Twisted Foundations
The Pilfered Innocence of a Digitally Manipulated Generation
The theft of the adolescent’s innocence, a foul consequence of the shift in America’s culture, breeds a contagion that gnashes at the sanctity of future generations.
One of the few precious images we hold as a society is that of the cherub. Curious, bright eyes and a welcoming complexion exist in their pure essence, expressing the epitome of youth. We decorate our gardens, bedrooms, and entryways with this stunning likeness of the honest child. This way, we honor the perfect parallel to our children and protect that identity in this homage. However, beneath the surface, a disheartening reality is cracking through the cement of our foundation. As our culture transforms, innocence is stealthily snatched away, leaving our adolescents vulnerable and exposed. It is during childhood that the seeds of curiosity, playfulness, and growth are planted.
It is no mystery that the most fragile yet carefree years of the human experience occur during childhood, and those instances are essential for the parent and the child alike. For the child, this is an endeavor to honor their guardian to the highest degree and to revere the methods by which they are taught. The guardian should provide benevolence and grace to the child, creating a foundation of trust and esteem during this limited window; nevertheless, it is the adventure of maturity and discipline. In tandem, this united relationship of growth represents the epitome of parenthood at its core — the protection of the innocent.
During childhood, the experiences a child encounters leave a lasting impression, combining curiosity with naïveté. Foremost, childhood is that of whimsicality and mischievousness, which must be recognized and appreciated in its purest form. In this exploration period, a child aims at those interests that spark their light, churn the gears in their mind, and bring surprises. For this reason, it is essential to guide children in exploring hobbies such as crafting, art, woodworking, or playing an instrument; according to a study published on Fronsteirsin.org, children who learned to play a musical instrument performed better on a memory task. As children search for their passion, they thrive on the rewards of their achievements, shaping them into adulthood. Evolving oneself and adopting skills is a more significant endeavor for young males and should be handled with care and respect by the parent, as forming a comprehension and technique aids in producing independence and confidence in the future. After all, receiving recognition and earning a sense of utility is valued universally, personally, and professionally.
Evolving oneself and adopting skills is a more significant endeavor for young males and should be handled with care and respect by the parent, as forming a comprehension and technique aids in producing independence and confidence in the future.
Albeit these practical, ideal images of the optimal youth maturation route, society has a ceaseless crawl of advancement. As we have recently been confronted with ultramodern communication methods, light entertainment, and play mechanisms, we have entered a new era for our youth. As we continue to advance technologically, the role of parenthood expands to include navigating the digital world. Mothers and fathers must balance allowing their children to explore technology while ensuring their safety. To prevent unpredictable consequences of unsupervised inquiry into technology, the participation of a child’s guardians is imperative. Besides, the role of parenthood itself is an obligation of order.
During parenthood, fundamental principles reign supreme in raising a child into adulthood. There is little need to explain each commitment, as they are practically instinctual, and those who do not abide by their parental duties should face the law. Nevertheless, there are primary, innate duties of caring for the infant into preadolescence, and as the child enters childhood, those obligations expand. These years are pivotal for young girls and boys, requiring a role model to be ever-present. Amid this complex landscape, it is tempting to imagine strict and vigilant parents consistently monitoring their children’s device usage. Despite this, the reality often falls short of this ideal. More commonly, parents rely on the illusion of trust, mistakenly assuming that their children possess the necessary self-discipline to navigate the digital realm responsibly. As a result, the boundaries that could guide children’s behavior on devices dwindle to the wayside of their consciousness, creating a breeding ground for little self-discipline and further exacerbating the negative consequences of excessive technology use. When children lack proper attentiveness, they seek alternative ways to gain attention, which can harm their self-development. As they strive for peer recognition, they risk suppressing their authentic selves.
Daughters need mothers, and sons need fathers.
For this reason, mothers and fathers play their roles naturally and responsibly and with incredible grace when done correctly. Daughters need mothers, and sons need fathers. Although, this notion, too, has faltered in recent years due to many societal interferences, one being the intrusion of technology. As technological devices prematurely enter a child’s life, the commitment to safeguard the child is teetering on a slope. Despite the redundancy of articles and expert warnings, it is not without merit. The consequences of irresponsibly regulating the “world at your fingertips” is damning.
Since the early 2000s, there has been a collective growth of attachment to the screen, intensifying into an all-consuming obsession for many. One screen-time statistic from ExplodingTopics.com shows that the average American now spends approximately 7 hours and 4 minutes daily on their devices. This excessive screen time is even more pronounced among the younger generation, with Gen Z averaging 9 hours of daily device usage. Furthermore, these statistics are even more alarming when we consider that almost half (49%) of 0 to 2-year-olds now interact with smartphones. While mobile phones serve various purposes for adults, it is vital to acknowledge the allure of the screen that can be hard to resist. They enable us to communicate with friends, family, and colleagues and can be invaluable in emergencies.
Potential employees often require a mobile device to communicate with coworkers and supervisors to secure a job. Still, this specific dependence on the device has made it arduous for those who wish to release themselves from the gadget’s anchor.
Nevertheless, communication is not the thorn that now pierces the sides of the consumer; instead, it is the excessive use of social media and the constant barrage of fast-paced algorithms that wreak havoc on adults and children.
Upon giving the child a device and access to apps, the parent should be practically omnipresent and consistent with their diligence in supervising. The most common app parents introduce their children to is YouTube, specifically YouTube Kids. According to Google Support, “Parents can choose between three age-based content settings: Preschool (ages four and under), younger (ages 5–8), and older (ages 9–12).” This availability of choice is convenient; however, Google continues to say that “no automated system is perfect,” and they cannot manually review every video and its content. With that in mind, it would be beneficial for adults to consider the privileges they bestow on their children. While parents can utilize YouTube Kids for entertainment with parental oversight, it may hinder physical interaction and bonding between parent and child as it becomes relied upon for education.
Besides YouTube Kids, the app without restrictions has its faults, exposing children to many foreign concepts before they are mature enough to recognize and comprehend them. One example is the fickle autoplay feature, which unexpectedly reveals children to random, inappropriate channels. Let alone this app creates a passive and lazy parent over time, making way for the “babysitter” device. Learning through the device has opened many doors for the child’s future, but the road ahead becomes uneasy without the correct guidance from a guardian.
Several more apps, including TikTok, come to mind when thinking of this addiction that now taints children in their midst of curiosity. While users of this platform are subjugated to the algorithm they craft themselves, young children are not keen on this fact. They will most certainly indulge in tasteless material. TikTok is at the forefront of that battle, representing the epitome of egoism while capturing the attention of users nationwide, even if that attention lingers for seconds at a time. It is crucial to emphasize the consequences of allowing children to participate in such an erratic app, as it disrupts their development with videos of adults showcasing every aspect of their lives on-screen. Creators on the app publish videos, some containing drawn-out rants of their hangups with the world as it is today. For a young child or teen, this presents a foreign state of mind to partake in, likely resulting in the child distrusting how they were raised, beginning their “rebellion stage.” This stage could have been delayed or avoided entirely had a parent shielded the child from viewing videos of strangers online.
Today’s youth have shifted away from using iMessage or MMS for communication with friends, so they have turned to third-party apps as their primary transmission means. Therefore, the most popular app among children and young teens is Snapchat. The previously mentioned apps could also classify as mediums for contact, yet, Snapchat advertises itself as the most convenient form of communication. While the apps mentioned above can also serve as communication platforms, Snapchat specifically markets itself as the most convenient means of communication. Users can post images and videos on their “stories,” allowing their friends or strangers to view their personal lives and respond, a feature that holds its ramifications.
For immature females, engaging with males of the same age or older through an outlet such as Snapchat festers a mass of societal influence. Combining this app usage with the lack of a parental figure, young girls will undoubtedly entertain impropriety to garner a sense of false self from the collective. Additionally, without proper parental surveillance, teens will be exposed to nudity and sexual content before reaching maturity, which further produces complications in psychological development. Despite the ease of sharing and peering into others’ lives, this app establishes a troubling precedent for conceitedness, further complicating the parent-child relationship in their quest for trust and integrity.
Additionally, without proper parental surveillance, teens will be exposed to nudity and sexual content before reaching maturity, which further produces complications in psychological development.
Ultimately, this allure of constant photo exchanges and little texting can create a skewed sense of social connection, replacing genuine human interaction with virtual exchanges. As a result, the reliance on Snapchat and similar apps raises concerns about the diminishing role of physical activities and the impact on the overall well-being of children. It seems ironic for millennial parents to criticize their children for their obsession over the phone and disregarding family time while allowing the behavior to persist as if they have zero discipline toward their offspring. Referring to the concept of “learning through the device,” this idea is primarily represented as a convenience rather than an addiction, allowing the parent some slack in parenthood, a slack pointlessly granted.
The child’s technological corruption has firmly entrenched itself, making discipline an uphill battle. Parents not only contend with their children experiencing withdrawal symptoms but also face the immense pressure imposed by corporations. In the past decade, there has been a significant surge in ADHD diagnoses among children, resulting in a growing number of individuals relying on medications and, alarmingly, amphetamines. This phenomenon leaves many parents questioning what went wrong in their parenting or genetics, causing such a disruption in their children’s ability to focus. Regrettably, millennial parents overlook the importance of physical activity, particularly for their sons. It is worth emphasizing that young males require a sense of community and the opportunity to discover their purpose through skills and craftsmanship.
Unsurprisingly, children struggle to “sit still” in class, considering it goes against their natural inclinations.
As technology’s reach expands, it has robbed children of the cherubic and carefree childhood experienced by previous generations; notably Gen X and parts of Gen Y. It is paramount for the older generation to understand the implications of this shift for their children. By neglecting to educate themselves about the dangers of unregulated technology use and failing to provide proper direction and oversight, parents risk further eroding the virtue necessary for a child’s proper maturation. As guardians of their well-being, we must reclaim and preserve their innocence, ensuring they can navigate the world with curiosity, wonder, and purity. Parents must create a nurturing environment that safeguards their child’s innocence, allowing them to flourish and grow into resilient and compassionate adults. Then, we truly protect and cherish each child’s precious essence of youth while developing trust for both parent and child.
Children, in themselves, hold the power of Eden with its wonders, and it is to be protected. Just as the cherub guards the gates of Eden, parents should strive to protect their children from the depravity of the world portrayed through technology. By embracing childhood’s inherent beauty and vulnerability and fostering an environment of love, guidance, and respect, we can defend the innocence that forms the bedrock of a thriving society.
