As an “elder Gen Z,” I  grew up with tape players, records, VHS tapes, Yellow Pages, and other archaic things most Gen Z has never heard of or seen in person. In my younger years, I played outside for hours a day. I was one of the lucky ones. 

I often refer to my particular part of Gen Z as the “guinea pig generation,” because our parents knew next to nothing about the dangers or effects of social media, and had no tools in their belts to help them. When we did get our hands on social media, this led to many of us having experiences that have shaped us as people, and that will inform our decisions as future parents regarding social media. 

I got social media off of my school laptop and my 3Ds. Like many of my friends, I was an ace at figuring out passwords and making email accounts to sign up for things like YouTube, which at the time, had very few restrictions. Not to mention the Google searches– kids are curious. Because of this, I had many experiences I should never have had at such a young age. It also had a severe impact on my decision-making abilities, focus, and self-image. 

The comparison started young. Seeing people on social media post their photoshopped bodies and curated lives made me feel like I was doing something wrong—like I was wrong. My body wasn’t right, my forehead was too big, and my skin wasn’t clear enough. In reality, people on social media are posting the best pictures, with the best lighting and editing. Young minds can’t understand this. Herein lies the problem. 

Most millennials did not have social media during their formative years, and these are the parents of the “iPad kids.” I truly believe that we will begin to see a rapid shift in parenting once most of my generation are parents. I’ve already had conversations with young Gen Z mothers who plan not to let their kids have social media until they’re 16. My generation knows the impacts of social media on young minds. We experienced it firsthand. 

The problem we face now is that many children in school have phones at the age of 8. I do, however, believe this will change soon if Gen Z remembers what it was like for them. I see videos almost daily of girls my age wanting their childhood back. They are constantly searching for the innocence that was taken away from them too early. Some are even talking about buying flip phones. 

Personally, I would give anything to go back to a time before my life was dictated by social media and the internet. When having a curated LinkedIn and Instagram are as much a part of the job search as the resume, it becomes very overwhelming.

I miss privacy. I miss when people didn’t know my every move. 

Of course, there are ways to protect your privacy on social media. Turn off your location, don’t post about your personal life, etc. I also have a rule for myself– if I’m having a meal with someone, my phone is away and I refuse to touch it. But that doesn’t change the past. It doesn’t change the fact that growing up, social media taught us that approval is everything. I hope my future children won’t have to worry about social media until their brains are more developed, and until they understand that life is happening in front of them and all around them, not on a screen. I would like to teach them to be humans first before the world gets to them– because my generation didn’t get that option. My generation didn’t have a chance. But we have all the power to make a change for the future.

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