Why aren’t our children smiling?

Of course it’s difficult to smile often during a pandemic. However, even otherwise our children had not been smiling. They looked very serious, thoughtful and ill-tempered even before the epidemic. This had been the case with both Generation Alpha (those born after 2010) and also Generation Z or Gen Z (born after mid 1990s but before 2010). Low spirited and often with crumpled foreheads and that lost look they appear more like abandoned elders rather than ‘children’ whom our generations compared to flowers -- ever smiling, blossoming and spirited. 
The last generation to smile was the Millennials, those born between 1986 and 1996. Millennials were deemed more focused, spirited and responsible. 

Social media has been blamed for the highly introverted behaviour of the Gen Z and Gen Alpha. However what is often ignored is the manner in which the parents of these children set a bad example. Quite a big percentage of middle-aged parents have a penchant to get lost in those platforms when they are at home. Both children and parents live in a world of non-stop updates. Without role models of sanity the children think social media is life. Gradually they get detached from their parents and live in their own fantasies. Unfortunately some parents too forget to have their feet firmly on ground after getting addicted to social media.

These parents hardly read books and any coercing by them for their children to read books, therefore has become a futile exercise. There are no examples to follow unless the children live with their grandparents. There are no bedtime stories for these children when they were small. Parents themselves have forgotten the bedtime stories they learnt when they themselves were children. 

How many parents, especially fathers, with young children got themselves extremely busy with social media during the lock down is a very good question to ask. Certainly more did than not. Now the pertinent question is with this being the case, how fair it is to expect the children to keep away from social media when they see their role models, their own parents being hooked on to WhatsApp, Facebook, Twitter and other platforms.

Social media has been blamed for the highly introverted behaviour of the Gen Z and Gen Alpha. However what is often ignored is the manner in which the parents of these children set a bad example. Quite a big percentage of middle-aged parents have a penchant to get lost in those platforms when they are at home. Both children and parents live in a world of non-stop updates

A recent study conducted by the Michigan State University has compared social media addiction to drug addiction. One feels anxious and uneasy when one does not check social media. One interrupts conversation or gets distracted during conversations to check social media. One gets emotionally detached from family and sometimes with friends due to the addiction. Also one tends to compare oneself with others on the platforms and often feels inferior. In the case of children neglecting homework and lack of interest in extra-curricular activities are quite common among those who have social media addiction. 

It’s no wonder that our children aren’t smiling any more. Perhaps the main reason is both their parents or at least one of them is not smiling any more as they are addicted to 
social media.