[5upplied_demand]

I'm not seeing how this stops kids from communicating with their peers. That seems like a bad-faith argument as they can send an SMS, make phone calls, send emails, meet in-person, play video games, etc. The things many of us grew up doing with our friends.

[johnisgood]

Yes, I did those things in 2000. Except when I look at the city I grew up in, it is no longer safe for kids, and kids do not even go outside anymore, and I do not think social media is at fault here.

BTW SMS and phone calls cost money.

Sending e-mails was not a thing even when I was a kid, 25 years ago.

Playing video games, yeah well, that may be the only thing where they may communicate. Except that is going down in the shitters too these days. Say "shit" or "fuck" (especially) and get banned from chat for days.

[5upplied_demand]

> Except when I look at the city I grew up in, it is no longer safe for kids, and kids do not even go outside anymore

Which city? I ask because I am raising my kids in Chicago. It is far safer than when I was a child and I was under the impression that most cities are far safer. We also have plenty of kids playing outside in our neighborhood. I'm not saying you are wrong, but my lived experience is significantly different.

> BTW SMS and phone calls cost money.

That depends on where you are and what network you are using. That same would go for using social media sites which require internet connection.

> Sending e-mails was not a thing even when I was a kid, 25 years ago.

I was also a kid 25 years ago and we absolutely sent emails.

[johnisgood]

> Which city?

I prefer not to disclose it (somewhere in Central Europe), but there have been extensive discussions here on HN about how many modern cities have become increasingly hostile to children because their design prioritizes cars over walkability and accessible public spaces. The concerns I am referring to stem directly from that context.

> That depends on where you are and what network you are using.

In my country, prepaid SIM cards still charge per call and per SMS. The alternative is a monthly plan, which at least for young people without their own income was not really financially practical. Back then, even adults did not use these monthly plans, if it was even available at the time here.

> I was also a kid 25 years ago and we absolutely sent emails.

That is interesting, because email never became a popular medium among kids where I grew up. What was popular, however, were synchronous, real-time forms of communication: in-game chat, ICQ, and especially MSN Messenger (I miss those days), and a local web-based chat platform that many of us used. Email, by contrast, felt slow, so we only used it occasionally, for example, when I used it to check up on someone to finally get on Yahoo Chat.

Do not get me wrong, when I was a kid we were always outside, hanging out in abandoned buildings that are long gone now, for example, and I barely see any kids running outside together in groups like we used to. They are probably inside playing games or something. :P

(There are still many playgrounds where you can see very young children playing with their parents. But they are way too young to use a computer or to be left alone, even, so I am not referring to them.)

May I ask where you are from? The contrast is quite interesting, and I would like to hear more.