The major difference between kids of today and kids of the olden days, is the advent and rapid evolution of diverse gadgets and the internet.
During those days, children come together to play and connect with each other in different ways. My kid days were really amazing. Sometimes, when i think of it, i wish i can visit those days and live it again even if it is for just a few hours.
We played in different ways. We raced each other with motorcycle's tyre, we even constructed little cars and we took turn riding it while another person pushed us. We even went as far as using discarded cans to cook food which we ended up eating. these little things that seems gross to the average person today is what we did as children and it actually shaped us a lot.
After playing during the day, our parents will make us seat in a cycle while they tell us a story. Most of the story talks about the consequences of doing a bad thing. This was my favorite path of childhood.
Though the world was rapidly advancing technologically, we paid little or no attention to advancements.
In our world today, it is normal for a child to have a phone. Even at age 5, they know how to navigate through their parents phone and even run applications.
Instead of mingling with their fellow kids, they get carried away by the things they see in a phone, and so, they prefer entertainment to socializing.
The internet is like a double edged sword. It can bring lots of knowledge, but if somebody is not wise enough to filter what they see on the internet, they will end up learning bad things from the internet.
When given the leverage of getting a social media account, children may end up causing a lot of harm for themselves. Some girls go ahead to talk to lots of strangers not knowing that strangers maybe good, and also, they maybe bad.
I saw a story online where a girl child befriended a stranger and they started dating online. She lied about her age. One thing led to another and they decided to see each other. unknown to the girl, it was all a setup by her parents. When she got to the hotel, the person locked everywhere and pretended that he wanted to off her. The girl became very scared but there was no where to run to. She was very disappointed at herself when she saw that it was all a setup to teach her a lesson.
Until a child turns 20, i dont think they should have any gadgets without strict supervision. You may say that they need privacy and stuff, but to me, so long as i'm their parent, and i'm still caring for them, they don't need any privacy unless they are in the bathroom. After 20, i may gradually start giving them the privacy.
This is my entry for hive learners prompt.
Thank you for reading.