What to Know
The kids are doomed. Thanks to technology, Roblox, Chromebooks used in most schools daily, and general brainrot, the kids of today are headed down a dangerous path, cognitively speaking. Alright, that might be a little drastic, but one teacher on TikTok, Katie Dooley, says in a video that, after 20 years as a teacher, she and other educators have noticed a clear decline in how kids learn, how they participate in class, and how they influence each other.
As the mother of a middle schooler, I see this myself daily. Luckily, I’ve only gotten one email from his teacher about his behavior toward the end of the year, but Dooley’s commentary on kids, particularly those in junior high, does track. According to her, boys in particular are starved for attention at home, so much so that they need to be told dozens of times not to touch each other at school. And the list goes on from there.
The teacher said kids are “addicted” to electronic devices now.
@katiedooley975 #teacher #schools #viral #fyp #foryoupage ♬ original sound – Lovethyneighbor
In Dooley’s video, she cites parents not being attentive enough for kids at home and not affectionate enough at home. But she also places the blame on technology. To be fair, there is a growing concern among plenty of parents about how to deal with screentime which is, at this point, pretty unavoidable. Even adults have dependence on their phones and screens in general.
“The dopamine centers in their brain are fried,” she says. “They are addicted to devices. The Chromebooks are the devil. The cell phones are the devil. Roblox is the devil. It’s all ruining the kids, and it’s not about personal preference. Like, they cannot critically think. I don’t have my students on Chromebooks, and I don’t have them copying or doing notes. I make them use critical thinking every day, and they hate me. Today they’re making a poem called The Where I’m From poem. And they have to actually use their critical thinking. They have to think about their home. They have to think about adjectives that describe their home. And every day they’re burnt out on that. That’s what this generation lacks.”
Dooley also explains in her video that some of these kids also lack parental intervention at home, which then correlates to other issues from the kids at school. And, according to her, “Just valuing education and creating a home environment that allows your child to focus on their education is the best thing you can do as a parent.”
And some people agree with Dooley. In the comments, multiple users commented about getting rid of technology, primarily Chromebooks, in school. The amount of work that kids tend to do on their Chromebooks is pretty wild, especially considering that educators also expect kids not to be on their handheld devices.
Some people say it’s because kids are in survival mode.
In the comments under Dooley’s video about how much more difficult sixth grade kids are from year to year, other TikTok users debated on the reason behind it. Some think it’s because kids are dealing with a lot more than the adults in their lives realize. Because of that, their education pays for it.
One user commented, “It’s end stage capitalism, parents are sick, overworked, and underpaid, our country is turning into a dictatorship. Everyone is just in survival mode right now and unfortunately, the kids are paying for it. Not to mention the education system is not based on what’s best for the kids.”
Another user pointed out, “Kids don’t belong in chairs for 6+ hours a day.” According to some, kids are just burnt out and then, in response to being burnt out, they act out.
Others blame the parents.
@katiedooley975 #teacher #school #fyp #foryoupage ♬ original sound – Lovethyneighbor
It’s hard to say exactly who, or what, is to blame. But trust TikTok to have literally all sides to look at before you try and figure out where you stand. Because other people commented on Dooley’s video to blame the parents.
“Parents won’t parent!” One user wrote. “It’s all screens all day long.”
Another echoed that sentiment in response to the comment about capitalism. They wrote, “Has nothing to do with capitalism and everything to do with people letting the phones and tablets parent their kids.”
“It’s really the only thing that’s changed and I’m tired of people saying parents are busy, etc.,” another person commented, about technology and parents. “Parents have always been busy, now the parents are just on their phone and not interacting with their kids.”
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