Youth and Social Media – A Principal Mistake

I attended my son’s middle school graduation yesterday. The principal of the school stood up and started his speech by talking about how he’s upset by how much time today’s youth spend looking down when they should be looking up.

He was bemoaning the use of electronic media – texting, social media, PDAs, etc.

In so doing, this principal was drawing a stark line between the generation that reached age 14 without electronic media and the current age that has been inundated with it from birth. While this is certainly a popular topic among the elder set today, I think it’s time we stopped preaching to today’s youth and started learning from them. Maybe they’re doing exactly what they should do.

The large crowd in the audience applauded loudly at the principal’s well-timed speech. I kept my mouth shut and made a mental note to come home and blog about the issue because I couldn’t disagree more, but apparently I’m in the minority among the over-40 set.

The Huffington Post covered research by the Pew Research Center that said 1/2 of American teens ages 12 – 17 send over 50 texts a day. “Two-thirds of the teens said they would rather text a friend than call and more concerning still is that less than a third reported talking to their friends face to face.” Why is this ‘concerning?’   By whose standard? The Huffington Post? The Pew Research Center? The Principal of my son’s middle school? What is the average age of the people doing this study or reporting it? How do they know this will lead to bad things? They don’t. It’s simply different from how they (we) grew up.

I think it’s time we studied the overwhelming popularity of this trend and ask ourselves if it’s really so bad that our youth have a completely efficient way to communicate intricate details of their lives, feelings and events. I suspect that, years from now, we’ll find that this heavy communication of trivial events in their lives made them entirely unique adults, totally successful and better able to conduct their lives.

My mother, in her contrarian way, often encouraged me to let my children play computer games. She had observed that the children who spent significantly more time focused on such “terribly distracting electronic media” turned out to do better in school and thereafter. I listened to her and guess what – she was right. My kids are doing great at school, have lots of close friendships and are totally adept in social settings.

Here’s a quote from another short sighted over-40 father:
“I’m very upset that my kids and their friends depend on texting and Facebook to communicate. They should step up to the plate, be a man and take the risk of talking face to face. I didn’t raise my kids to hide behind a phone keypad. How did this happen?”

Well, guess what. It did happen. My issue isn’t with the fact that kids are embracing technology in a way their parents generation cannot. I’m more concerned about the divide; about the self-righteous attitude that is driving a wedge between these generations.

A suggestion

Get out your phone and send a text. Send lots. Train your fingers to do this quickly and efficiently. You’ll be amazed how useful it becomes in your life. There are times when only a text message will do. Here’s an example – After the graduation ceremony, when the preacher…er…principal was done scolding the next generation, we all met for dinner. I couldn’t remember the names of a couple who were there with us. (It happens when you’re over 40.)  So I texted someone across from me. She picked up the phone, smiled and texted me the answer. Seamless. No embarrassing moments. A perfect use of texting to make everyones’ life better.

Sources and other reading –

http://www.huffingtonpost.com/wendy-strgar/teen-texting-deciphering_b_616829.html

http://www.pressherald.com/opinion/kids-need-to-experience-nature_2010-06-13.html