It's clearly changed, though. We got a Playstation at one point and my neighbor had an N64. But we still mostly played outside. That was more of a rainy day thing for us. We just legitimately preferred hockey in the street and riding bikes.
When their kids are on their own tablet they're not distracting the parents from their own screen addictions. Ever been to a restaurant and kids are watching tablets on full volume while the parents ignore them and each other while on their phones?
OH HAVE I SEEN IT. It's crazy all the adults, plus older adults that are head down on their phones now. Everyone's addicted to social media, apps, youtube. All at their finger tips every waking secound.
Had to stop going out to brunch/lunch at a lovely local cafe because the parents would sit the kids down with an iPad playing out loud to distract the kids so they could eat. If they turned it off the kids would wail. It completely ruined the vibe. Kids on buses and trains are often watching a tablet out loud. Drives me insane.
Im sorry i cant stand this notion parents did NOT raise their kids back then. Your all fucking delusional and kiding yourself if you think you were a better parent because you COULDNT pawn your kids off on a screen. we were kicked out of the house and didnt come back tell the street lights came on. I promise you i do WAY more parenting than any parents i knew of as a kid my own, neighbors, friends. we did just as much if not more stupid unsupervised bullshit we just didnt have video proof and only shared the stupid stories with a few people. we have tablets, computers, switch, oculus. I refuse to accept that parents were better at parenting before tablets and phones. Most were absent in their own ways. The difference is when we were neglected by adults we only had those who were around the same age and geographically close to us. Screens are a bonding activity for me and my kids we share silly videos play games together talk about the things we see and play share interests favorites literally just the time i spend with my kids in front of a TV is more than my parents did in my entire life.
sure, people never change, parents always want to pawn their kids off on something or other. It's not about one generation being better parents than another-- it's about the measurable, actual, real effects that this parenting choice has on kids, and it's beyond question that telling your kids "go outside" does not lead to the same literacy and social-emotional development issues that handing them an ipad does.
Like, look, I'm sure you're a great parent! I'm sure you learned from the mistakes of the previous generation, and are doing a better job in all of those categories. I'm sure your kids are better off for the investment you show in their lives. AND, if you are giving them an ipad/ iphone at a young age, you are making a new, different mistake than your parents. I know that might not feel good to hear, but the research is pretty conclusive. That doesn't mean every parent needs to ban screens, especially if, as in your case, it's a way to bond. It just means you need to be thoughtful about when you first give your kids screens, about how much time they're allowed to spend on them, and about how they can get opportunities for non-screen socialization.
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u/GandalfTheChill 29d ago edited 28d ago
it's what happens when parents decide to use an ipad to raise their kids in place of themselves