21-Year-Old Man Begs Parents To Stop Raising ‘iPad Kids’ — ‘You’ve Been Shoving Screens In Your Children’s Faces Since Birth’
How much screen time is too much?
Iuliia Shcherbakova / Shutterstock In our modern world, technology and screen time are something that many parents have to think about, especially in a digital age where many media platforms exist.
In a TikTok video, a content creator named Gabe Escobar issued a PSA to all Gen Zers for when they become parents, especially when it comes to raising "iPad kids."
Escobar warned parents that they should pay more attention to the amount of technology their children are consuming.
"I need everybody else in my generation to promise that we are not gonna raise iPad children, please," Escobar urged at the start of his video. "I just saw a TikTok from a millennial and she was like, 'Here's a message to Gen Z. You might make fun of us but watch out, we're raising the next generation and they're gonna eat you up.'"
Gabe continued, saying that in the video, the millennial woman pointed out that Gen Zers' children won't be able to read and they're both bizarrely and terribly behaved, mostly because young parents are simply thrusting a tablet or iPad in front of their children to get them to sit down and relax instead of nurturing their minds and having them play outside or read, for example.
"Gen Z, please, when we're older don't give your kids iPads at the dinner table," Escobar insisted. "If I'm older and I have my kids, and I bring them to a restaurant and I see fellow parents at the table next to me, and their kids have iPads at a restaurant in public, I'm gonna scream."
Escobar acknowledged that parents should try harder to entertain their children and give them attention or try and engage them in conversation instead of turning to technology as the quick solution. "We have to do right a wrong, guys. We have to make kids normal. Please."
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A woman who majored in education and worked in childcare for eight years explained the downfall of raising 'iPad kids.'
In another TikTok video, a woman named Andra Berghoff stitched Gabe's video and revealed that Gen Alpha, or the "iPad kid generation" is a "nightmare" to deal with because of how attached they are to their devices.
"I know people say this about every young generation and it's kind of a rite of passage for aging but it is an epidemic to the point where teachers who have taught their entire lives are just up and quitting now," Berghoff acknowledged. "They can't handle these kids anymore."
Berghoff pulled up various screenshots of news stories and explained that while there are many reasons why public school educators are leaving the field, one of the main ones is because of children's behaviors over the last couple of years. The main issue with Gen Alpha, who were born between 2010 and 2025, is that they are having extreme social issues and have almost no manners.
"I think the biggest issue is that these kids are using screens at a rate that we've never historically seen before and these parents are replacing parenting and babysitters with iPads," Berghoff said. "This generation as a whole is having reduced attention span and concentration."
Berghoff, who worked in childcare for years, recalled that many of the children she took care of lacked imagination and never wanted to color. Instead, they found their joy in watching Netflix or playing iPad games or apps. She could also tell when parents lacked boundaries with their children because whenever she'd try and take the iPad away, these kids would throw massive tantrums.
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There's nothing wrong with putting your children in front of a television for a couple of minutes just to get things done, but depending on technology to occupy your kids shouldn't be the overall solution. Berghoff noted that when she was a babysitter, she would force the children she'd be watching to go play outside with their toys and noticed a huge improvement in their behaviors.
Technology and iPads aren't to blame for the lack of discipline and declining socialization that many children are experiencing today, but rather parents need to start changing their parenting styles to accommodate their children. Children shouldn't be just tech-savvy, but they should also be socially adept and capable of navigating the complexities that emerge as they grow older.
Nia Tipton is a Chicago-based entertainment, news, and lifestyle writer whose work delves into modern-day issues and experiences.