Thinking of my childhood, I imagine staying up all night to watch a movie that my older cousins rented from Redbox. But as generations change, so does the technology that they use. Kids are always advancing with the media and technology they are around. Now, instead of renting a Redbox movie or buying a DVD, we binge watch movies and television shows on Netflix or Hulu.
In today’s age, everyone as young as 8 is very technologically advanced. The internet gives us wide access to everything arounds us. There are no restrictions and the results are positive: “Technology may be exposing kids to more, making them intellectually savvier” (Bishop 1).
Exposure to the content that wasn’t available to the generations before Gen Z is a positive change. Social media is a way to stay connected to the world – a way to have insight on what is going on around us. It makes teens and kids more engaged and causes them to think more critically.
The use of technology does not mean that kids are growing up faster. If anything, it is causing them to grow up slower. As one article states, “viewed one way, children really are growing up more slowly seemingly kept young by a socially distanced and digital world” (Bishop 1).
Kids are growing up slower because they are more used to their tech lifestyle. There is less going out, less partying, less leaving the house overall. Everything is available online, friends, research, shopping – it’s all there, waiting to be accessed.
On the other hand, some may believe that social media and technology is letting kids grow up faster. There is “increased exposure to violent or sexual content at a younger age, which causes desensitization and normalization, because children’s brains aren’t fully developed (Bishop 1).
However, this unrestrained access to information lets kids and teens have a sense of independence. They are able to find the information they need on their own without the help of any adults. If anything, the access kids have now has made them more knowledgeable and worldly.
While I reminisce about all the Redbox movie nights, I realize that I’m still growing. I’m turning 16, and there are new technologies being introduced everyday. My idea of childhood is not as different as kids today. There are just different perspectives of kids growing up today.
My sister playing Roblox with my little cousins is like me playing my cousin’s Play Station 1. It’s the same idea, just advancing with everything around us.
