By Carol Bello and Gabby Fiorino, Features Editors
Do you ever reminisce about your childhood? What toys you played with and who your friends were? Now think about how much has changed. Many parents and children talk about how much they wish they could go back to when they were younger.
Everything is here today, and then it’s gone in a second. Most people connect the differences between kids now and kids then to technology – going through both spectrums of having only a Gameboy to then being exposed to a great amount of technology.
The biggest culprit of this change has to be cell phones. When we were younger, we were lucky to get a flip phone by eighth grade, but now kids in sixth grade are carrying around an iPad in one hand and the newest iPhone in the other.
Society’s adolescents today are exposed to subjects that are perhaps too
mature for them to grasp in the early stages of development. This is primarily due to the fact that social media is ubiquitous among teenagers today, exposing them to things such as violent video games, vulgar movies, and explicit music.
“Being brought up on a farm, I spent a lot of time outside. Even though I still live on a farm, I spend a lot more of my time inside on my computer and talking to my friends,” says senior Brian Glenn.
But what was it like being brought right into a world where technology was the only thing that surrounded you? When we asked freshman Jake Marquis what it was like for him growing up.
“I’ve always played a lot of video games, even in the summer I’ll play some sports but also stay inside sometimes to play games and connect with my friends.”
The difference between those exposed to the outside world at a younger age and those exposed to technology before anything is more prominent than ever.