It really is that phone.

I never thought I would be the kind of person to say, "Kids these days." Unfortunately, though this is what it has come to. I hate to judge others, but I am truly concerned for the future generation of adults. 

While I was growing up, I was able to enjoy childhood screen free until I got my first iPad. I received the first EVER iPad, THE generation 1 at age 10. I was the original iPad kid, so my credentials are valid. However, I wasn't allowed to have social media or a phone until I hit middle school. I had always been so jealous of my friends with social media but today I feel that the order in which I received my devices was completely valid and I will be reciprocating it for my children.

Today children receive an iPad as soon as they are 2 years old. Introduction of technology to a mind that young is not beneficial to anyone but the parent that deems it necessary. Now that children have grown solely on the internet, everything has become cringe. Tween spaces have died and everything has gone online. Media being consumed at this rate has its consequences, especially on young impressionable minds. Tweens today are watching baddies, feeling the need for makeup/ skincare, and looksmaxxing. This deeply saddens me, like my core. It's one of the weakest points in our society today. We are fostering children and telling them that they need to change themselves to be someone. Every other day I stumble across children on TikTok asking if their looks are "cooked", while they have yet to even grow into their teenage face. Girls are told by the internet to go to sophora, boys are being told to go to the gym and STARVE. Eating disorder culture is on the rise and it's harming these impressionable minds. Children are consuming adult media that we as adults understand to be satire or fake, but they see it as real. They watch shows like baddies that encourage emotional regulation via physical altercations. They see influencers making rude body comments, using slurs and laughing at people's attractiveness. When they consume media like this, they either laugh at features they don't have and become bullies or become upset and insecure that people on the internet are laughing at features they have. It genuinely scares me to watch these children and tweens grow up to become adults that don't know how to handle insecurity and anger in the proper ways. 

The only way to fix this is to reduce screen time and limit social media use. As someone who was raised on the internet, I've had a fair share of insecurities foster from ignorance on the internet, but this is much worse than anything I had to experience. I truly hope something is fixed soon because I fear the adults they will become. Stop giving kids iPads until they are mentally ready to take on the toll of the internet.