guys think?

Edited by Mendez
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My kid is "autistic"*

Translation - I let my child stare at a screen 24/7 starting with tv and then computer games and now they are socially withdrawn, have zero social skills and any number of other "disorders"

*not to be mistaken for genuine cases of autism.

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I think the whole technology makes kids fat is a bit of a red herring to be honest. Most kids I know still play out plenty, do sports or generally don't sit still for two minutes, even when watching TV.

There are more harmful effects of technology for kids, grooming, bullying, unsuitable content etc...as a parent it is almost impossible to keep ahead of the game as the technology changes so often. Netflix for example had really good parental controls, then they changed it overnight unlocking everything, I didn't realise until I logged in to check to find he had watched 20 minutes of an 18 horror film. The current settings are useless as the kids content filter can be switched of on the home page. Even the most unsavvy 10 year old will figure that out really quickly.

I find it all quite stressful actually, I have everything locked down as far as I know how but am forever getting caught out by something new.

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When I was ten I was out drinking whiskey, fist fighting and banging chicks...........the kids today sit around addicted to texting and video games.

Each generation does their own thing. Whose to say if it is bad or worse than when we were kids.

Every generation things the group below them is lazy.

When I was a kid I loved watching sports. When I was like 8 or 9 there was a double header baseball game on TV - that's about six hours straight of baseball. Halfway through my mom shut the tv off and made me go outside. I literally cried because it was my favorite team playing and I had to miss it. Older guys sat around smoking weed and listening to music, my generation watched tv and played Atari and Oddessy, this generation has the internet and video games you can play against people in other countries. IN the end I think it all works out.

As a parent I just monitor and make sure things aren't done in excess. For my teen - I wouldn't let him play video games for 10 hours straight on a Saturday. But a couple hours of video games, some chores, some family time, maybe go play hoops or swimming together, then go hang with his buddies.

There is a big difference between using the TV and computer as a babysitter as opposed to letting the kids have some mindless fun now and then.

I think people tend to over react on both sides.

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I perceive a big difference between people my age (I'm almost 27) and people just 5 or 6 years younger. Specifically, I am comparing people my age when they were 21ish to those who are currently 21ish. And it is getting worse. People my age at best got a cell phone halfway through high school, and some didn't get one until college. The people younger than us had one since middle school or earlier. I think this has made them lacking in social skills. They have no etiquette, and are often very rude and brainless. They can't walk a block without staring at cell phones as opposed to their surroundings, and cannot live without ear buds shoved in their ears.

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I always let my students use their cellphones to listen to music when we're doing individual tasks in class. However, if I see them using it while I'm giving a lesson, I confiscate it immediately. I remember seeing a video of a college professor smashing a cellphone because one of his students was texting while he was giving a lecture. I used to think that was a huge overreaction, but now I kind of understand it. Technology is great as long as the kids have boundaries.

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I perceive a big difference between people my age (I'm almost 27) and people just 5 or 6 years younger. Specifically, I am comparing people my age when they were 21ish to those who are currently 21ish. And it is getting worse. People my age at best got a cell phone halfway through high school, and some didn't get one until college. The people younger than us had one since middle school or earlier. I think this has made them lacking in social skills. They have no etiquette, and are often very rude and brainless. They can't walk a block without staring at cell phones as opposed to their surroundings, and cannot live without ear buds shoved in their ears.

But how does that effect you?

While they have their nose stuck in their phone you can keep your head up and enjoy and take advantage of what is going on around you!

They'll miss the pretty girl - you'll get to say hello (but not too friendly or you'll be accused of sexually assaulting them).

While they are texting or checking facebook, you get to see the pretty flowers, the smiling grandma, the mother breastfeeding her adorable baby, the cute puppy dog chasing a butterfly, the sweet Lamborghini driving by, etc.

And if they have no etiquette and are rude and brainless............that gives you the advantage in getting a job you both are going for, in making new friends, in getting and keeping the attention of the hot girl you just met, etc.

I get it man, I really do. It is annoying and the first thought when seeing it is to be irritated. But one day it just dawned on me. Who cares what these strangers are doing. Their actions have no effect on my life.

I was at a Kid's Gym/Fun Time Palace last week with my two youngsters. There were five other parents there. At one point I looked out across the gym and ALL five parents were texting or checking things on their phone. I was the only parent who was playing with the kids. I'm pushing some random strange kid on a stomach board while his mom is updating her facebook status. I win, she loses. Instead of getting irritated by it I spent my energy/emotions having fun with my children and their kids as well.

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I perceive a big difference between people my age (I'm almost 27) and people just 5 or 6 years younger. Specifically, I am comparing people my age when they were 21ish to those who are currently 21ish. And it is getting worse. People my age at best got a cell phone halfway through high school, and some didn't get one until college. The people younger than us had one since middle school or earlier. I think this has made them lacking in social skills. They have no etiquette, and are often very rude and brainless. They can't walk a block without staring at cell phones as opposed to their surroundings, and cannot live without ear buds shoved in their ears.

But how does that effect you?

While they have their nose stuck in their phone you can keep your head up and enjoy and take advantage of what is going on around you!

They'll miss the pretty girl - you'll get to say hello (but not too friendly or you'll be accused of sexually assaulting them).

While they are texting or checking facebook, you get to see the pretty flowers, the smiling grandma, the mother breastfeeding her adorable baby, the cute puppy dog chasing a butterfly, the sweet Lamborghini driving by, etc.

And if they have no etiquette and are rude and brainless............that gives you the advantage in getting a job you both are going for, in making new friends, in getting and keeping the attention of the hot girl you just met, etc.

I get it man, I really do. It is annoying and the first thought when seeing it is to be irritated. But one day it just dawned on me. Who cares what these strangers are doing. Their actions have no effect on my life.

I was at a Kid's Gym/Fun Time Palace last week with my two youngsters. There were five other parents there. At one point I looked out across the gym and ALL five parents were texting or checking things on their phone. I was the only parent who was playing with the kids. I'm pushing some random strange kid on a stomach board while his mom is updating her facebook status. I win, she loses. Instead of getting irritated by it I spent my energy/emotions having fun with my children and their kids as well.

I've thought about it that way, too, but I get irritated and nervous about it when driving. I've seen so many stupid crashes and near-misses because people don't even look when they're crossing the street. They step out into traffic while listening to music and texting, and never even look up. I mean, how fucking stupid can you be?

I know that their inadequacies give me an advantage in life, but I'm also worried for the next generation coming up in general. Will they ever figure out how to live? So few of them have even the most basic of common sense and life skills. This also has a lot to do with helicopter parenting, I think.

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I always let my students use their cellphones to listen to music when we're doing individual tasks in class. However, if I see them using it while I'm giving a lesson, I confiscate it immediately. I remember seeing a video of a college professor smashing a cellphone because one of his students was texting while he was giving a lecture. I used to think that was a huge overreaction, but now I kind of understand it. Technology is great as long as the kids have boundaries.

This one?

For some reason, I see you reacting more like this.

:P

I don't think the issue is really with technology itself. I just think a lot of people nowadays struggle with moderation. They get sucked too sucked into things and just neglect to do anything else. Sometimes they just don't have anything else to do.

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I think people are exxagerating with regards to this. All my kids and their friends love playing outside the most. Inside they rather bake cookies, play with their lego/playmobil/barbies, draw and or just play with other kids rather then playing games. Ofcourse they do play games, mostly in the weekends, but never that long. Kids loose interest fast and certainly mine. They are actually very creatieve with my iPad and make movies with it and my son uses my iPad to make music.

My stepson will be 18 in a few months and he is watching his cell phone a lot. He has to put it away when we eat or sit together. Then again, when I was his age, I didn't want to be with my parents at all and if I was, I was on the phone with my friends. Basicly the same thing. Sure he likes to play games every now and then, but not a concerning lot. Neither are his friends, they rather play some soccer, sitting outside talking to eachother or to girls. Nothing changed there.

Ofcourse there are children who do have a problem, but I suppose as a parent you have to set some boundaries with this. Watch them closely and what they do. For the moment the only search my kids secretly done on YouTube was search for 'poop' :lol:. But that kids can't be social anymore and stuff like that is totally exxagerated imo.

About the obese part, the parents can often be blamed for that. Besides a junk food restaurant on every corner is not helping at all. Don't think gaming has all that much influence.

Edited by MB.
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My kid is "autistic"*

Translation - I let my child stare at a screen 24/7 starting with tv and then computer games and now they are socially withdrawn, have zero social skills and any number of other "disorders"

*not to be mistaken for genuine cases of autism.

Shit like this pisses me off, and I've had a few debates with people about it - the "autism spectrum" is fucking bullshit. Autism is a real disorder, please don't get me wrong on that, I have 2 severely autistic cousins who will never properly function in society without assistance. Which is why I think it's disgusting and does a huge disservice to the actual problem when the "spectrum" is broadened to include every fucking kid who's socially awkward <_<

To answer the OP, absolutely I think technological devices make kids socially retarded as the grow older. Social media is partly linked to the problem too because it massively inflates the ego's of a lot of kids, so you've got social retards who think they're owed the world. Look at that fucking Elliot Roger kid in California that stabbed a ton of people because he couldn't get a girl but felt he "deserved" one. Obviously that was an extreme case but it's possibly a glimpse into the mindset of a lot of kids who've never known a non-telecommunication-centered world.

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My kid is "autistic"*

Translation - I let my child stare at a screen 24/7 starting with tv and then computer games and now they are socially withdrawn, have zero social skills and any number of other "disorders"

*not to be mistaken for genuine cases of autism.

Shit like this pisses me off, and I've had a few debates with people about it - the "autism spectrum" is fucking bullshit. Autism is a real disorder, please don't get me wrong on that, I have 2 severely autistic cousins who will never properly function in society without assistance. Which is why I think it's disgusting and does a huge disservice to the actual problem when the "spectrum" is broadened to include every fucking kid who's socially awkward <_<

To answer the OP, absolutely I think technological devices make kids socially retarded as the grow older. Social media is partly linked to the problem too because it massively inflates the ego's of a lot of kids, so you've got social retards who think they're owed the world. Look at that fucking Elliot Roger kid in California that stabbed a ton of people because he couldn't get a girl but felt he "deserved" one. Obviously that was an extreme case but it's possibly a glimpse into the mindset of a lot of kids who've never known a non-telecommunication-centered world.

Exactly, and now since "bullying" is the new buzzword for any disagreement with kids, awkward kids are never taught lessons about fitting in.

They used to get made fun of for something weird they did, and they'd either learn not to do that weird shit anymore, or become a CEO eventually. Now they're taught that they're a special unique snowflake and deserve the world, puberty hits, and they get a gun.

I got a bit of topic. My Stepmom's sister's family is huge, they have 8 kids. Their dad is a computer programmer, he's alright, because he learned those skills after he learned social skills like normal people. Most of the kids though, are one of those people that before saying hello to you in your home, they ask you the wifi password. They always have their face buried in a 3DS, or a phone, anything connected to the internet. They're kinda weird.

To answer the question in the OP, kids need to learn interaction, sociability, and most important, HOW TO LOSE, before being given something with such anti-social power.

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I always thought of it this way:

Many kids have been using technology (video games, tablets, arcades in the 90s etc) since the age of probably 3. They become obsessed with it, don't bother to play outside, and begin to gradually become obese, or at least chubby due to snaking constantly when using their devices)

That part is a for sure thing IMO.

Yes, that's a sure thing. It is with 100% certainty that upon playing video games and tablets, life is just a gradual road to obesity.

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I always thought of it this way:

Many kids have been using technology (video games, tablets, arcades in the 90s etc) since the age of probably 3. They become obsessed with it, don't bother to play outside, and begin to gradually become obese, or at least chubby due to snaking constantly when using their devices)

That part is a for sure thing IMO.

Yes, that's a sure thing. It is with 100% certainty that upon playing video games and tablets, life is just a gradual road to obesity.

I may have taken it to the extreme, but I feel that it is somewhat grounded in truth (an extreme truth at that)

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People, for whatever reason, like to claim their generation is superior to the next in every way. It's just what we do. Though factually, we only get smarter over the generations, but that might be irrelevant. Has it ever occurred to some of you that perhaps most of the kids who play video games/use tablets/whatever and turn out socially awkward/obese are people who are just inherently that way, with or without the technology? Or maybe that you perhaps don't have the experience to speak on the social workings of a generation you don't belong to purely based on the time you saw a kid on his phone walking down the street.

I guess we won't *really* know for another 10 years, but the way older people in here are speaking so matter of factly about this isn't right, "kids are growing up socially retarded" is a very large and harsh generalization

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People, for whatever reason, like to claim their generation is superior to the next in every way. It's just what we do. Though factually, we only get smarter over the generations, but that might be irrelevant. Has it ever occurred to some of you that perhaps most of the kids who play video games/use tablets/whatever and turn out socially awkward/obese are people who are just inherently that way, with or without the technology? Or maybe that you perhaps don't have the experience to speak on the social workings of a generation you don't belong to purely based on the time you saw a kid on his phone walking down the street.

I guess we won't *really* know for another 10 years, but the way older people in here are speaking so matter of factly about this isn't right, "kids are growing up socially retarded" is a very large and harsh generalization

Good post. I believe this is correct.

Btw I know many other parents who are way more active on social media and their cell phone then their kids. When picking up the kids, you see these parents watching their phone instead of greeting/hugging/give some attention to their kids. I find that way more annoying then a teen on the phone making appointments with their friends. Like I said, my experience with this is that people are exxagerating.

Ofcourse I am annoyed when I see kids on their phone, when riding their bike and don't watch their surrounding. But to be honest I didn't either, when young. I was busy dreaming or listening to my walkman/discman (yes walkman, that old :lol:). The image portrayed of young kids/teens isn't the same as I experience.

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People, for whatever reason, like to claim their generation is superior to the next in every way. It's just what we do. Though factually, we only get smarter over the generations, but that might be irrelevant. Has it ever occurred to some of you that perhaps most of the kids who play video games/use tablets/whatever and turn out socially awkward/obese are people who are just inherently that way, with or without the technology? Or maybe that you perhaps don't have the experience to speak on the social workings of a generation you don't belong to purely based on the time you saw a kid on his phone walking down the street.

I guess we won't *really* know for another 10 years, but the way older people in here are speaking so matter of factly about this isn't right, "kids are growing up socially retarded" is a very large and harsh generalization.

I wish I could say it was "The time I saw a kid," but unfortunately it's the rule, not the exception.

Personally, I don't get why people are on their phones so much. Nobody is that interesting that they need to be texting, Twittering, Facebooking, etc. for every spare moment of their day. I can't imagine anyone other than maybe top politicians and business people having to make that amount of electronic communication.

(I should point out that I am talking about younger college aged people. I'm sorry if this group is not whom you intended to speak about, but it's what I thought of. The actual children I see seem nearly as bad, but it should be noted that they usually can only be seen at or traveling between their scheduled activities. You don't see them just milling about.)

Edited by DirtyDeeds
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The kids, the kids, the kids are alright. And they haven't changed much. They are just early adopters of new technological platforms to allow them to act out their intrinsic behaviours, like isolating themselves from parents, annoying parents, rebelling, being social with friends, flirting, playing games, excelling at things they know how to do, etc.

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I have a 6 year old niece and she loves doing the traditional things like riding her bike, playing outside and using her imagination etc but her parents are too lazy to do any of that shit with her so she gets plonked in front of the idiot box, stuffing her face.

My brother is 40 and as soon as he gets home he is on the computer or playing computer games- that's all he wants to do, he gets the shits if his wife or kid if they interrupt his 'puter time, and will stay up all night playing twiddle me thumbs and not go to work/ have his wife wake him up/ nag and carry on like our mother did when we were kids :lol:

My niece's bike is in their garage and has had the same flat tyre ( as in, hasn't been used) for coming up to a whole year.

So basically I don't think it's just kids :shrugs:

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