sean_cooper58•1d agoProlific Poster

I saw a weird thing at the mall food court that made me think about my phone

I was at the Westgate Mall food court last weekend, just grabbing a slice of pizza, and I noticed something. At the table next to me, a mom was trying to get her kid, maybe 5 years old, to eat his nuggets. The kid was just staring at a tablet, and the mom said, 'Just watch one more, then eat.' She wasn't even picking the video. The tablet just auto-played the next thing, some loud cartoon. It hit me that an algorithm was basically running their lunch break, deciding what held the kid's focus so the mom could have 5 minutes of peace. That's a heavy trade-off, you know? We're letting these systems parent for us because it's easy, but what's it doing to how kids learn patience or make choices? Has anyone else seen a moment like that where the algorithm's role in daily life just felt too big?

3 comments

3 Comments

linda_dixon491d ago

Honestly, have you ever been that mom trying to eat with a tired kid? Tbh, sometimes that auto-play is the only thing that stops a full meltdown in public. It's not about letting a system parent, it's about using the tools you have to get through a hard moment. Calling it a robot nanny is a bit much when parents are just doing their best to cope.

anderson.piper1d ago

Ever wonder if that tablet is gonna start charging the kid rent? Kid's getting a whole dopamine drip feed while mom's just trying to eat her cold fries in peace. Next thing you know, the algorithm will be picking his clothes and telling him when to sleep. We're basically letting a robot nanny raise a generation of kids who think 'skip ad' is a core life skill.

the_harper1d ago

Actually, that tablet is just a tool like any other. Anderson.piper makes it sound like a total takeover, but in my experience it's more like a temporary help for worn out parents. The real work of raising kids still happens off screen.