I watched a girl spend an entire lecture (on some pretty complicated material that she certainly will not do well on the test on) scrolling through dresses on some shopping site. A whole hour, not looking up once, scrolling dresses!

Although I will say this. I am about to turn 25. My teenage and adolsecent years were pre-smartphone, well probably mostly because I was a late adopter. I didn't have one until I was 21 or 22.

I just came back to college at a later age. Lots of 18-19 year olds here who did not have the privilege of a pre-smartphone teenage existence. And I've gotta say, they aren't really that bad off for the most part. You see people who are basically addicts to the stuff here and there. But I think for the most part, social cues are a more powerful signal than technology-cues. Most of the people here seem to have not too damaging a relationship with it. But there are definitely outliers who are way too hyperfocused on it.

It's the kids who spent their whole childhood with this sort of technology around that I'm now curious about. I hope most of them are able to lead normal childhood existences without this stuff taking over.