My parents always shamed my fixation with video games. They said that I stayed in the house too much, remaining isolated from other kids my age. They believed that going outside and making friends was imperative to my social development, and while that statement reigns true, I ended up turning out to be just fine. Do I have introverted tendencies at times—–perhaps, but immersing myself into technology at a young age kept me away from the risks of the outside world and allowed me to stay in a stable and safe environment.
Say what you want about iPad Kids but there is one significant benefit to their technologically-driven lifestyles—they’re kept off of the streets. While the overconsumption of social media is often considered to hinder social development and impair teenagers’ ability to form authentic and healthy relationships within their routine daily lives, their intense fixation on the digital technology that inhabits their household distracts them from the dangers of the environments they are in.
While it is not inevitable for kids who roam the streets to get themselves into sticky situations, the chances of them getting into trouble are higher than that of children who stay in the house. Technology distracts us from the negative influences of the world, and it offers our youth a safer alternative where they don’t find themselves wandering off into dangerous parts of our society. Some neighborhoods are entirely too violent and hostile and are not the proper environments for the facilitation of childhood friendships. In some cases children are peer pressured and introduced to taboo and inappropriate behaviors that can ultimately lead them into the wrong direction. Staying in the house and playing a video game or watching a Netflix show can prevent them from being a product of a harmful environment
So, yes, being an iPad Kid isn’t all bad after all, especially because it keeps adolescents away from bad influences. While social media is often considered to be a bad influence, younger individuals can immerse themselves in digital media without actually being a part of social media. Developing a preoccupation with technology keeps teenagers out of gangs, and helps offer them a lifestyle that is far superior than the potentially taboo lifestyle that kids who run the streets may adopt.
