Disengage the Online Youth of Today
Parents, please engage your children to develop these values
Many of us, actually almost all of us ( no pun intended )are swimming through information in an ocean of digital media. A day doesn't go by without uploading a picture of your favorite person, place, thing, or even your cup of coffee. Youtube has become a central hub for anyone to share their views and opinions and Like, Subscribe, Share, Comments is the new greeting for the viewers. I thought we said “ Hello”, “ Good Morning”, “ Sorry”, “Thank You” and that's what even I was taught in school but the new greeting ( Like, Subscribe, Share, Comments ) has become the new poison pill for the youth who are constantly craving and scrolling through the apps to receive notifications which say that someone viewed your profile, someone wants to follow you, someone liked your video, someone liked your photo, someone commented on your profile. This is the death of reality and parents need to double up their work to keep a check on their children on an academic level and social level.
When we talk about value-based education, social skills such as listening, sharing, cooperating, following directions, respecting others, making eye contact while talking to others and mannerisms are the foundations for character building and confidence among children which were prominent at a time and is being bought back as a necessity, sadly today which it shouldn't be in the first place. Next time, when you observe your child or any other kid, try to see whether they are building relationships, reading a book, playing sports, attending community services, helping on a domestic level, raising questions on a particular subject, or is he or she wired to the mobile phone/tablet?
The Children of the 21st Century don't know the meaning of Hard Work.
The problem is not only with the children but a major contributor is also the parent who doesn`t know how to engage their brains, start a conversation, ask their help for domestic chores. We have lost touch with those simple skills such as pushing them to think out of the box and encouraging them to excel in it. I see and do is what the child does when they see their parents engaged on phones and tablets as well which is turning the family into zombies.
Educate to Empower and revive these dead habits among the digital children of today.
Listening: Listening is a beautiful habit which is dead today. Listening helps to process new information, break down the information, analyze the information, and in turn reciprocate a useful dialogue. Listening is no longer present among the youth, just imagine what listening is can do?
Thinking: The youth of today presses a button on their phone and the phone does the thinking. Logical, Analytical, Applying, Creating, Remembering, and Communicating is done by the phone and not by our brain. A table of 2 x 9=18 is also such a task for the youth today for which a calculator is required. Remembering the name of the person whom you met at a party is like climbing Mount Everest. Engage the brain in thinking and not in consuming social media.
Dialogue: Who can strike a conversation with a stranger today? The answer will come as NO. Talking and finding out about a person has become a thing of the past, well who needs it we have Facebook where the entire profile of the person tells us everything when we search for the particular person. The art of language, building relations, feeling the body language, engaging in emotions is a beautiful journey to invest in another person and find information about them which seems like old school but still helps to start a dialogue.
Relations: A lone person is a madman by himself, which holds true among the youth of today. How many children of today know relatives from their parent's side or desire to visit their grandparents? I guess this though doesn't strike them, if a birthday or an occasion comes by, a message would do is the first thing that crosses the mind. Pick up the phone please and talk to the other person, who is also wanting to hear your voice. This only develops relations and affections and ultimately love, isn`t that what the youth of today need?
Gratitude: The negative influence of social media has almost dissolved the gratitude quotient. The generation of the golden spoon, referring to the youth of today has to be able to be grateful and thankful for what they have today at least in the most developed, developing countries. A mobile phone, cheap data, loads of social apps in your phone means absolutely NOTHING and ZERO unless you don't develop gratitude. The wants, desires, and materialism need not fall but learn to grateful for what you have today.
Mental Wellness: There seems to be a thin line between social media and reality which impacts the mental wellness of the youth turning the constant scrolling into addiction. Health is Wealth and well therapists might be waiting for your kid next, parents please watch out.
Parents, whatever you do, please engage your kids of today. The change comes from you and you have to power to educate, empower, and lead them on the right path.
