TLDR:
Making your kids go without smartphones could be difficult because their friends will most likely have phones and will most likely leave your kid out of events and conversations.
TLDR:
Making your kids go without smartphones could be difficult because their friends will most likely have phones and will most likely leave your kid out of events and conversations.
That paragraph about her dance group going on their phones instead of talking to each other is so depressing. It isn't that common where I am because reception is awful and goes off frequently for long periods of time, so you're often left with no choice but to socialize.
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And the difference in social skills is kind of staggering. I've seen it between kids in the city raised on smartphones and rural kids who weren't. The city kids are a lot more withdrawn and socially awkward while the rural ones are more outgoing and talkative. The rural kids also have better attention spans. Sometimes there are benefits to living in the mountains lol
really? honestly i've known exactly the opposite - myself and all 5 kids i knew spread out across my rural ass county had literally no way to interact with people our own ages except online (unless you were willing to walk an hour plus to the next village to see each other lol), whereas when i moved out and met city kids, they were people who'd been able to interact with other kids their entire lives and seemed much more social and less anxious
Rural communities here tend to be very tight-knit and there are frequent get togethers for things like house building with other villages or giant dinner parties. A lot of it comes from the indigenous groups putting a lot of emphasis on community events.
Guessing you don't live in America?
Nope. Highlands of Central America. I did live in Upstate New York for a number of years and found it to be the opposite. Most of the rural kids were in heavily religious families and had really creepy cult-like vibes. I think I was the first non-white person most of them had met. The city kids were more socialized and less spiteful overall.
Yeah, sounds about right. America is pretty atomized and alienated right now. Not a lot of strong community in most places.
Does that even exist anywhere? Living in the suburbs is pure fucking hell, but I imagine pretty much everyone is lonely to a degree these days in the YOU ESS AAYH
Not that I'm aware of. I think there are probably still weird Christian cults and Mormons (redundant) that have community activities, but everyone I know has been getting increasingly alienated and isolated for years. I've basically lost all my friends and only talk to a few people on discord and you lot.
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I'm a grown (and relatively well-adjusted) man and I can't handle having a smartphone myself
Yes, it really is a shame that texting seems to be not the way people communicate now. I mean, why would you communicate with your friends over Instagram or whatever? Doesn't really make much sense to me. I feel like getting your kid a keyboard phone wouldn't be a bad idea instead anyway though.