Perhaps this is an indication of the types of software in use? As kids, learning to use a computer meant working rather closer to the OS, and intrinsically lea

Perhaps this is an indication of the types of software in use? As kids, learning to use a computer meant working rather closer to the OS, and intrinsically learning diagnosis patterns and tooling. A smartphone or tablet is not at all the same kind of beast, with most of the mechanics and internals being abstracted - a triumph of a more humanized design, to be sure, but also constraining the direct utility of 'knowing how to use electronic devices' in the same way as it used to. Furthermore, the intentionally gamified and design-for-addiction principles many apps use is significantly more direct than most apps or games from that older period as well.