Are We as Smart as Our Parents?

It seems parent have another thing to put on the “brain rotting check list,” the internet. The internet has been a growing sensation since the mid to late 80s and is now accessible to almost everyone around the world today! That said, it has been targeted by many people such as researchers who say the internet is one of the main reasons why generation Y has come to a screeching halt in basic history and literature knowledge. Today over 33 million Americans use the internet to check out personal interest articles, update their blog space, or just to sit and play games on. But what most parents are saying today is that the internet has put a constricting bubble on their child’s will to learn. I think the internet is not constricting, but liberating in all aspects of the word. With the internet teens can find information in a way they find suitable for their needs without the hassle of feeling like they are meeting a deadline.
Amy Goldwasser, a freelance editor for magazines such as Vouge, seventeen, and the New Yorker, takes side with me saying teens are using the internet for more beneficial uses than parents give them credit for. In her article “What’s the Matter with Kids Today?” Goldwasser shows just how much teens are keeping up on their literature readings. “The average teen chooses to spend an average of 16.7 hours a week reading and writing online” (Goldwasser 239). This quote from the freelance editor shows just how much teens will read voluntarily to educate themselves (even if they are unaware they are doing so). Goldwasser also goes on to say that teens who blog about their everyday lives while reading headlines on online newspapers could quite possibly be the next famous writer to show up on the New York Times Best. I agree with Goldwasser a hundred percent that without a doubt teens should be able to continue their daily routines without being shunned by the older generation of the way they learn.
I think teens should use the internet no matter what they are using it for. Teens who go on the internet and have Yahoo! As their homepage will always see the headline article as the first thing they see. Even this little headline page opener, will keep teens up to date on the current events. If teens want to know more about Stalin in World War 2 they can easily go right to Google and find the information they want without having to stay in a classroom and hear a dry lecture for 50 minutes of their day. Now, this is not to say that the educational system in America is obsolete, I am merely saying educational systems and older generations of people should embrace the fact their children are using the internet as a tool for their futures. Whether they are on a CNN headline article researching what is happening in Afghanistan or just on their Facebook updating what they did for the day, I think their brains are soaking up precious information they will need later on in life to succeed.