A couple of weeks ago, I was roaming the stacks of my local public library. Over in the corner by the bean bags, a gaggle of Gen Alpha teens was talking among themselves, but still glued to their laptop screens. It appeared to be some kind of study group, overseen by an adult in his 30s who had to chide them every five minutes to keep it quiet because they were in a library.
It led me to wonder if some of the kids had developed mild Autism or Tourettes from excessive screen/technology use, as they weren’t speaking in a language remotely similar to English. Or just how, say, a decade ago, teens appeared to talk. They communicated purely through internet slang, odd noises, and random, inappropriate outbursts.
Skeeeeet! Ay-ay! Gyatt! Your mom, though.
The adult in charge was clearly over their antics, and later, when the group moved from the bean bags to a table, he tried to drop the hammer on them for being loud and rude. They still kept being loud and rude, though, and I began to feel second-hand embarrassment for the adult. This guy didn’t stand a chance against the internet-addled murder hornets.
Join the conversation as a VIP Member