Even then, individual screens is isolating.

Collapsing in front of the TV with the family was still quality time enjoying something together.

mister_mort 16 hours ago | parent | next [-]

For a lot of young people the screen is social - the equivalent of the long after-school phonecalls from the before times. Be it games or just Discord, it's still comms.

	▲	HeinzStuckeIt 16 hours ago \| parent \| next [-]
		The screen is also a continual, addictive flow of short video clips that are largely designed to sell product, stoke FOMO, make people feel inadequate about beauty, etc. Observe young people using their phones, and you can see the social use is often just occasionally switching from TikTok to a chat app, dashing off a one-line message, and then going right back to TikTok. Big difference from having actual long phone conversations with friends after school.
	▲	bluGill 15 hours ago \| parent \| prev [-]
		Most of the social of screens is when you get to a place without them you have something common to talk about. "how about [local sports team]", "what did you think about [whatever happened on latest soap opera]", "lets pretend I'm [some character on cartoon]". It is all shorthand for we have something in common and can skip getting to know each other.

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stronglikedan 16 hours ago | parent | prev | next [-]

Individual screens let parents get some peace and quiet for a while. As with everything, moderation is the key, not abstention.

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vel0city 16 hours ago | parent | prev [-]

Individual screens can be isolating, they can also be somewhat social. I agree, not a complete replacement for other social activities for sure. But, as a kid with internet connected videogames growing up, those internet connected games kept me playing with friends from school and other groups even if we weren't able to physically get together that evening.

Meanwhile, my brother would often go dig in and read a fiction book in isolation. Which is fine and great and all. I'm definitely not taking a dig at reading a book in any way. But, its not like only screens lead to isolation. There's plenty of tasks one can do at home that then become isolating.