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Are children spoiled these days?


Sugar Pea

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Ok, a bit of an exaggeration... But there were reports of kids tweeting and using tumblr where they said that they hated their parents or would even disown them because they got the wrong color iPhone. There are some vids online of kids breaking down crying and yelling about it. If I could have gotten something like that as a child, I would be too busy using it to care what color it was. I guess the apple stuff is a big status symbol with some teens, tho?

My mum's response to any of her kids acting that way would have been to take the item off her ungrateful child and donate it to charity to teach a lesson. XD

 

I also think that giving small children expensive items is ridiculous as firstly, they have no concept of what things are worth at that age and are likely to break them or lose them, and second, it just makes them a target for crime. There was a story round my way about a ten year old girl who was knocked over by a mugger who then stole her iphone and ipod. She was walking down the road with the items on display and a man just whacked her over and took both items. Hell, I guess it's easier for muggers to target children than big burly builders; less risk. But do we really want children to become crime targets?

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It depends on what financial situation the parents are in. Like, those who are well off may well be spoiled; all of my little cousins for example, when I was their age I played outside a lot, they on the other hand sit on iPads and stuff, and the eldest is only 10. One who is 6 was bought a Kindle Fire HD and uses it for games, which bugs me more than it should xD

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I'd say children are spoiled, there's a good amount of children I've been around that are pretty spoiled and have more than I ever had growing up, especially with today's computers, phones, tablets, etc.

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As someone said, I think it has a lot to do with how you define "spoiled."  For me, I'd say yes.  For these reasons.

 

1.  How many times have I been in a restaurant with a couple of tables nearby with up to six kids - 12 to 15 - silently twiddling smartphones and saying nothing to each other.  Do they even care that they have friends? (Except as someone to compete with, "be seen with," or complain about?)

 

2.  The "i'm bored" scenario.  Despite the electronic gadgets (or maybe because of them) most kids mostly don't read, or just chill.  There has to be a host of things vying for their attention or they go nuts.  I think part of this is due to #3, which is...

 

3. Parents seem to think kids should have no unscripted/unsupervised time.  Every minute of a kid's life takes place in a lesson, a club, managed play-sessions (people are even doing this with their dogs now!) or some other planned/supervised/scripted activity.  How on earth can this possibly be to the child's ultimate benefit?  How does a kid develop self-reliance and get the chance to make decisions without coaching - let alone learn to entertain themselves.  So if distraction is not set before them on a plate with watercress around it they launch into a tantrum, whine incessantly or hide in their room being heavy dopers, cutters or just terminally depressed.

 

4.  Another facet of #3 - no time alone.  I have watched kids grow up with the 100% scripted lifestyle, then at 18 they get, "OK, you're an adult now - go deal."  How are they supposed to be independent, self reliant adults when nothing has prepared them for that eventuality?  So then you get an18-year-old basket-case who either implodes into depression or runs wild and gets into big trouble.   

 

5.  When I was a kid I had responsibilities - almost the entire responsibility of keeping our house clean.  I got no help with homework and I spent a lot of time alone.  I read, drew, painted, hung out with my animals and cruised the neighborhood with my friends.  I found stuff to do, and since there were no cell-phones, personal computers, tablets, etc. when I was a kid, I had to get creative. 

 

Crime statistics show that there are not many more kidnappings, rapes or other violet crimes now than there were when I was a kid, despite the fear-mongering of Fox News and the like.  So why do parents feel it is necessary to hover, script every minute of a kid's life and bribe them with gadgets?  No wonder there are so many spoiled kids!  And what about the kids that aren't spoiled?  There's a lot of them too.  But you don't hear so much about them.  They deserve more credit.  If you are one of them, I salute you!  And thanks for not being a PIA!

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Stereotypical Teenager #1: Spoiled? Oh nononononono. Why would I be spoiled?
to butler: OH MY GOD, THERE'S DUST ON MY IPHONE, PLEASE GET ME A NEW ONE *throws iPhone onto dump of 2000 perfectly okay iPhones)

 

seriously though kids nowadays take stuff for granted. I would like to defenestrate some of the whiney children around me XD

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Am I spoiled? I wonder. Hm, I'd hope not. I can see spoiled people but I'm not a reliable source for judging myself, so for all you know I'm a real spoiled teen.

 

But are kids in general spoiled? No, I don't think so. Depends on where you look. There are some kids who were spoiled at a younger age and just grew up that way, and there are other kids whose parents give them whatever they want just to shut them up. I guarantee there were kids like that in the 90s, 1840s, and any time after the dawn of civilization. To say kids these days are spoiled without doing some thorough snooping around feels like too big a generalization. Especially when the claim's based on a little kid you saw at Walmart.

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Yes and no, where I live there are plenty of kids with phones, xboxes, playstations, tablets and stuff like that, but the only really spoiled ones are the rich ones who complain that they didn't get something exactly how they wanted, which is maybe 3 or 4. I do have one friend that is kind of spoiled, he moved to the US from Italy, and his dad used to play solo guitar professionally. They have money, and he does have a lot of stuff, but he enjoys going outside and playing.

 

Me and my friends, which makes up a majority of the kids/teens in our town, all have phones, tablets, laptops and stuff, but we'd rather be out at the skate park, which is closed right now, so I'm not there. I'm typing this on a laptop, but I worked as a bagger at Safeway to get it. My one skateboard I've had since 2007-ish and I still have it in good condition, most of the time you can just stroll through my town and hear, see, and watch any small child to teen run around and enjoy themselves whether it be with others or alone.

 

End of rant.

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(edited)

It's fallacious to assume children today are spoiled because they have iPhones. 10 years ago, an iPhone would have been several thousand dollars. It would be the price of a new car.

 

But today? It costs $200 with a contract. When we were kids, didn't we have gifts worth that much? I mean, hell, a nice Lego set and a video game or two cost that much.

 

A new phone every two years costs $200. That's $100 per year, or $1.90 per week. Surely that isn't unreasonable, is it?

 

I never had an iPhone when I was younger, but I did get an allowance for toys and video game money. I don't see it as being any different.

Edited by Admiral Regulus
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Yes.


 


Even though I'm still 13, I really think children these days are spoiled af (as fuck).


Seriously, I saw a 5 yr old girl with an Iphone idk, like, what are you going to do with it?


Play with your toys, play outside and don't be me sitting behind electronica 25/8.


 


But it's parenting what makes them spoiled, the children ask, and the parents decide to buy it or not.


And if they buy it, their children will mostly be bored with it after a month.


But, aren't we all a bit spoiled?


 


And the children will have it hard, because they always get everything, what happens when they grow up and need to work?


Seriously, here, in The Netherlands, there are loads of schools who use only electronica, such as Ipads.


Really hate it, for me? Oldies = Goldies.


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Yes, probably including me. But don't act like children weren't spoiled back then either, it's just that the internet is letting people broadcast their stupidity/spoildness all over.

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I remember a girl in my class at school who was terribly spoiled. Her mum bought her a pair of Nikes that cost £500 and she took them to school, despite the rule against having expensive trainers at school. Those trainers were stolen out the changing room one day and she never got them back. So at least one spoiled child of my generation got their comeuppance. XD

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Yes. 

Not all children are however, although more  children / teens are in this generation we are discussing than any other in history. I would go as far as to say that this runs true more so in America than in other countries from my own personal observations in travel. My theory is how that generation was introduced to technology. It was not a gradual process. When I was ten in 2000, technology was advancing at a decent pace. Later on in the decade, the Ipod, computers and smart phones advanced so quickly that consumers were constantly struggling to keep up and they still are. The first quantum device was created this year. This will lead to quantum computing, devices that can catch and fix their own errors and are incredibly fast; much faster than anything we have today. Look how fast tech is evolving, it's impressive if not worrying. Access to tech has become so easy, what with family plans and the like, children are able to access it earlier and earlier. They feel empowered with this tech being given to them, not having to work for it in most cases. To my point of children in America being the most spoiled - let's face a fact, the U.S. is the king of the entertainment industry. Progress in entertainment, which many children today are a major component, should be recognized as a contributing factor to spoiling, coupled with the tech such as smart phones that nearly every child the age of 12+ has, perhaps even earlier.

Look at the adds against being a "zombie" on smart phones these days. People are recognizing the problems this has with our youngest minds. It can spoil them and has effectively removed socialization from their day to day lives. Social networking is not socializing, it is talking to someone in person, not through a screen that is socializing. 

Of course parenting has a lot to do with a child being spoiled. Tech just being a factor. I've seen children from very poor families and wealthy families whom are spoiled. It comes down to the parents, period. The Dust Bowl generation was taught the value of working hard for your earnings amidst the greatest natural disaster North America has ever seen, as well as dealing with a depression and WWII. Then you have the Vietnam generation, the Cold War generation, etc. Today, the post 9/11 generation does not have much to be concerned about here at home. What is happening abroad around the world, they do not know much about and at around 15 years of age and lower, I wouldn't expect them to. It is one of the only generations I know of, that has not had to be concerned about conflict (as in they themselves taking part), a depression, a major natural disaster, etc. This, tech overload and bad parenting, I believe, are the reasons why there are a lot of spoiled children these days.  :)

 

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Yes, for sure. Spoiling your kids is pampering them to the extreme, and that's what's going on today. There are children just gluing their eyes on their phones and such, and that's really bad. Children need to learn how to play in the real world, and not just online, kids need to have a sense of adventure! Buying them a barrage or electronics will absolutely deter them from developing the way they're supposed to.

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(edited)

Sadly yes, but it's mostly a consequence of the fact that most parents have different financial situations of just don't have enough time to spend with their little ones.

Edited by Dino-Mario
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There are plenty of sociological factors behind that, I am sure. I think it's mostly because parents of the "cupcake" generation lived rougher childhoods and they don't want their kids to live that sort of life. There are plenty of people in my family who kind of had it rough a few decades ago.

 

That and technology and the economy has changed drastically since the turn of the 21st century. 

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YES!....

 

Christ I see children in the 1st Grade with expensive Smart Phones.... hell it gets one tiny chip they get rid of the damn thing and replace it opposed to just dealing with it

 

Same with today's teenagers they always must be up to date getting the most recent phone or console

 

I'am one of those few teenagers who makes the best of what they got

I use a 2007 model Xbox 360 that is pretty broken (disc tray is broken and it sometimes crashes or loses connection to Live)

I have a 5 year old laptop that is literally and metaphorically falling apart

I don't get an allowance and I never had

hell I don't even have a phone.... or a car....

 

and i still consider myself lucky

 

 

If I ever have a kid I will make sure they don't end up like today's kids....

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Honestly, I don't think "they have a smartphone" is a good enough reason to call a child spoiled (although I wouldn't give any kid under 10 anything with a fragile touchscreen).  If this was 20 years ago, we'd have people calling us spoiled for having Game Boys and Playstations.  Hell, my Grandparents could call my Parents spoiled since they grew up in a house with electricity and didn't have to do any farm work as children.

 

We can't really judge children by the standards of when we grew up.

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my 3 year old has a leapfrog tablet.  he always used my granny's kindle and my computer, and he's really good with technology even when he was only 2, so i bought him that.  might as well encourage his learning.  he uses our phones, but i'm not buying him his own yet.  i wouldn't say he's spoiled.  that was a christmas present.  he knows he can't get whatever he wants at the store, and he won't throw a fit over it.  

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   Everyone is spoiled these days, from the least to the greatest, ever seen those Care.com ads? The young blonde girl in the ad saying, "When it comes time to need a new babysitter, have some requirements ...", basically she is saying I have demands, so you have to meet them. A trend I notice with children, is the fact we emphasis education too much, to get them young, using some on-line program or software to teach them, very little time to be children, to have unstructured time to just play, or the exact opposite, they are given too much of a good thing, that they will never know there are limitations, the lack of discipline for both adult and child is very telling of our decadent times. Adults have their rotten moments too, we see it on the television, like the Kardasians or ordinary wealthy toffee noses, showing of their pampered pets or gaudy homes, on TLC or the Animal Planet, as a result we have made debauchery acceptable, normal and entertaining, for all of these things are distractions, a mere delusion of a society on the fringes of corruption, not thing sacred any more, I have seen classical homes in my home town, torn down to make way for some mansion, that lays empty for most of the year, plus I have seen some nice look rubbish thrown away, like working DVD players, and even a perfect Nintendo Wii, the only console I own that I did not bought, it was just lying out in the open, so I shudder to think, what else these spoiled simpletons consider disposable, perhaps liberty or life itself.   

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Problem that I see with parents nowadays,  not everyone can, or wants to be a parent, but they end up having children nowadays out of social pressure, while not bothering to properly raising them  >_>

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