Are todays kids missing out ?

[Emmie92]

I'm probably one that is a minority here. I have never been an indoor person and, other than a computer and a basic mobile phone, MP3 player, Kindle and my DSLR camera, that is about all I possess electronically. Just prefer the outdoor life.

Edited January 27, 2012 by Emmie92
Added Kindle

[Alien52]

On the contrary I think kids today are so lucky to have so many things to do and see, same as in our day really but a lot more choice and variety of parks/activities/fun museums etc etc. My 2 kids love playing on Laptops/Ds/Wii etc but given the choice of that or doing something outdoors or just generally playing out with friends, it would be outdoors for them everytime.

 

So long as children are been given the option to do both and not just sitting square eyes all day, I think they will have loads of fantastic memories to share when they are older.

 

Totally agree.If I could go back to 1960 and exchange the tiny black and white TV I was watching Blue Peter on for what I am communicating with you now on I most certainly would do.Just wish I could live for another hundred years to experience what comes next.

[Forumosaurus]

Do you think that socialising online is the same as in person though? Surely if they are out and about they are more likely to converse with a wider range of people and so effectively develop socially rather than just chatting with the same group all the time?

 

Plus, if they are out and about a man can't walk up to them and say he's 15, but he could do that online!

 

I don't think so, when you're out and about, realistically it's with people you know in your area or the people you go to school with, and in the same places. I know it can be romanticised but that's reality.

 

You definitely converse with a wider range of people on places like Xbox live. If an adult today was to talk to an American, Italian, Australian when they were a kid, I bet it was almost unimaginable. With kids today it's like, they don't give it a second thought that who they're talking to, and I actually think it's good for tolerance.

 

I use xbox live and as long as you're good at the game, that's all that matters. Race, nationality, colour doesn't factor into it.

 

And you'd have to admit that in your youth generation racism was a much, much bigger problem than it is with the kids today.

[kittenta]

I don't think so, when you're out and about, realistically it's with people you know in your area or the people you go to school with, and in the same places. I know it can be romanticised but that's reality.

 

You definitely converse with a wider range of people on places like Xbox live. If an adult today was to talk to an American, Italian, Australian when they were a kid, I bet it was almost unimaginable. With kids today it's like, they don't give it a second thought that who they're talking to, and I actually think it's good for tolerance.

 

I use xbox live and as long as you're good at the game, that's all that matters. Race, nationality, colour doesn't factor into it.

 

And you'd have to admit that in your youth generation racism was a much, much bigger problem than it is with the kids today.

 

Even going to the same places doesn't mean it's all the same people. Going swimming or to the ice skates are opportunities to meet different people every time and some kids do that every week.

 

I completely understand the advantages of Xbox live, I've had it for years, but kids do tend to regularly play with a set group of friends. Racism is a big problem on Xbox live, the racist language and comments that even the kids come out with on there is unbelievable and you can bet that the majority of them wouldn't dare say it to anyone's face. A lot of the younger ones are extremely disrespectful to both the other kids and the adults.

 

Xbox wasn't around when I was a kid but I had friends abroad, pen friends. Technology is just a different way of doing the same things to some extent.

 

Racism wasn't a problem when I was growing up, school had children from different countries and they all fit in and made friends with no problem at all. The comments that are commonly made now amongst children regarding race were virtually never heard when I was younger.

 

I still believe that kids can have the best of both worlds.