WASHINGTON – There was a time when teenagers used to sit for hours on the family phone, having to fight off nosy, extension-picking-up siblings and parents. Today, most teens simply pull out their smartphones in the privacy of their own bedrooms.
The world is a far easier place, technologically-speaking, for kids these days.
Buzzfeed compiled a list of the “10 Things Kids Today Never Have To Worry About.”
- Texting full words – There is no use for full words today when you can text messages like LOL, TTYL.
- Missing TV episodes – Gone are the days of rushing through dinner to catch that favorite television show. “My So-Called Life” anyone? Thanks to Netflix, Hulu and DVR, kids are no longer a slave to the television.
- Overcrowded inboxes – Remember the days of daily deals sites and newsletters crowding the inbox? Now companies like Hotmail are introducing tools to combat the crowded inbox.
- Seeing friends and family while abroad – Being away from your high school girlfriend or best friend can be tough when you’re a teenager. Thanks to Google Video and Skype, travelling abroad means you’re a few clicks away from a video chat.
- Paying for music – Remember the cassette tape? Yeah, neither do we. In fact, CDs are also going the way of the eight-track thanks to digital music downloads and websites like Spotify, where user can stream free music.
- Reading for school – Forget Cliff Notes, today, high schoolers can listen to audio study guides of Catcher in the Rye.
- Awkward in-person communication – Facebook and Twitter allow for complete avoidance of human interaction. There is no more need to talk to someone in person, or even on the phone, when you can post a message on their wall or direct message them on Twitter.
- Writing a letter – It’s no surprise the U.S. Postal Service is struggling. It seems no one writes letters anymore. From thank you notes to party invitations, everything comes via email, or Facebook.
- Spelling words correctly – The spelling-challenged have no need to worry when writing an essay for school, thanks to spell check and Google.
- Carrying a camera – Besides a professional photographer, how many people still carry a separate camera around? With high-powered cameras in every smartphone, it’s relatively easy to take professional-looking photos anywhere.
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