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I think we are romanticising what teens used to do (much more at least) to pass their boredom. Articles like this make it sound like pre smartphone everyone was

I think we are romanticising what teens used to do (much more at least) to pass their boredom. Articles like this make it sound like pre smartphone everyone was doing endless sport, drama and other artistic and social endeavours. At least what I remember was a lot of underage drinking and antisocial behaviour. I can remember in the early 2000s children being made out as feral animals roaming the streets in the UK. Now they're being demonized for scrolling their phones.

darepublic 1y ago
It's like the Simpsons episode from season 2 in which Marge crusades against violence in itchy and scratchy. And then, to Beethoven's ninth symphony, all the children start exploring nature and engaging in wholesome idyllic play.
hn_throwaway_99 1y ago
> Articles like this make it sound like pre smartphone everyone was doing endless sport, drama and other artistic and social endeavours. At least what I remember was a lot of underage drinking and antisocial behaviour. I would argue that that "antisocial behavior" is actually important for most people to be able to form and navigate authentic social relationships. I don't think all the kids in my generation (X) were involved in tons of "sport, drama or other artistic or social endeavors", but at the very least they were "hanging out at the mall". Sure, some of that was getting into trouble, but I'm astounded by how much adolescence has changed since I was a kid. Like I see a lot of kids that very rarely "hang out", and I'd argue that social media/text communication is a very poor substitute for in-person hanging out.