Tablet Kids II: The Growing Divide

[number six]

So awhile ago I posted about how some parents we know are raising Tablet kids, ie the kids that just sit and stare at their phones/tablets 24/7 and seemingly have 0 social skills as a consequence. Well a few years on I can report things have only become worse.

Now it seems there's a divide amongst the youth I interact with. On one side you have normal well adjusted kids that act about how you'd expect. On the flip side you have the tablet kids who are noticeably retarded in development all around and it's significant. Most of these kids act is if they are significantly younger than they actually are.

For example we had a wedding over the new years holiday. Rehearsal dinner night we sat with a normal kid, he was 18 but had just started college. He had goals and was working towards them, most importantly you could have a conversation with him.. like you would with any adult person.

During the wedding reception we were paired up with one of the tablet kids from the original post. This kid is a few years younger than the college kid but good gravy what a difference. Immediately tablet kid whips out the tablet and stays glued to it the entire evening. Zero interaction or conversation other than a few very small sentences here when prompted by a parent. Tablet kid still only eats chicken nuggets which luckily for him there was something like a chicken finger on the fancy buffet so that's all he ate.. with his bare hands because tablet kid doesn't know how to use a knife or fork because why would he? He only eats fucking chicken nuggets.

The difference between these two kids couldn't be larger. This is also not an isolated incident I know of a few cases like this. Tablet kids know how to tablet and that's it. No friends, no social skills, no goals or ambition.. just couch and a screen that's it. On more than one occasion i've heard the parents mention 'youtube streamer' as their career goal... yeah good luck with that.

In all of these cases the main problem is the parents.  I think it was initially just easier to give the kid a tablet and shut him up but now years on they've got a half-human blob that they created so now they have to pretend that it's all fine and they'll just eventually 'figure life out' or something. But my guess is they wont and 5 years from now they'll be exactly where they are now and thats probably the worst place they can be.

[HammysHangout ( Hammy )]

here kid, take this tablet, your now a rockstar!

#doesnotworkthatway

[stf]

I totally agree.
For me, meals are the line not to be cross. And if you go this way to be quiet with your toddler, good luck changing this habit later...

On the other hand, I can say I am quite amazed with how teenagers use youtube and co to open their minds to a lot of different topics and learn about music, blockchain, innovations etc. My kids are way more cultivated and open to the world than I was at their age.

So, as you said, it all depends of the parents and how you find the right balance for your kid.

[tufnel1530]

No offense to those with kids under 25 but pretty much every one I have met is a basket case with zero personality and a stack of issues.

Most kids these days have anxiety or any other number of metal health issues because they were raised in the fake "social" hell which is the internet and facebook etc.

We live in pretty screwed up times so things are not going to get better.

[SpineyNorman]

Bullying needs to make a big comeback, as well as sanctioned paternal beating administrations...just sayin

One day these "snowflake" kids are gonna be dumped in the real world to fend for themselves and are gonna get eaten alive.

[Sid]

Bullying needs to make a big comeback, as well as sanctioned paternal beating administrations...just sayin

One day these "snowflake" kids are gonna be dumped in the real world to fend for themselves and are gonna get eaten alive.

Not true.  There will always be liberal pussy Democrats around to carry them through life with handouts and programs.  You know... Biden supporters.

[BigMatt]

I do agree the tablets and phones need to be put the fuck away for the planet to get better, but the bullying shit needs to stop, you wouldn't be saying comments like that if one of your kids killed himself over some dumbass Facebook shit, which happened to my transgender niece/nephew however you wanna look at it idc. Suicide rates have gone up per capita from bullying, bullying would have had to leave for it to come back, it's so much worse for these kids now because of the internet in a lot of psychological ways. Rant over.

[RussG]

Yeah it's all messed up. 

Idiocracy here we come!

I am not optimistic about all our futures.

[Niloc]

Gonna be a lot of "His Mom literally went with him to his job interview..." type situations.

Lots of them will just live with their parents forever.

I'd guess some will end up homeless when their parents die and they find out the house wasn't paid for and the bank will be taking it and all the other assets shortly.

There are definitely still many perfectly functional people in their 20's - I've met and worked with some. Plenty of duds too though, and they just don't get hired.
Kids younger than that... yeah, it may be getting worse.

Lots of idiots wind up with kids by mistake, many others just out of a sense of obligation or "that's just what you do - you grow up, get married and have kids".
They shouldn't, but it's also a bit silly to expect them to work hard on raising kids they never really wanted in the first place.

[Big Al]

Tablet kid still only eats chicken nuggets which luckily for him there was something like a chicken finger on the fancy buffet so that's all he ate.. with his bare hands because tablet kid doesn't know how to use a knife or fork because why would he? He only eats fucking chicken nuggets.

Aaaaaa, hahahaha!!!

I guess that’s what they are called.  I never knew there was a term for them.

I recently had a conversation with my wife about how different my friends kids are - one is a tablet kid and one is not.  They do not have any disabilities, it’s just a personality or lack there of.   Tablet kid loves his nuggets.

Oh god, still chuckling and wife says what’s so funny.

Great social observation.

Ha, ha, happy gaming,
Big Al

[littlewest]

I think I did pretty good for my age... but anyway, I have plenty of friends that are tablet kids. I feel for them and push them outside of their zones so they grow into a person. I feel like I've been 35-45 my whole life as it is anyway.

[Davesdewas]

No offense to those with kids under 25 but pretty much every one I have met is a basket case with zero personality and a stack of issues.

[k7]

no offense taken here. i have a 16 year old, and no matter what i throw at him, he is still well adjusted.

if they are entertained with nothing but electronic games, they won't adjust to the outside world.

personally...i hate the outside world. i like my bubble with the people i know.

[number six]

No offense to those with kids under 25 but pretty much every one I have met is a basket case with zero personality and a stack of issues.

Not all of them.. but a commonality between all of the kids i've met that aren't just complete zombies is a lack of an addiction to their phones or tablets.

[number six]

Lots of them will just live with their parents forever.

I think this is the likely scenario. You are going to see a lot of 30 year olds living in basements.. I mean I guess that happens already.. but wait 10 years and see the numbers.

And I mean there were kids who just didn't 'get it' back in our day.. obviously there weren't tablets but you still had the weird loners with no friends that kinda sat in the corner but it was rare, maybe a handful per school.. the tablet kids seem to be a bigger problem. It's the whole online thing that nurtures and promotes this behavior. If you were the loner loser kid at school you had incentive to change but the tablet kids have entire network to help keep them on the tablets.