These are three indicators that I have been mentioning for over a decade here, and writing about on Hive since I arrived. Because, it is predictable. And while the article linked above looks at Covid as the turning point, these factors were in play well before that, and the "sharp turn for the worse" isn't from Covid restrictions, but rather that this is the first generation that has been raised by a screen in front of their face from near birth.

For instance, they are looking at 15-19 year old suicide rates, with in Finland is 10.5 per 100,000 in that age group a year. Smartphones arrived in around 2007 before most were born and were ubiquitous a couple years later here in Finland at least. From way, way back, I noted how many parents at cafés were sitting their children in front of screens to keep them entertained. And on buses, and in parks, and everywhere.

And the likely reason that this has become more of an issue in the "wealthier" countries, is that the uptake of the technologies and access to high-speed internet has accelerated rapidly. And suicide is an extreme indicator of the change in social behaviour, with childhood obesity and academic performance two others that point toward a degradation in physical health, mental health, and social health.

The current environment in Finland, which is probably better than many still, is not set up for increasing wellbeing in children, and helping them mature into healthy adults. The entire system is set up based on a profit model, where things are good if they make money, or make life easier, without recognising the costs of taking this approach. Easier doesn't mean better. Profitable doesn't mean healthy.

The focus of society these days is about improving the level of convenience, whether it be speed of access, or reduction in effort required - everything is about optimisation. And the "extra" attention resources we have, get sucked up by entertainment of some kind, at a cost of course. But this model doesn't take into consideration whether the products and services provided are good four our body, minds and emotions - quite the opposite. It is about leveraging our weaknesses in order to sell more, to engage us more, to trap us into the sales cycle more.

And it isn't their fault. Yet, now some of them are adults who have been conditioned to think, behave and feel in ways that aren't conducive to personal or social success, and the only tool they have available to them is more avoidance activity, more screens, more distraction. But eventually, even the most compelling distraction, can't veneer over the pain and suffering, and they are forced to deal with it. Yet, they are completely inexperienced with dealing with hardship - especially in the wealthier countries.

The warning bells should have been blaring for decades already, but at the latest, fifteen years ago. But it is only in very recent times that there has been any kind of concerted agreement that the digital life starting so young, is terrible for developing minds, bodies and personalities. It was only a few years ago that friends of mine were ridiculing me for keeping my daughter off screens - and now they are looking to do the same - after their kids have already been on the screens for a decade or more.

While technology and culture can change rapidly, our biological systems change very, very slowly. We might want to be woke and think that we can evolve our behaviour on our new belief systems, but the reality is, it doesn't work that way. We are animals who have certain needs for wellbeing and in order to thrive, whether it be nutritional requirements like vitamins and minerals, or social requirements like love and intimacy. We seem to think we can satisfy hundreds of thousands of years of evolution with a digital substitute, but it just doesn't work that way.

Yet I am sure, people will still find ways to deny it.

Taraz
[ Gen1: Hive ]