Lately, I have been reflecting on my relationship with the internet: From fandoms to reaction videos and subsequently trying to get offline, but I really haven’t gone back to my roots. As a member of Gen Z, the last generation to know life before the internet, being online would turn into an addiction.
My parents did their best to keep me off the internet. The term “iPad kid” didn’t even exist then. Because infantile screen addiction wasn’t normal then. Instead of having an iPad everywhere I went, my stuffed animals were stuck to me.
I remember my first introduction to online gaming was Webkinz, a site where you could care for a virtual pet and take it around the world. A family friend gifted me one of the stuffed animals for my ninth birthday and explained that you can virtually play with the pet, design a house, play games, and even meet people.
This opened a whole new world for me. I remember creating the account with my mom on her computer, though she would only let me play in the kitchen under her supervision. I didn’t think anything of it at the time. She had just as much, if not more, digital literacy as I did.
These days, I scroll TikTok late at night and see kids the same age I was posting “get ready with me” videos, shopping hauls, and dance videos. We were so lucky as a generation to have spaces to play online. Webkinz, Club Penguin, and CrazyGames were sites that were educational and fun, designed specifically for kids. Now, kids appear to float towards social media sites such as TikTok and Instagram to fill a desire to be older and fit in with their peers who are also on these platforms.
Not only are kids being exposed to these platforms at too young of an age, but it’s extremely dangerous. I have had my fair share of weird DMs, scammers, and hate comments, and although I understand how to deal with it as an adult, young children being exposed to these messages is not okay. Exposing children to hate and predators online could affect their overall growth in ways we don’t even know yet.
When it comes to solutions, it is easier said than done. I was addicted to social media right after getting it, and admittedly, not much has changed. No matter what my mom says about my brain rotting, I rarely take her word for it.
But maybe if today’s kids had a space designed for their age group to create and share content, that could be an easy solution. Maybe not the joy of playing educational games after school—but a place where they can do what they’re doing now, with an appropriate audience.
