When I was very young, I thought the Everest of technology was a “Slinky” the magical spring that could go downstairs. Roll forward a few years and it was the Sinclair ZX home computer (manufactured in Dundee by Timex). Now, we have Alexa running the home, the fridge ordering groceries, and mobile phones that can do almost anything. And all of the above are instinctively controllable by kids as soon as they exit the womb, or so it seems. My primary and nursery age grandkids can all navigate the BBC iPlayer and find Bluey, Dugee or Peter Rabbit within seconds.
Think about it this way, have you ever handed a young child a smartphone just to keep them quiet for five minutes, only to find them editing your playlists to include Baby Shark and The Wheels on the Bus? We sometimes long for the days when kids were more likely to insert biscuits into the DVD player rather than discs. Now they simply reprogramme them.
Back in my day changing the TV channel was an event of Olympic proportions. You had to get up out of your seat, walk to the TV, and turn a knob or push a button. How times have changed.
It used to be the kids asking us for help, now we have tech whisperers willing and able to fix, reconfigure or hack anything – for the right price.
There’s something profoundly humbling about watching a child finding its way around your iPhone’s facial recognition and start deleting your apps and contacts. One minute you’re proud they can hold a crayon without eating it, and the next they’re taking delivery of a newly ordered personal shipment of false nails, lipstick and a Taylor Swift T shirt courtesy of your online account. I’m convinced nurseries are key learning centres upskilling little fingers on hacking parental controls.
Have you tried teaching a primary schoolkid how to do actual sums? Root canal treatment is less painful. But hand them a phone or tablet, and suddenly they’re taking selfies, editing videos, scrolling through Instagram like a pro. Then there’s gaming. These kids aren’t just playing games — they’re grand masters at building virtual empires, winding up opponents and celebrating victories like footballers. My 6-year-old grandson beat me at Mario Kart, rolled his eyes and asked if I wanted to try a “beginner setting.”
Today’s parents are in an awkward spot. They’re expected to manage their kids’ screen time, without really understanding what their kids are up to. I once heard a dad ask his 9-year-old how to fix the Wi-Fi. The kid sighed, put down his juice box, and rebooted the router like an old pro. “Try it now, Dad.” At least they haven’t yet learned the old school skill of taking a sharp intake of breath, then a quick shake of the head before pronouncing, “That’s going to be expensive.”
We used to ask our parents for help with tying shoelaces. Now, kids just scroll through Amazon looking for trainers with Velcro!
Ah the dangers of letting your kids loose on your laptop. During the shutdown when everyone was using Zoom, who can forget the video of a US lawyer trying to conduct a trial defence while appearing onscreen as a cat, courtesy of his kids playing with the Zoom settings.
At this point, I don’t even think we’re raising kids anymore — we’re training our future tech maestros. Let’s just hope they remember who bought them their first tablet and all that Haribo, and wiped the yoghurt off their touchscreens when they got too sticky to swipe.
So next time you see a toddler navigating three open apps while ordering a Domino’s pizza, don’t be alarmed. Just nod, and smile in silent adoration before asking them how to get your printer to stop printing in Mandarin.
Maxime Lagacé, Canadian ice hockey player and author, wrote “The final stage of wisdom is becoming a kid again.” This seems to chime with Steve Jobs’ observation on youth when he said, “Older people sit down and ask, “What is it?” but the boy asks, “What can I do with it?”
It appears their literally hands-on exploration of what things will do, rather than simply thinking and wondering about it is what sets apart today’s younger generation from previous ones.
When I was put in front of a computer screen and keyboard for the first time I was concerned, even anxious, that I might do something wrong and break it. Years later when a younger tech support brought me my first all singing and dancing laptop, she said, “Go and play with it, you can’t break it, but if you try, you might just find out what it can really do.” Sounds like my grandson.
The good news is all our grown-ups here at Stewardship Wealth compete regularly with kids to keep their tech skills honed to perfection, all except me of course. I still hold onto the possibility I might break something.
Just off to check my grandson’s Nintendo Switch is fully charged. He has more galaxies to conquer.