What's With Gen Alpha's Growing Screen Addictions?

ARTICLE #16 OF "ASK THE QUESTIONS"

-OPINION-

Alright, everyone, buckle up because we're about to dive into a mess that’s been brewing for a while now. If you’ve been anywhere near a restaurant, school, or frankly, any public place lately, you’ve probably seen it: kids—Gen Alpha, to be precise—glued to their iPads like they’ve just discovered the meaning of life in Minecraft. No eye contact, no conversation, no awareness of the world around them. Just an endless scroll of TikTok, YouTube Shorts, and God knows what else. And you know what? It's not just annoying. It's scary.

These little tech junkies are becoming more dependent on their screens than ever, and it's not just a “phase” or a “new thing” that will pass. Nope. It’s a full-blown crisis, and we’ve got an entire generation of kids who are growing up with iPads for babysitters instead of real, live human interaction. And the worst part? Their parents are enabling it—because, let’s face it, it’s just easier to give them a screen than to actually parent. But before we dive into that disaster, let’s talk about the symptoms of this tech addiction and why it’s not just a nuisance—it’s a ticking time bomb.

You’ve seen it. Parents, grandparents, anyone who dares try to enjoy a meal in peace, is subjected to the ritualistic “shove-the-iPad-in-front-of-the-kid” technique. No matter where they are, what’s happening, or who they’re with, that screen is glued to their kid’s face. It doesn’t matter if they’re at a fancy restaurant, a fast food joint, or grandma’s house for Sunday dinner—the ritual is the same: iPad up, conversation down.

I mean, can you even remember the last time you had a meal with a kid without that device staring at you like a passive-aggressive third wheel? It’s honestly tragic. You try to engage them in normal human interaction, but no—there’s no time for that because they’re too busy watching some weird kid on YouTube play with slime or that Skibidi Toilet thing they’re all collectively obsessed with for some reason.

What happened to good old-fashioned family meals? When did it become okay to let your kid avoid socializing, avoid family bonding, and avoid basic manners in exchange for screen time? As if we needed any more proof that we're living in a world where people can't just “be” anymore without their noses buried in some glowing rectangle, this phenomenon is it.

And don’t even get me started on how impolite it is. How are these kids supposed to learn how to speak to adults, proper table manners, to respect elders, or even form a coherent sentence if they’re constantly distracted by watching short reels that are just destroying their attention span? Imagine sitting at dinner with your grandparents and having no conversation becausethis is too busy binge-watching Cocomelon on the iPad. It's embarrassing, but unfortunately, it's slowly become the norm.

But it’s not just about manners or good family bonding. Oh, no. The real kicker is that this tech addiction is actually affecting the kids’ brains—and not in a good way. Take, for instance, a teacher who a while back went viral on TikTok for exposing the academic collapse happening right before his eyes. According to him, the majority of the seventh-grade students he teaches are performing at a fourth-grade level. Yeah, you heard that right. Seventh grade. Fourth grade level. That’s not just a slip-up. That’s a full-on crisis. In the beginning, they were blaming the pandemic on this academic “slip-up,” but it’s just simply not valid anymore. It’s not the pandemic’s fault your six-year-old can’t comprehend a picture book.

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Now, I know what you're thinking: "Well, maybe the teacher's just exaggerating or looking for attention." But trust me, guys, this is not a one-off incident. Teachers across the country are seeing similar results. Kids are failing to keep up in the classroom, and their academic progress is tanking. Basic reading, writing, and arithmetic are no longer givens. Instead, these kids are falling behind—way behind—and it’s not because they’re incapable of learning. Oh no, it’s because their brains are overstimulated by tech and they can’t focus long enough to actually sit down and learn anything.

The reason this is happening? Simple. iPads, smartphones, and all the other distractions that come with modern tech are rewiring their brains. Instead of learning how to read, do math, or even engage with people in real life, these kids are getting their dopamine hits from flashing lights, quick video cuts, and instant gratification. Sitting in a classroom for an hour listening to a lecture? Boring. Too slow. Too difficult. They’re not used to having to think for more than 10 seconds at a time. No wonder their academic levels are plummeting.

And who’s to blame for this mess? Well, it's time to have a tough conversation. The parents. Specifically, Millennial parents. Sorry, Millennials, but you’ve messed up. Instead of stepping up as actual parents and guiding your kids through life, you’ve taken the easy route: hand them an iPad or a smartphone to shut them up while you scroll through Instagram or TikTok. It’s quick, it’s simple, and it means you don’t actually have to engage with your child. Parenting, after all, is hard work.

Now, before any Millennial parent gets offended, let’s be clear: I'm not saying you’re terrible people. I’m not saying you don’t love your kids or want the best for them. I’m also not saying its all Millennial parents, but for some reason, its overwhelming from the Millennial parents who are alling short in one critical area: discipline. Or, more specifically, the lack of it. You’ve got an entire generation of kids growing up with the constant presence of screens in their lives, and guess what? They’re not just passively absorbing information; they’re being conditioned to expect entertainment and stimulation 24/7. And when they don’t get it? They act out.

Take a moment to think about the behavior you see in public from these screen-addicted kiddos. They’re impatient, easily frustrated, and frankly, kind of rude. Kids acting out in stores? Screaming in restaurants? Throwing tantrums when they can’t get their next screen fix? That’s the tech addiction talking. When you don’t teach your child how to cope with boredom or delayed gratification, they become entitled little brats who throw a fit when things don’t go their way. It’s not cute. It’s not funny. It’s a major problem. There is nothing wrong with having your kid be bored sometimes—it’s healthy!

But, here’s the deal, guys: we need a massive cultural shift, and we need it fast—really. Parents need to stop using screens as a crutch. They need to set boundaries—real ones. Have a meal without the phones. Play a game. Take a walk outside. Talk about something other than the next viral TikTok video. If we don't teach these kids how to engage with the real world, we’re going to be raising a generation of people who can’t even hold a conversation without checking their notifications every 10 seconds. Well, if they can even carry one at all.

Look, I get it—parenting is tough. But the fact remains: we’re facing an epidemic of disengaged, tech-addicted kids, and it’s up to us to fix it. It’s time to turn off the devices, get off the screens, and get back to the basics: real human interaction, real education, and real discipline. We can’t afford to keep raising kids who can’t read, can’t focus, and can’t interact with the world around them. It’s bad for them, and it’s bad for all of us. But, I mean, there is some positives: Gen Z has seen these crazy Gen Alpha kids and there is a growing trend of people in Gen Z saying how they’ll refuse to raise “iPad kids.” Thank God.

So, here’s my challenge: stop the cycle—like these Gen Zs. Be a parent. Don’t be a bystander while your kid’s brain melts away in front of a screen. Set limits. Get involved. And for the love of God, please—no iPads at the dinner table.

If we don’t make a change soon, we’ll have a whole generation of kids who are so out of touch with reality, they won’t know the difference between a real conversation and a 10-second TikTok. And that, my friends, is the beginning of the end.