Younger Generations v Technology

When I was twelve, I used to wake up every Saturday morning, eat breakfast, and go outside to ride my bike. I would stay out playing all day until the streets lights came on. Then, I would go inside, eat dinner with my family, wash up, and then prepare for bed. Now let’s fast forward seven years later. My younger sister, Hailey, is now twelve. She owns an IPhone, an IPad, a Samsung tablet, and a flat screen TV. Younger generations are introduced to technology at an early age.

I didn’t officially receive my first phone until I was 15 and graduated and entering my first year of high school. Even though it provided a little freedom, I still had restrictions. I had to maintain at least a low B in all of my classes, I couldn’t have internet, I wasn’t allowed to send or receive media files, and lastly, I was absolutely not allowed to talk or even text a young man. You would think that the rule would not have changed. My sister has owned a phone since she was ten. She talks to anyone she wants to, she’s barely passing any of her core classes, and she’s allowed to have/use of 4G LTE on your phone.

Younger generations no longer value education because technology consumes the time they should be using to practice time tables or long division. When I was younger, I always practiced on a graph and wrote on the chalk board when I stayed after school on certain days. When my sister gets home from school, she drops her bag, removes unwanted clothing, and immediately pulls her tablet out to watch movies on Netflix. If she does decide to at least start on her homework, she continues to watch Netflix. She basically gives the homework maybe a third of her attention. I’m sure that you can guess that she doesn’t do her best considering that homework can sometimes be extremely time consuming and frustrating.

A lot of the children in the younger generations spend hours upon hours throughout the night on their phones, tablets, and other electronic devices. When I finally received my phone as a reward in high school, I had to be off of it by nine thirty, hand it to my mom, and in the bed by at least ten o’ five. My mom even checked the bill to see how many phone calls I had made and how many text messages I sent. Sometimes she even checked dates and times. What time do you think my sister goes to bed? The earliest that I have seen her go to sleep is three thirty in the morning. That’s only a few hours until she has to get up for school. When it’s time to wake up, you would swear that you woke an angry zombie who doesn’t eat humans.

At my age a phone or a TV was a privilege, and not something you just get to do freely. They were used for better communication with family and friends. Now they have consumed and brainwashed younger generations into believing that they can do nothing without it. In this day and age a phone should be given at an appropriate age and when the child is deserving of it. Younger generations should slowly work their way from a plain, old track phone, and receive an expensive phone when ready. Television should be modified with parental guidance control/settings. It’s rare that you see a younger without a device of some sort either in their hand or in their pocket. It’s the only thing that they know now because that’s what they’re taught at different ages. Some use technology as early as eleven months because of what they watch adults or older siblings do. If you have kids now or in the future, don’t let them be like my younger sister.