What do you wish had never been invented?

[Soubriquet]

For me it’s things like guns/bombs/auto rifles and stuff like that.

Killing someone with a sword or knife is one thing (back in ancient times). You actually had to get your hands dirty and it could make people reconsider but guns? One pull of a trigger and you can kill many in a blink of an eye without thinking twice

Hair straighteners.....

As a natural curly, I would prefer it, if glossy straight hair was not the ideal. At the height of straight hair popularity I did waste many hours of my life with my ghds and even spent hundreds of pounds on permanent straightening. I do embrace my curls these days and I no longer straighten. But as someone who likes to fit in, life would have been easier if everyone embraced their natural hair texture and straightening was never a thing.

'Right to buy' on council properties
Microwaves
Only fans
Vaping
Pesticides

It won't be popular but I'm going to say television - why wasn't it enough to have radio, gramophone, books etc as passive, in-house forms of entertainment? And there was theatre, cinema, concerts etc outside the home when you wanted them.
The decline of society began before our generation, although smart phones and social media have accelerated it beyond belief. My great-grandfather was a miner with almost no school education, and yet he was fiercely intelligent and loved shakespeare, classical music, he read widely from the library at the working men's club as did many of the other men. He learnt to draw birds beautifully and was an accomplished, self-taught pianist. His veg patch was a marvel and he kept journals meticulously throughout his life. His son was not quite the man his father was and my dad, though I love him dearly and his achievements are v.impressive in many ways, is intellectually lazy and a dull couch-potato in his retirement.

Self improvement back then didn't mean getting your lips filled and your bits waxed, it meant improving one's mind in order to better appreciate beauty, truth and goodness.. To say we've gone backwards is a huge understatement.

Smart phones. I realise I’m currently sat here on said smart phone but I wouldn’t miss it if it had never been. Or when they were made they had the forethought to make them available to over 18s only by law rather than every 7 year old owning one.

Social media 100%

I genuinely miss going out with friends and just catching up about life. Now our catch-ups are full of them taking pics of their bloody coffee, or food, or selfies and then continuing to discuss influencers in staggering detail. God help me.

I also love my friend's kids.... but I don't need to see pics of them on social media every.single.day.

Another vote for social media! Its created an antisocial world.

AI - in particular deepfake software. That should never have been allowed to become a thing, it’s destroying lives.

Yep me too.

You may need different friends.

two of my best friends hardly have any social media. Well, one has none and the other occasionally may post on Instagram about a craft project. But that’s really it. We just chat and catch up with not a photo in sight.

Prostitution, porn, onlyfans etc

The ability to make videos on phones . People won't let go and enjoy themselves on a night out / holiday entertainment because they don't want to end up on Facebook .

Big schools. I think lots of local schools where there were 20-25 kids in each year would be so so much better for everyone.

McDonald's. KFC. ETc.

Fast food has enabled obesity .

Came to say this.

Glitter

Modern medicine - I think the bad is far outweighing the good.
Then we get:
Human egg farms.
Organ black market.
Cloning.
"designer baby"

The ability to do amazing things has opened the door to some nightmare we're just starting to see. I don't believe it's a good thing.

Flavoured vapes too attractive for teens.

Balloons. What us the actual point of them except pollution?

Patriarchy.

Agreed.

Definitely smart phones. I think they’re at the root of so many problems.

Mobile phones

The internet

internet and men.

Social media...I think we will have an epidemic of mental health issues in years to come contributed solely by Social media.

Religion

Boris Johnson. He’s such a parody of a corrupt politician that somebody must have “invented” him.

I have to disagree on the smartphone and internet suggestions - with a caveat.

We now have access to the entirety of human knowledge in out back pockets....that is truly incredible and we can now settle any pub argument in the blink of an eye!

However, I will say that the introduction of a loud speaker in to smartphones was one of the worst ideas ever.