I know, I know, your grandfather walked to school when he was 13 in the snow, (and I know you can finish this sentence) up
hill both ways. The price of an Abercrombie and Fitch outfit would have paid the rent for a couple months back then. The
Telephone was just beginning to make it's impact in communications and it was illegal for television producers to allow cursing on broadcasts. Enter the Information Age. Unlike the Industrial Revolution where it was so important for everyone to abide by the rules, contribute to society, be a good citizen, and never even think about being an individual. The world wide web and the cellular telephone have created multiple environments for people to operate in that not only encourage, individualism, figuring out ways to break the rules and still get favorable results, and even create virtual worlds without rules and limitations where imagination, and ideas about everything our grandparents held as sacred, like, sex, are just normal everyday subjects of conversation. The world wide web is filled with any piece of information that would entice young minds away from reality. Teens are talking about sex, money, drugs, music, relationships, and their rights every chance they get. The Cell Phone is one more place these kids go to escape reality. The Cell Phone also gives sexual predators one more opportunity to contact these adolescents that if unchecked by responsible parents could lead down a path of destruction. One of the problems that the Roman Empire had in it's last years was the
disappearance of Childhood. I believe that The Cellular Telephone and the World Wide Web are contributing to the disappearance of childhood from our society today. So remember, when your 12 year old or 13 year old tells you that all of their friends have cell phones and they need one now too, remind them about our grandparents walk to school in the snow, uphill both ways. Explain to them the difference between needs and wants if you can, if it is not too late. Otherwise, if they are unable to function in Society they may find themselves walking everywhere they go.