I'm glad I don't have kids. I watch my friends and family struggle with their kids and social media. I've had a number of conversations recently with younger folks (anywhere from 17 to mid 20s) about social media and they've all told me how much they hate it, how much it is ruining their social interactions, but they have to use it because everyone does. My nephew, the TikTok junky, told me he has four friends who have tried to kill themselves.
I've grown tired of the social media apologists making excuses for all of these platforms. They're a cancer. They've made us more divided than ever, more hateful, less patient, less understanding. We wouldn't have all this "fake news" and "alternative facts" nonsense were it not for social media. The promise of connection is a total lie. The connection social media offers is not real connection. It has no substance. It creates silos and echo chambers. Kids don't know how to socialize. I find it all very depressing. I can't imagine working for one of these social media companies and having to look at myself in the mirror every day knowing what damage my actions are causing.