Generations Blog

This past Sunday evening, PBS Frontline broadcast a program entitled Growing Up On-line which examined the impact the Internet is having on the Millennial generation, teens in particular, as they come of age. The segment begins with a fair-handed perspective of the challenges that teachers, parents, managers and others are having because of the influence of this technology. Unfortunately, it devolves into the portrayal of several teens and their families in a couple of New Jersey suburbs that have met with disaster. Overall, the program leaves a one-sided and negative impression of how teens are maturing in this environment. I walked away from the program depressed and frustrated about the producers’ failure to present a balanced perspective.

Yes, teens’ exposure to this electronic environment is resulting in some tragedy and I am in no way dismissing the troubling things that have happened to the families portrayed in the program. My heart goes out to them. The producers fail to provide, however, any case for how many of these incidents have happened in relation to the some 80 million Millennials we have within the US let alone the Western world. But there are many other positive impacts on the Millennial generation because of this technology.  Today’s teens are doing amazing things using the Internet and to use scare tactics to build viewership is unfortunate.  

A highlight of the production can be found on-line in the interview with Steve Maher, one of the teachers featured in the program. His interview provides some interesting perspectives on what teachers are facing in today’s classrooms and what can be done to counteract some of the more insidious by-products of children who are growing up immersed in technology.