AIBU to find a girl's comment about social media quite sad

So despite it being illegal, you still smoke and drank at aged 14.

Why do you thinking making social media illegal will stop them using it?

You think a 14 year old smoking and drinking was better than being on the internet??

They can do what I did at 14 and had no internet, walked the streets with friends and smoked and drank in the park. In between I read books.

First, I’d question why you provide internet access for her if she isn’t using it wisely and believes social media is its only purpose. Suggest she try exploring games instead—there are millions of online and offline options. My teenage boys are gamers and don’t have any social media accounts beyond gaming platforms. They spend a lot of time researching and studying online too, so it’s not all fun and games. They’re also happy homebodies who go out when they want to for activities they choose to do outside. They’re not big on spending money for activities, so when they want to do something, they look for free options. I'm not one of those mothers who believe games are the work of the devil, probably because I'm a gamer myself and have been since my teenage years (I'm in my mid-40s now). Gaming has never caused any harm to my development, and I haven't seen any negative effects on my children so far.

Boredom is only productive if you have the ability to do other things, though. If you’re a teen stuck at home with no money and no way to get anywhere then you’re not exactly going to start developing a new wholesome interest.

I was coincidentally thinking about this earlier.
People have forgotten "how" to be bored.
(I include myself in this!)
You can find yourself endlessly and mindlessly scrolling.
Yes, the "olden days" pre smartphones may have been boring, but I think it's an important lesson that seems to have been lost.
Your brain wasn't constantly over stimulated, and you also had to think, and use your imagination more.
Perpetual stimulation and overload can't be good for any of us in the long run.

I daresay growing up in the 90s wasn't better, I don't think, just different. Nostalgia has a large part to play in the whole 'good old days' argument.

It feels like that because social media has become the default. Boredom is very productive for finding meaningful things to do with your time.

Wow, the number of (presumed) adults on this thread who apparently have no sense of humour, ability to interpret contextual cues, or awareness of sarcasm is what's embarrassing - not the "stare at a wall" girl that they have the nerve to call "stupid" or "silly"!

It couldn't be more obvious that she was joking and taking the piss, right down to her little smirk.

The kids may be alright, after all... but are the adults?!

Yes, I was shocked about a decade ago when my son started secondary and there was so much on the internet, i.e. online homework instead of a paper planner, extensive use of online textbooks instead of paper textbooks, an online resource portal/VLE to access worksheets, revision resources, etc. Yes, maybe a smart phone wasn't needed, but laptops/tablets definitely were, especially when the homework was a link to an online quiz/test etc. They were even encouraged to record things like science class demonstrations on their phones if they had smart phones! You can't put the genie back in the bottle.

Not sure that watching tv or gaming is any better than social media really.

Gaming, in particular, seems to include lots of chat rooms which people use to communicate, send nefarious links/photos etc whilst playing the game or more likely, pretending to play the game. Because it's not email nor internet as such, it's not policed in any way, and parents often don't even realise what such chats are capable of - they look at the device, see their little darling has been playing MInecraft or whatever without realise most of the time was actually chatting on the integrated chat rooms.

@Danhausenrocks but I’m not saying my experience is the only valid one, I’m just trying to point out that a lot of the suggestions on threads like this simply aren’t possible for many.

MN is very skewed towards the middle class so people tend to either have money to chuck at their kids or they live in a “naice” town with lots of amenities or good public transport.

I remember writing on a thread years ago that I lived in a town but that the only supermarket within 30 miles was a Tesco and I was basically accused of lying by one poster who couldn’t believe towns like that existed 😂

I’m amazed that some people think the girl gave a serious answer to the question. She was taking the piss.

Stare At A Wall girl was taking the piss out of the journo who asked her what she'd do now

I was addressing your comment "walking down the street looking at their phones" which is a different scenario than people on their phones not looking where they're going. I agree that people need to be aware, however a lot of us are capable of doing both at the same time.

I think actually we’ve actually in agreement in terms of not every where is the same.

yes my local area sounds different to yours. But that doesn’t make you right and the only “valid” source in the same way it doesn’t make me right and the only “valid” source

but that still doesn’t negate every other point I made. These kids can still watch films/tv/gaming. They can go on a bike/for a walk/read a book/draw a picture. Have a real life conversation with someone in person.

quite frankly every single one of us (including us on this thread, myself included) could ALL do with putting our phones down and getting outside and living in reality.

DD was talking about the stare at wall girl, called her a legend.

There is a school near me that actively encouraged phone use. They had apps for students they used phones in class. It was one of the many things that put me off when we looked around.
Lots of kids from DDs primary picked it because of it. DD had a friend who kept trying to ring her at break time because they were allowed to use their phones.
They’ve announced phones are banned in 2 weeks, how do they dial that back now?

Exactly @Badbadbunny.

When people on here describe what's available in their areas it makes me realise how skewed the membership is.

Our town doesn't have a pool, or a bowling alley, or a cinema. There's no McDonald's or fast food or Costa for kids to hang around in. There's no scouts or brownies, no library (unless you can go on a weekday before 3pm), no shops or cafes to sit in etc.

Same happened a few years ago when lots of towns started seeing their High Streets being taken over by charity shops, vape shops, turkish barbers, etc - lots of people on here and other fora were in denial because they still had a vibrant high street. Now, more and more people are bemoaning the state of their High Streets as the rot has spread to lots more towns, including some "naice" towns.

Some people can't understand that a large village which used to have several shops, 3 pubs, chemist, post office, library, scout hut, GP surgery, etc., now has nothing. They're in denial as to what is happening because they don't directly see it in THEIR vicinity.

Exactly. MN is oddly unimaginative sometimes.

It's reality, not excuses. A library that's closed down IS a library that's closed down.

Likewise our village doesn't have a playing field that's open - it's fenced and the gates are locked.

This is reality, not excuses.

Your area is different. Can't you understand that different places have different amenities.

That sounds like more excuses @Badbadbunny if i'm honest.

I live in a village. We have a playing field that's open all the time, so not every park is closed after 7pm. In fact, it's only our town centre ones that are closed in the evening, none of the ones on the estates across the town. And when we walk the dog around 8pm, it's packed with kids playing football, kids hanging out, teens on the playground,

Our library is across the street from us - and the library when I was growing up was also 2 roads away. Our country libraries are buzzing because they've made a HUGE inroad in pushing them as 'not just for books' In fact, in the rough estate in my town, the library is one of the community hubs with a basketball court outside and next to another open play area.

I will concede swimming is expensive.

But that still doesn't stop kids using their time to read, create artwork, learn how to bake, create a cartoon strip, play a game of wallsy with a football against a wall/fence, mess around with a skipping rope, literally phone their friends and hang out with them in person. None of that costs anything.

And if those kids STILL complain, then they need this ban to learn how to be creative and use their imagination. Or just be bored.

They've still got their computer games and their streaming services

OK, but these days....

Town centre shops have closed down,
Libraries have been closed,
Swimming costs a fortune,
Parks are often fenced off and gates locked in the evenings,

Things are VERY different these days in some places.

@MsGreying

Kids who need youth clubs need better home life.

How are you going to achieve that if parents can't or won't parent properly?

Or are you advocating for widespread taking kids away from parents and putting them into care??