Social Media and Teens - Parents, It's Up to You (Part 3)
There's a wonderful essay series called Humans of New York where random New Yorkers get asked questions about their lives. The humanity that comes out is very moving. I recently read this one and it solidly goes along with this discussion. I hope you read it to your children and have a family talk about it. (Bold mine)
“I used to say: ‘I like to watch TikTok, or YouTube.’ But I don’t really like to describe myself that way anymore. Because if you think about it, that’s not really something you do. It’s just something that pulls you in. It made me feel connected. Like, I know this person. But I really didn’t know them at all.
And I’d sit at home getting sucked into this endless void of whatever I was watching. Windows closed, AC on. My dad would say: ‘Go outside and do something, it builds character.’ Most of the time he’d only say it because he wanted me to take out the trash, or go on an errand with him. So for a long time I didn’t think it meant anything.
But it really does, if you think about it. Because every time you do something, it adds to who you are. You learn from life.
Recently I joined a group called The Veggie Nuggets. There’s seven of us: me, my friends, a couple neighbors. We made a mural. We made a garden over by 69th and the bridge. We lobbied a little bit at the capital for climate change, because it’s kinda a disaster.
I had to develop a certain mindset when I did those things. I had to affirm to something. I had to be motivated. And that’s a real thing-- motivation. It’s a trait. And now it’s part of my character.”
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