by Menley Brennan

Let’s all admit it. We love our phones, our favorite TV shows, our supercomputers, but do you ever think that we need to take a step back from all of the electronics?

Since when have electronics been the center of our lives? I remember growing up outside constantly using my imagination to find something to do. Be it “wiffle ball,” basketball, two-hand-touch, or some other backyard sport, I was always outside enjoying the sun and fresh air. Nowadays when I drive around town, I don’t see kids outside anymore. Instead, they come home from school and get on the computer or sit in front of the TV like they’re in a trance, or hypnotized. It makes me sad to think that kids aren’t outside socializing and staying active. Most kids now just sit on their bottoms all day, don’t have any exercise, and only socialize online.

This could be because of different parenting techniques that parents use now, than with my generation. Just the past couple of weeks I went up to Omaha to see my cousins and their little two year old twins. They are pretty good about keeping bad influences away from their kids. They’re fed no sugar, they are not allowed to throw fits, and the only TV they are sparingly allowed to watch is Sesame Street. So, I was incredibly surprised when the kids are being changed that they are given an old phone and an old Gameboy to get them to stay still. The kids are so accustomed to it now, that whenever they have to get changed the first thing they ask for is the Gameboy. At school I hear similar stories to this. Just think that in a couple years, my little cousins and kids just like them will upgrade from an old phone to something like an Iphone 8. It makes me sad to think that my type of childhood is dying out to an electronic age, where there is no exercise or active play.

With technology being the center of our lives now, we no longer find ourselves so close to our friends and family. Girls and boys will seclude themselves to their bedrooms to chat with their friends, instead of eating dinner with their family. The majority of kids never eat dinner with their families on a weekly basis. Maybe this is another parenting responsibility, but the kids have to take some responsibility. They are going through life wondering why they break out in daily fights with their parents, but can’t realize that they are being too distant because of their electronics.

Kids are also growing up way too fast these days. When I was younger I didn’t even know what making out was until I was in third grade, let alone that there were more intimate things than that. Just the other day I saw someone tweet that there should be a 14 & Pregnant, because they know someone who is fourteen. This type of behavior has just appeared in the past couple years and I believe it’s because of the poor TV shows that are on television these days. You have twelve year olds watching 16 & Pregnant on a regular basis. Even ABC Family has dropped its standards with shows like Pretty Little Liars having sex scenes in them. Recently, ABC Family has been promoting a new show called Twisted, where the main character has been accused of being a killer.

Which leads me to my next subject: violence. A combination of TV shows and video games have taught our recent generation that violence is an okay thing. Back in my Call of Duty days (don’t laugh), I noticed how many twelve and eleven year olds boasting how they could easily kill people. This was always in a video game/ make believe sense, but how long does it take until that type of talk turns into action?

Like I said, electronics are taking over our lives. They are changing us and mostly not for the better. Sure it’s ok to give your ten year old daughter some way to contact you in case of an emergency, but don’t give her a $500 phone where she can do just about anything on it. Maybe it’s bad parenting, maybe it’s the bad TV shows and violent video games, or maybe we are just a bad influence on them. Either way, we need to set down our phones, turn off the TV, and power down our computer. Go outside. Have fun. Pick up a basketball or a baseball bat and hit a ball. Get some fresh air, and be a positive influence on our generations to come.