It’s not easy to shut door on demons of connected life

You have probably heard of the ramblings from a pre-teen primary school pupil that went viral in Kenya stirring intense commentary around modern-day parenting, value systems and everything in-between.

Granted, the videos have on display a buffet of unpalatable vocabulary that many adults will both cringe and smile at given the double standards that we apply on most things. But I am however not shocked by the brazenness of the Young Turk

The internet is easily accessible through the mobile phone and increasingly via last-mile fiber to the home in urban areas. This has opened up the floodgates of information, the good and the bad, resulting in an immersive experience as soon as one can manipulate an enabled device. The open tap that is the internet has no filters and unfortunately, many parents and guardians are ill-equipped to monitor and restrict that which would be considered unfit. Connected devices are often used as distractive time sink giving unfettered access, and even for those who are sufficiently exposed, keeping up with trends is extremely difficult, with new apps, sites, and lingo popping up at an incredible rate.

While access is one, children read and learn intently from the actions of the adults in their life and are now drinking from the pool of likes, retweets, regrams and views metrics that they see their adult minders wallow in. The pursuit of relevance and much-fabled fame will continue to stoke the embers of childhood imagination and ambition on what they want to be or do when they grow up

Groupthink driven by a desire to conform and be part of a commonality is strengthened by the ability to communicate and share remotely. In the past, face time was required for the creation and perpetuation of any thought. Today, the platforms that drive convenience in other parts of our life are fuelling dysfunctional decision-making made apparent when persons such as the pre-teen in the spotlight are engaged when alone.

We also tend to forget offline influences; graphic representations, images, video, audio, copy et cetera that assault the senses as we go about daily living.

It is very easy to transfer and apportion blame, but the hard truth is that it will take a concerted and combined effort to protect young minds, without falling into regulatory abuse, up and until they can be held legally responsible for their consumption choices and any forward action.