In the past, children’s lives were characterized by hours of outdoor play, morning trips, and limitless imaginative adventures. Times have changed. Childhood 2.0 describes our modern generation of children and teens as victims of the frenzy of the information age.
While older generations may have understood the value of external motivation, chores, and personal playtime with friends, today’s youth have fallen prey to smartphone screens and video game consoles. Some might argue that future generations are always disadvantaged compared to previous generations. But this current trend of endless distractions has created a monster. Childhood depression and suicide are on the rise, teenage diabetes rates are at an all-time high, and lack of engagement impacts their social skills and mental health.
Online dangers are rampant, and the rapid pace of innovation proves difficult for parents to effectively patrol. Many children spend as much time on the phone every day as adults do at work.
According to the panel of child counselors and psychologists interviewed for the film, this reliance on devices creates constant low-level anxiety that children are often poor at processing and managing. This phenomenon has also fueled the scourge of cyberbullying and misleadingly over-pornographic material. If these conditions weren’t bad enough, the internet has also become a breeding ground for sex offenders.
Along with mental health professionals, the filmmakers spoke to a series of concerned parents who had witnessed profound transformations in their children, especially compared to their own light-hearted beginnings. Then there are the kids themselves. They talk about the overwhelming appeal of their gadgets, the stress they cause them in their everyday lives, and the challenges they face trying to ditch them entirely.
The digital world our children inherit is full of pitfalls and dangers around every corner. The film diagnoses the gravity of the dilemma with great clarity and addresses the need to slow down and take stock before we reach the point of no return.
Directed by: Jamin Winans, Robert Muratore, Kiowa K. Winans
