Why Kids Don't Go Outside Anymore

Children need more independent mobility. Modern suburbia is car-dependent, and kids/teenagers cannot get around without their parents driving them. This has serious consequences on their physical and mental health and well-being.
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➜ References & Further Reading:
Children don't walk to school anymore:
www.sciencedirect.com/science...
Lack of Independence hinders children's development:
www.researchgate.net/publicat...
Teenage drivers:
www.iihs.org/topics/teenagers...
Kids drawing their path to school:
www.academia.edu/24048982
How did good parenting become a crime?
macleans.ca/society/how-did-g...
Youth excluded from public spaces:
phys.org/news/2020-07-explore...
➜ Timestamps:
0:00 Kids don't go outside anymore
0:32 Cars are deadly
2:07 Going to school
3:16 Impact on health and well-being
4:18 Stranger danger
5:41 Lack of public space
6:43 It doesn't have to be this way
8:53 We have power to fix our cities
➜ Music disclaimer:
©2024 Pokémon. ©1995-2024 Nintendo/Creatures Inc./GAME FREAK inc.
This content has been created in agreement with the Terms of Use for the “Pokémon Game Sound Library”.
-flurfdesign
#urbanplanning #children #urbandesign

[@flurfdesign]

**CORRECTION** 0:32 Firearm deaths surpassed vehicle deaths in 2020 (recent data is unavailable) for ages 1-19 in the US. www.nejm.org/doi/full/10.1056/NEJMc2201761 Vehicle deaths were still the highest among children ages 1-17 by a tight margin www.cdc.gov/injury/wisqars/LeadingCauses.html

[@kyyes5515]

Reason 18302 to not go outside:

[@KuleGuy27]

America moment

[@drrocketman7794]

That's because legally 18 and 19 year olds are ADULTS but they included them intentionally to skew the data to say "gun bad." Our country needs to focus more on infrastructure for travel other than cars, and let guns just be. They're already out there.

[@drrocketman7794]

Also, 18 and 19 year olds are legally adults, and nobody went anywhere in 2020 because we were in a global pandemic.

[@Jrob992]

That’s because they raised the age of “children” to include legal adults (18-19) which is also the average age for violent gang members in the US. Obviously done because of the agenda against firearms when in reality the problem is gang violence.

[@Mthwe8]

I stopped going outside, because everybody else my age stopped going outside. Walking on the sidewalk by myself, no trees, no grass, just concrete is a special kind of depressing.

[@jooot_6850]

There’s nothing out there for us. Sprawl literally as far as the eye can see. The closest thing you can get to identifying another human is, ironically, what car they drive.

[@blitzboy2934]

The most I do is go do shit with my friends, or sit outside on my patio listening to the rain when it’s raining. Or listening to music.

[@Hawker_Tempest]

I relate to this too well

[@ImTooms]

Honestly. They took down so many parks and even my local skatepark. There’s literally nothing anymore

[@xofxtou4400]

Honestly

[@taylorsloley4170]

"Kids these days just don't go outside anymore!" Meanwhile the closest park is 13 miles away with no sidewalks leading to said park

[@leftlegleg]

And the people saying this are telling their children they can’t go outside without arranging it or supervision

[@HellecticMojo]

not to mention the ever increasing climate extremes where summers hit record highs and winters hit record lows or precipitation. Outside suuucks

[@kamilareeder1493]

As a kid it was uncanny. Id be like 15 and dropped of at my fathers' for the summer. I'd hop on my bike and go look to make friends. I'd ride for a mile in all direction until I fit the main road and NEVER meet another kid 😢💔😪

[@user-hp8db9zc7z]

This is why I won’t live in a suburb. Unfortunately, I grew up in one, and there was rampant drug abuse. Because, as was mentioned in the video, there’s nothing to do in suburbs. So literally, kids are doping up their brains without their parents knowing. Suburbs are just a modern day, disaster, cultureless, and a pathetic excuse for living

[@manletopia4801]

curfew laws I got put in a cop car at 17 for walking in my neighborhood even at 21 I still get harassed

[@TheCottonCandyQueen]

“We will build a bunch of roads for our cars in mind first and the people last.” “We will keep our children under surveillance literally 24/7 and expect them to be independent.” “Why isn’t anyone going outside anymore?”

[@theperfectburger9892]

The problem that these officials are having is they’re trying to make it easier for some motive they have without considering others and the consequences of their decisions

[@highestpeeqs9532]

Jesus loves yall, died for us, and rose again! Jesus calls for all of us to repent! He's coming back!!!

[@Herobeans]

​@@highestpeeqs9532Too eurocentric

[@khakipeach2128]

Not to mention that a 12 year old will get arrested for ding dong ditching, whereas a few decades ago kids could get away with much worse

[@joestewart5406]

Then why were the roads built 60 years ago when kids spent there entire life outside. What a joke. You don’t have a clue what your talking about

[@sircharlesmormont9300]

I kid you not: I was in my mid-twenties when I was stopped by a cop and asked why I was walking, where I lived, where I was going, and which route I was taking. It was a nice spring day. I had a backpack of books and was trying to return it them to the local library, which was about a mile away. It creeped me out. When you can't even walk a mile to the library on a pretty day without being questioned by police, it kind of makes you not want to walk.

[@jaysouthmusic8230]

Dang that’s messed up

[@NoahWoodard-dn3kv]

Same thing happened to me, they frisked me to and then tried to give me a ride back home.

[@kaydenweathers7480]

Literally the pedestrian :(

[@altobonifacio8936]

I'm brazillian and authorities do this in favelas over here, CRIMINAL AUTHORITIES, drug lords and militiamen, this is not normal at all it's dystopic.

[@absolutelycitron1580]

And this is why the pigs will never support human-centric infastructure and will advocate against it at city council meetings. Maybe an individual 1 will support it occasionally but def not the FoP

[@devoteeofmediocrity821]

I remember being kicked out of the house because “playing video games all day is unhealthy” but I wasn’t allowed to leave our property. So what was I supposed to do? Rub a stick in the dirt?

[@Wildslayer50]

You were supposed to use your imagination, and imagine yourself playing videogames whilst playing tic-tac-toe solo.

[@CausingChaos.]

Except you can’t even dig because then your parents would get mad at you for digging holes in the ground that the mower could hit.

[@baltakatei]

Get a child labor job so you can start paying rent to them to fund their tropical cruise and their next rental empire property?

[@sweetpurple8812]

@@baltakateigot to love childism and youth hate destroying everything good we had as a society 😭😭 Literally been a backbone of our politics since hippies and rebellion and all that. Youth international party. Why is our edication bad? Why does everyone think kids are dumb as rocks? Why is every kid miserable? Idfk its suUuUuch a mystery. Its called being scared of the people who can and did challenge the establishment, the youth. So they make sure through bribery and screwing us over the youth are miserable and systemstically abused and considered subhuman and get no freedom or thought or information other than things like tiktok which at this point they need to be happy because they took everything else away.

[@redridingcape]

Kick rocks? xD

[@felixthecat2786]

We constantly complain about the lack of independence in young adults, but they were conditioned to lack independence.

[@micosstar]

yup

[@horsepowermultimedia]

Exactly! You've hit the nail right on the head!

[@the_expidition427]

Saving this

[@vincegay986]

A lot of us boomers have also always wanted communities that are people-centered, not car-centered.

[@catborg780]

And 3rd spaces are shrinking/disappearing

[@Sgtfan-ov4lp]

“Just go to a gym.” Meanwhile the nearest gym is not only privately owned and expensive, I have to cross a busy highway to get there.

[@tredaviousbowser7931]

That’s not an excuse to not get exercise lol.

[@SlavGod47]

@@tredaviousbowser7931 No sane person is risking getting ran over by Braxton in his F-250 Super Duty just to hit the treadmill

[@highestpeeqs9532]

Jesus loves yall, died for us, and rose again! Jesus calls for all of us to repent! He's coming back!!!!!!

[@tredaviousbowser7931]

@@SlavGod47 going outside and going to the gym are two different things. The video talks about the former. Going to the gym isn’t the only thing you can do outside

[@semicolone]

​@@highestpeeqs9532jesus will come down from heaven and cross a 6 lane suburban road just to get splattered by a fucking F-150

[@Armyman-sy7mt]

Kids are constantly yelled at by adults any time they are outside Whether it be a video where the police show up to a skate park, kids on a sidewalk playing and the people in the house over start screaming to get off their property. Kids aren’t allowed anywhere other than home and sometimes I can’t even say home is a guarantee

[@threadyprawn8944]

Kids are just in a lose-lose situation because they'd be scolded in their house for staying inside, and yet get scolded for trying to visit a neighbor's kid to have someone to play with. I remember just visiting a neighbor's house that was just across the road from mine and got scolded for daring to play in their house, and not on their narrow ass lawn that had nothing for us to do.

[@highestpeeqs9532]

Jesus loves yall, died for us, and rose again! Jesus calls for all of us to repent! He's coming back!!!!!!

[@Justice449]

@@highestpeeqs9532cool. Follow your religion. Don’t make me follow it though.

[@manuel1846inla1]

@@highestpeeqs9532amen!!

[@seth_i.thinkk]

@@highestpeeqs9532 shut up

[@farwolff]

they really created the most unappealing outdoor environment for actually anything and have the nerve to ask why kids arent going outside anymore

[@YahNation]

My neighborhood destroyed every public access beach 20 years ago and only left behind the shitty ones. They had a building and I literally got Rocks to kick now none of the kids in my area would even know that we even had the potential of a nice hangout location in the neighborhood.

[@Kehwanna]

Even as an adult driving through suburbia it drives me up a wall. I had a meeting one time in a bland office park and had a few minutes for lunch, which having to drive to the nearest chain restaurants was insufferable in itself with the way these places are laid out. I've been to great suburbs before, but we don't see enough of them.

[@yakimandu5098]

multi-cultural societies in big cities are just unsafe and unpleasent

[@Kehwanna]

@@YahNation Gotta love those empty beach houses taking up the coastline that only get visited once a year by whomever owns them. It's especially a shame when you're in a place where the only places you can look at the ocean are all blocked by beach houses, the same with hillsides with great vistas. I know a lot of Caribbean islands are having the same issue where natives can't use their own beaches due to it all being bought up.

[@Digger-Nick]

Leftist America. Create a problem, refuse to fix it, and then complain at others because of it.

[@OofOuchOwie]

Getting arrested for having your kids play in your backyard is insane

[@juliaengel6492]

I cannot imagine the rage I would feel if I was arrested because my son was playing outside in our backyard by himself.

[@saimajavedsaimajaved4515]

But I played in my backyard before, but I did not get arrested

[@user-sh6pg2rh9x]

Why we need less gun regulations, not more.

[@zackakai5173]

@@user-sh6pg2rh9x the only thing I can see that resulting in is the kind of people who call the police on a kid for playing in the backyard having *more* guns. They're exactly the kind of people who shouldn't be allowed to own a pair of scissors.

[@user-sh6pg2rh9x]

@@zackakai5173 They are also the kind of people who won't have guns in their homes.

[@MeenaMonjazeb-kn8dq]

This is a real problem. That is why 2 million watched in just a week. I would love for my kids to freely roam our neighborhood but I’m afraid I would get in trouble and I never see any other kids walking around like it was when I was young.

[@highestpeeqs9532]

Jesus loves yall, died for us, and rose again! Jesus calls for all of us to repent! He's coming back!!!!!!

[@Jyaacho]

​@@highestpeeqs9532 Bro stop spamming god comments.

[@FaithDrinksPepsi]

i’ve always been conditioned to fear everyone. to not trust anything or anyone. i know my parents just want me to be safe, but it made me get to the point im afraid of going ANYWHERE in fear of being hurt. i’m in therapy to try to get rid of this overwhelming fear, but man has it messed me up.

[@sillycookie]

God, same. We'll get through this though ❤

[@JoseCamposSegovia]

The world is full of monsters but it’s also filled with good people. You may have avoided danger but you also avoided fun and meeting good people as well … it’s a double edge sword

[@aff77141]

People are so worried about making sure kids live safe, they aren't allowed to live at all

[@jumbothompson]

Safety obsessed society and running away from the smallest problems which leads to feeling the exact opposite of peace and safety.

[@zkittlezthabanditt604]

Benjamin Franklin once said that we should never curb our freedom in the name of security...

[@cherryblossom7120]

You are so on point.

[@Black-Rat]

More like an obsession or collective paranoia if you ask me.... .

[@mahmoodabdulbaqi824]

​@@JG-MV who? What people did u you see do this, or are you referring to yourself?

[@DK-nv9zu]

One upside of living in a lower income area is a lot of kids still play outside.

[@RichardParker-se1oh]

this is how they develop street smarts are and able to adapt to harsher living circumstances opposed to sheltered kids who whine and complain about everything

[@cursling]

I think a lot of kids still play outside. As someone with no irl friends I go outside on long walks, sit on the swing and hangout with my brother all the time. I’m thinking of getting my bike back in shape so I can go on bike rides. My brother and his friends and other kids around his and my age are always outside.

[@Vaquix000]

fail to see how that's an upside. Yay someone's screaming children are playing outside, being loud and annoying the neighbours. great

[@range685]

@@Vaquix000 You're part of the problem if you think children being excited outside is some big issue.

[@mewbies_camera]

​@@Vaquix000 Children are "loud and annoying" inside the house too, just let them exist and hang out, they aren't going to be outside forever

[@idle12]

15 here, i would totally, and love to go outside. I WANT to, but its just not possible. If i go to a near by park, im alone. If i take a walk, im alone. If i try to go to a store, im alone. And this is only if im able to go, everything seems intended to stop me from going or not make me want to go.

[@highestpeeqs9532]

Jesus loves yall, died for us, and rose again! Jesus calls for all of us to repent! He's coming back!!!!!!

[@Thepissheadman]

16 here, even if I could find people, I wouldn’t know how to make friends with them, my loneliness and depression would just make me hate myself.

[@mokje_]

16 here, I'm not allowed to go outside alone. One of my parents always has to accompany me. We live in a closed suburban (a few houses surrounded by walls), and I can't even go outside there. Theyve isolated me. I have no idea how to socialize, i have no friends, i never go outside, i don't even know where i actually am. All i know is my house and the small convenience store behind our closed suburb where I'm not allowed to go. I have no independence and they want to kick me out of the house as soon as i turn 18. They refuse to let me do anything on my own. Sometimes i see 2 boys my age (the neighbors) walking outside and I'm not allowed to talk to them :( Edit: I'm also homeschooled so i missed/am missing out on those experiences. I won't ever have a prom or a graduation ceremony, which makes me so sad :( I can't even buy myself something similar to a prom dress and pretend, cuz they'll make fun of me and take the dress from me, never to be seen again

[@absolutelycitron1580]

You kids are breaking my heart. Im sorry. Look into any mutual aid groups for when you have to become financially independant

[@jaredhamilton8694]

@@mokje_​​⁠​⁠That’s incredibly sad to hear. I’m 22 now and had a similar upbringing myself, except I actually did get the privilege of attending a school with classmates. I don’t really have any friends outside of the ones I made there, so I couldn’t imagine what the isolation without them could be like. It does get better, but you need to keep strong until it does. Try to make friends at work/school whenever you start at a job/university, especially extroverted ones with a pre-existing friend group to join up with. Just try to be a nice person, keep their boundaries in mind so you don’t make them uncomfortable, and try to take an interest in the same things they take an interest in. I can’t guarantee success, but you need to take an effort to put yourself out there. If that doesn’t work out, there’s also the option of joining communities online like Discord servers to make internet friends you have common interests with. I wish you nothing but the best of luck with making friends, and I hope you can get out of your awful situation at home.

[@ellymae5313]

I'm gen z, about to have my first kid. I live in the small town I grew up in. I want my kid to be able to bike around town and just come back at dark like I was able to. But I also know that there are over 20 registered sex offenders living here in this town of 4,000. I still want my daughter to be able to roam around town, so I've decided to teach her how to defend herself and what to do if there's concern, and then hope for the best. There are so so many things I want to protect her from, but it's just not realistic for me to if she's going to learn how to operate on her own. So many things can go wrong that I have no control over, and that's just how life is. I can prepare her for the world to the best of my ability, but then I have to let her go live. God forbid I lose her, it would break my heart. But I can't keep her in a box her whole life either.

[@Thunderous333]

Life is hard. It's harder when you don't get shown that independence early. If you don't let her be her own person, she'll crumple at the weight of adulthood.

[@Lycanthromancer1]

@@Thunderous333I can corroborate this. I lived in a few small towns when I was a kid, but my parents basically locked me in my room for most of my childhood and wouldn't let me go outside or have friends (while simultaneously constantly complaining how I never went outside or did anything), and I never even met another kid until starting kindergarten. When I started school, I was so scared of everything that the other kids didn't like me because of how upset I was, and some of the school bullies started convincing me they wanted to be "friends" before leading me into a blind corner and kicking the crap out of me. Suffice to say, after the third time, I stopped trying to make friends, interact with other kids, or even talk to them. Things at "home" (because I use the word in the loosest possible sense) didn't get any better. By the time I left for college, I'd never really had a friend (let alone anything more), and I had no idea how to do much of anything that didn't involve going to school, being quiet there, getting bullied, staying at home, and being quiet there, and getting bullied there. Things...didn't go well. At all.

[@oow1667]

It’s scary to have a little one go out in the world. It’s just a matter of staying ready before having to be ready.

[@jediD20]

20 Sex offenders? What about the millions of pedos on the internet?

[@ellymae5313]

@jediD20 My husband and I have decided we want to raise her without media as much as we can, still teaching her how to use it practically for research and as a tool (like microsoft office and stuff) but trying to teach her the value of real life experiences before handing her unlimited internet access. And we have to model this ourselves, otherwise it won't work. But when she's little there's no reason to put her in front of a screen all the time, or at all we think. I'd rather take her to the park, or set up play dates with the kids of other parents I trust. Maybe we'll get her a phone for calling when she's in middle school, but it doesn't need to be a smartphone with internet access. I didn't have a smartphone til I was in college, and even though it was more inconvenient, I remember being a lot happier and better able to talk to people before I had one. I think we can more easily take steps to prevent her from interacting with internet pedos than we can prevent her from running into an offender while she's out biking around town. But there are also tons of kids in this town with tons of protective parents, so I'd hope won't be a huge issue in person, especially if we teach her to be cautious and how to defend herself. I just hope and pray she doesn't insist on finding out how screwed up the world is the hard way. And we're going to tell her what's out there before she gets internet access, but she very well may not believe us until she sees for herself. I just hope she'll trust us enough by then based on how we've raised her that she won't get herself into too much trouble before she understands.

[@charlesvattimo4674]

It’s mind boggling how the boomers who grew up with outdoor childhoods, stereotypically known as valuing the good old days, loathe the thought of today’s children getting to live how they used to.

[@Lightwaslost]

im 15 my dad only wants me in our neighborhood but is only a tiny bit alright with me going to other neighborhoods next to mine but the furtherest i can probably go isnt even a mile from the neighborhood but he cant track me and my sister has my location so i just go wherever i physically can but i dont have any friends near me even though ive lived here for almost 10 years 3 months til its 10 years of living here and it gets boring and my original friend group i had all moved away the last person moved about 2 years ago and i wasnt really hanging out with him for the last 3 years since thats when i deicided i wanted to play minecraft on my ps3 rather then go outside so whenever i go out i just ride a scooter and there are people my age around here but none of them really mess wit me that much and then everybody else who goes outside there house are dog walkers and kids 7-13 and since this is a apartment complex if i do make friends in here they move after a few months.

[@flowerasteroid6241]

​@@Lightwaslost Keep putting yourself out there and if you find someone you wanna be friends with dont be afraid to apply a little pressure and become their friend. My 2 current best friends were not made overnight in fact I kinda didnt like one of them at first but over time with hanging out more I would now die for my buddy. Keep your head up and talk to people. Theres a friend for you out there. People are also generally nicer/more playful than you think. Love you

[@MastaHosen]

Boomers grew up in a 90% white country. That's not the case anymore.

[@chrhadden]

i wish you all played outside like we did but im gen x. i think you are a bunch of dim w imps. get that straight

[@metricccccc]

@@Lightwaslost im sure your story is great but holy hell use periods

[@BeyondBaito]

"Why dont kids go outside?" *does nothing to keep the public safe*

[@zm1786]

We let literally anyone in our country with no background checks.

[@Azelf89]

⁠@@zm1786 That's the post-9/11 paranoia talking. You guys absolutely do background checks. A lot of them. Any more, and y'all would practically turn into North Korea with how isolationist you'd be.

[@bobtheball5384]

​@@zm1786 YOU are part of the problem

[@Digger-Nick]

​@@Azelf89How and where? People coming in from the border aren't even vaccinated against the most basic things... Stop pushing blatant lies and propaganda

[@Digger-Nick]

Leftist America 🤣

[@teagarden874]

Another reason for this is that both parents are working. I'm seventy and we played outside all the time. Most of the mothers were home. We went all over the neighbourhood and they kept an eye on all the kids not just their own. It was very safe. No one was alone.

[@poweepiureq3700]

That's a very good point. I'm Gen Z and live in Eastern Europe, and even here, both of my parents worked a lot of hours, (especially my father who sometimes had 48-hour shifts, much more than is legal in the USA for much less, so 300+ hours a month wasn't enough to live, and my mom had to start working when I was 4, and she still is working today.) I think it would be better if more mothers stayed at home like it was when you were my age. I wish it were like this the more I think about it. Today's world seems much darker than it was back then, although I didn't experience it myself. But no shadow lasts forever. I think my generation should listen more to older people and learn from them because you have much more experience, and you didn't fail. I'm sorry to see so many young people insult and collectively blame older generations and act disrespectfully. You're older than my grandparents, and I respect you.

[@jalapeno1119]

Adults were also allowed to parent otber kids. If you did something bad, another parent could scold you. Parents will flip out if you dare scold their kid nowadays.

[@highestpeeqs9532]

Jesus loves yall, died for us, and rose again! Jesus calls for all of us to repent! He's coming back!!!!!!

[@hal_s.]

@@highestpeeqs9532no thanks. Chill guy tho

[@David-hi8og]

That began in Gen X if I’m correct

[@scar_06]

I’m almost 18 and yet I’m not even allowed to walk to the corner store by myself..my parents always complain that I’m just in my room all day, but what do they expect me to do? They don’t let me do anything, I’m just rotting in bed all day. I want to actually be able to go outside with my friend and walk around and go shopping 😔

[@StillNoClue22]

Literally the exact same thing that happens to me. It really sucks, hopefully you can find some way to convince them that you can be independent lol. Good luck

[@highestpeeqs9532]

Jesus loves yall, died for us, and rose again! Jesus calls for all of us to repent! He's coming back!!!!!!

[@echochou3977]

SAME. I C-A-N-N-O-T even go in the park 5 FEET next to my park without it being a big deal or go without my phone. I don't independance, I actually meet someone to help my mental health at home, going outside terrifies me because of how everyone around me reacted about it.

[@2needey1]

What country are you in?

[@plum.world.entertainment]

ong bro😭 parents always complaining about you not doing anything but when you want to go do something they bitch and whine about it

[@frempy4426]

Pokemon is a child independence simulator

[@turtleanton6539]

Yes🎉🎉🎉😊

[@inappropriate4333]

This is so true it hurts

[@Someone-yg9nz]

Earthbound too

[@omnipotentowlproductions]

Pokémon go*

[@sleepydudespillow]

@@omnipotentowlproductionsnah just the Pokémon series in general, gold and silver, ruby sapphire etc

[@gamerguy6942]

Getting arrested for picking your kids up on foot instead of in a car is.. It feels illegal.

[@Blixtwixy]

dude i got chills at that part. that's so insane and i can't fathom what's next

[@josephcalabrese6337]

@@BlixtwixyA world of Idiocracy. That’s what’s next.

[@user-yj9pp4lh6v]

Duuuuude I got chills!!!!!! Muh Idiocracy 🤡

[@jcruz5050]

They say he was trying to violate policy that all parents had been well informed of & was being belligerent but he got a $100k settlement outta a couple hours in cuffs so...

[@josephcalabrese6337]

@@user-yj9pp4lh6v Never argue against stupid people! They will drag you down to their level and beat you with experience.

[@KALINAF09]

Also, girls. We get followed, im only 14 and have been followed since at least 7. We can't wear anything without being "cat called". Even if I'm walking with someone, people who take photos of me. I specifically remember being in a Walmart at age 11, in the tire section, waiting for my mothers cars oil to be changed, a man in his ~60's and or ~70's taking photos of me, even trying to hide behind my father who is a very bulky, a man still took a photo of me. I remember learning about the 'left, left, right' rule to see if i was followed at the age of ~8, every time i use it at least ~40% of the time; the people follow me, i choose very random isles, like the school supplies section at the start of summer, without an adult saying we need to get the supplies. Regarding boys being followed; i know many boys my age followed in stores and at the park. For example: my friend, lets call him "G". G has had people follow him for walking around the store with me because i didn't feel safe in the new-store environment. There was a memory i recall of a woman in her later years of her ~40's that started yelling a G and i for talking about how our friend group at school was mostly made up of the " weird kids", which is the LGBTQ+ kids, the woman started ranting on about how kids can't be LGBTQ+ just for the reason of 'its not natural', i didn't want to call security, so i kept quiet about it; not telling adults. Coming from a first hand view, why i think kids want to stay in, is because they enjoy the games, don't feel safe in stores, or are worried of others trying to "over voice" the kids opinions. I personally think its stupid that kids don't have rights to voice their opinion and they always have to do as someone says, even though our developing brains can still voice opinions if we understand the topic of the opinion. If anyone wants to debate in the replies with me; i will be respectful towards you if you also show respect. Any extra topics like political views or sexual assault will NOT be debated and i will not respond. I hope anyone who read my little rant has a nice day, unless you are a pedo.

[@aliviawu5618]

yeah, i think it all kinda traces back to adults kid wants to go outside? parents wont let them kid finally gets permission from parents? they find that lots of places are less than welcoming to unaccompanied minors kid finds a place where they are allowed to exist without a parent/guardian? some creep starts creeping on them kid tells the adults in charge about the creep? those adults ask them where their parent/guardian is kid tells their parent/guardian about the creep? the parent/guardian wont let them go outside and of course, after having to endure all of this, the outside begins to feel unpleasant and threatening, so the kid loses the desire to be there. i hope the homophobic woman who was rude to you and G loses every item she ever buys or has bought from that store

[@azureavocado5195]

This dude is a part of the population that makes going outside unsafe: dudes. You really expect him to have empathy for us?

[@qwsa283]

A 60 year old typed this post, not a 14 year old

[@aliviawu5618]

@@qwsa283 ? how do you know that?

[@ruudvanderzanden8013]

​@@aliviawu5618to much waffling, probably someone with to much time on their hands...

[@lostanguishbladelord2461]

1) Schools and their overwhelming amount of homework take up a lot of the kids time. 2)The commute to and from school can be long and draining. 3) Adding in extracurricular activities add to the time consumption. 4) Parents having a "my child is to be with me and nobody else. No one is being responsible for my child when not in school and I will not be responsible for anyone's child either" mentality. 5) Parents not wanting their children to mix 6) Some kids live in the middle of nowhere 7) There are no mom & pops diners, pizza parlors, ice-cream & soda parlors, community centers, burger joints, arcades or fun zones for kids to go to and hang out. 8) Any park in neighborhoods is usually only for younger kids so many older kids and teens are displaced. 9) If you are bullied, why would you leave your house to face more torment? 10) kids live far away from there schools, so any friend they make are at school only and it would be too costly and hard for them to meet up and hang out. 11) These suburbs/developments being built have nothing but houses as far as the eye can see, on super narrow roads with no space between them. When they should have clinics/doctors offices, multiple parks, movie theatre, convenience stores, mom & pops places, community centers, public pools, comic/dvd/games stores; something to bring some diversity and life to the landscape. 12) A lot of neighbor hoods have in recent years become very unsafe due to criminals, gangs, druggies, dogs. 13) A lot of the time when kids want to go to a local watering hole, a grotto, woodlands, fields, abandoned infrastructure - old people complain and call the cops. 14) People complain and call the cops on kids just playing in their yard, skateboarding or riding their bike. 15) religious people drag their kids to various faith based facilities and events and they may not get back until late at night, exhausted and drained. 16) A lot of fields and lots that kids could go to to play and hang out have been cornered off or turned into housing. 17) Parent buy expensive clothing items for their kids and the kids in turn cannot get them dirty as the parents would pitch a fit when having to clean them, so the kids just stay quiet inside. 18) The only thing the youth have for fun and interaction is there computers, tablets, cells, videogames and tv. 19) A lot of kids have allergies and other health concerns which make it difficult to be outside for too long. 20) Some environments are just too harsh to go outside in - dust, pollution, dangerous animals, heat, cold, rain. 21) Parents don't like to let their kids go outside unless their other siblings can come. which poses challenges when if the other sibling is opposite gender or much younger, so it may be better to stay home. Likewise, some older kids are forced to stay home and keep house/ babysit their younger siblings. 22) A lot of clubs and activities have been hijacked. So kids would rather stay home and avoid that headache. 23) A lot of clubs, activities and programs have become severely underfunded and/or overpriced, so things have been left to degrade to sub par levels of fun and safety. 24) Even if there is somewhere to go, its overcrowded and/or too far away.

[@cheeryrozetea]

You made a list of valid points right there

[@ExtremeWreck]

Man I can relate to some of these. Around here, I have no friends to talk to, only 2 friends in high school & otherwise it's just me on the internet.

[@slasher3336]

I grew up in the sticks myself with no one my age anywhere nearby. Aside from video games and TV, my only other options at home were either exploring the massive forest in my backyard by myself or playing solitaire card games. Granted, once I hit middle school I had access to after-school activities, which I took part in at least 3 of, but after those were done it was straight home.

[@karlfasselt8230]

they made the outside hostile and wonder why their children won't play outside

[@kaleycooper9111]

Seriously. I’m Mexican, but this whole situation still applies here (perhaps even more so). Bike lanes are non-existent, side walks are either broken or have cars parked on them, there are aggressive stray dogs everywhere and don’t get me started on crime. There are a few crosses on my street alone (these are placed in hispanic culture to signify exactly where a person died/body was found) and just a few months ago one of my neighbors killed a man! It’s insane here and I absolutely DO NOT blame my mom for never even allowing me to walk alone to the convenience store just a few houses away from my own. Her fear is, sadly, not irrational in any sense of the word. I can’t wait to finally raise enough money to move to the US. At least the government makes an effort to make the place look nice

[@GarbageTVoriginal]

It’s not hostile, you’re just scared of your own shadow.

[@tumultuousv]

​@@GarbageTVoriginal tell that to your predator neighbor

[@CCA.C17.SQL.02Idot]

​@@GarbageTVoriginalWhat a tough man you are, go back to work please

[@pastaboiman06]

@@kaleycooper9111omg the sidewalks in my area (north America) are TERRIBLE. There’s mutiple big stroads and even roads that have no crosswalks or sidewalks for pedestrians to cross. There’s literally a bridge I used to walk on when I would go to Walmart with my mom after she picked me up from school (we have no car bc ours is broken and we can’t afford to fix it), and it has no sidewalks so youre just walking next to the cars. It sucks so much

[@_EnisStudiosASNR]

My parents always complain about how I don’t go outside meanwhile I can’t walk around the APARTMENT COMPLEX I LIVE IN without being scolded

[@SuspendedFlame]

Fr, i get too scared to just walk around my apartment because i dont want to get in trouble And whenever my mom "takes me outside" she just drives me to restaurants

[@Lightwaslost]

my dad only lets me around the apartment complex but after almost 10 years here it got so damn boring so now i just go where i want cause my dad cant track me

[@trueaura369]

I can relate

[@chrhadden]

thats a lie

[@Peachykats]

Omg I’m like you but not I live in a small neighborhood next to a big ish city there’s no kids around my age and there is only like adults and elderly people I can’t go outside by myself because I just find it borinb

[@chrissyo25]

I used to love going outside when everyone else was playing and walking around the streets. Now that no one does that anymore, either sits inside on their devices or simply don't want to, I stopped going out. I wish this was an issue we worked on more effectively and often.

[@spyresoblazx]

Grew up in a suburb where there was literally nowhere to go outside The sidewalk just ended at the entrance to the neighborhood, so there was no pedestrian connection to the rest of town, and if you wanted to get to the nearest (stroad) place with both traffic crossings and buildings other than houses, you'd be walking for a mile and a half on busy streets with no sidewalk. There were no benches in the neighborhood, so... You can't even sit outside unless you're at your own house. And then it's just a nothing-lawn. I'm thankful I had a few thousand square feet of forest between the rows of houses, most neighborhoods don't even have that... Blew my mind when I went to college and could **walk** from where I lived to a place to eat, and to where my friends lived, and to classes

[@highestpeeqs9532]

Jesus loves yall, died for us, and rose again! Jesus calls for all of us to repent! He's coming back!!!!!!

[@Luminousplayer]

Getting arrested for picking up your kids on foot is something i never thought i would read

[@nulian]

Yeah saw somewhere that in some states in canada you can't leave a kid alone till they are 16 or 17. When I was a kid around 10 years old I spend loads of time just playing outside without parent supervision.

[@YouTubeCensors]

WHAT!? That is insane.

[@bd-fp9fb]

"Land of The Free"

[@SBKHLkneehockey-shorts]

@@bd-fp9fbnot anymore ig the way these parents are overprotecting kids

[@charlieterry8506]

I hate when Ray Bradbury is right.

[@daviddurango9562]

I'm 67, and I can damn well tell you why it is. There is nowhere left to go. When I was a kid, we went swimming at the old abandoned gravel pit. We rode our dirt bikes through the woods. Us kids in the neighborhood took an abandoned lot and mowed it, cleaned it up, and used it as our neighborhood baseball field. We didn't need no stinkin' Parks Service! In my home town of Grand Rapids, Michigan, ALL OF THOSE PLACES ARE GONE!

[@jakeedits312]

I am 15 and live in a suburb of Des Moines, Iowa. There isn’t any woods here, no empty lots you are allowed to go on, everything is just so boring. We have a couple playgrounds and a tennis court, that’s about it. Also, you can’t go anywhere because there is lethal traffic on 6 lane roads on all sides of the neighborhood. And if you want to go do anything other than that you have to pay for it and have your parents drive you there when they have time.

[@amazingenzofilipek]

Nice childhood. You lucky you didn’t get kidnapped at the age of 7 like me in 1898

[@M00N3CL1SPE]

You're 133? ​@@amazingenzofilipek

[@Eosinophyllis]

I live in Winnipeg, Canada. There’s not much to do for teens nearby. You can shop (expensive), go to a park (but all of them are school parks meant for young young children), go for a walk (where? with who?) or stay at home. it’s clear which one is the best option. The closest actual park is kilometres away and hard to walk to. There’s a library close to where I live, but that’s about it, most people don’t have one that close, and it’s closed often when I actually have the time to go visit it. it’s depressing.

[@beccak8166]

The parks service has done some incredible things in my home city of Minneapolis. There's a park within a mile of every home here. I think you picked the wrong enemy in your comment 😅

[@ALT0891]

For those watching in Europe etc, I think it really depends where in the US you live. We live in the Midwest, in a safe suburb filled with kids, parks, & bike paths. My kids happily played outside in our neighborhood when they were elementary school age. Now that they are older (12/13) they ride their bikes to parks, the library, the store, etc. I feel very blessed to live where we live.

[@theperfectburger9892]

Honestly I feel this issue is mostly in population dense and scarce areas because in popular places people are always driving and everyone is packed into little areas of homes, businesses, or restaurants and they aren’t allowed to overlap. And in exceptional rural areas people are super far apart so you’ll have to you the fucking Oregon trail just to reach your neighbors.

[@highestpeeqs9532]

Jesus loves yall, died for us, and rose again! Jesus calls for all of us to repent! He's coming back!!!!!!

[@MFsecret1]

I live in the hood bruh and this so true

[@grannde_]

A lot of kids are so insecure and self conscious they don’t even want to be seen outside or suffer with severe social anxiety with no help to get things better. Also they just want to play video games all day like I do to escape reality.

[@magdalenasracz]

Couldnt agree more.

[@jonathanpinckney9227]

I am also in this boat.

[@maqy01]

I actually can't believe that kids can't even be alone in a park in the us. I can't believe it dude!!! american children are prisoners!! what!!! land of the free and you can't even walk places!!!!!

[@jp6869]

Our country hasn't always been like that but it is now, and the psychological harm it does is only dimly understood.

[@enchantedbananas]

Yeah actually if you're a minor from a poor family in the US life is really house arrest until you're way too old to develop independence and critical social skills.

[@PlaystationMasterPS3]

America is a sick joke, freedom is nothing more than a nationalist buzzword

[@mrleafbeef634]

Illinois and Chicago there be kidnapping taking place

[@TheOneRioji]

I love the fact that no one takes into consideration how at risk kids are these days if left unsupervised. I don’t trust anyone with my kid, even more so because my kid is a girl.

[@snowbird1381]

“Go play outside!” The outside they made:

[@nazomius7033]

Wdym? Outside is safe

[@xyippee]

@@nazomius7033op means that the outside is unfit for people to hang out, with some stores even not allowing individuals under 18 to enter

[@nazomius7033]

@@xyippee You can still go outside and have fun without doing alcohol or drugs

[@dawidsmigielski1232]

As a Polish Person i find it very funny after 2 world wars we have better roads than the L a N d O f F r E e D o M

[@VikktheVick]

​@dawidsmigielski1232 i want to move to poland

[@maridaudran]

I lived in the Netherlands for a while with my family. I thought I would miss the US, but mobility was easy there. Walkable shopping areas, bike paths and accessible public trains. I really miss it now. Everywhere in the US I can only reach by car, is spread out ridiculously far and now a lot of places are charging for parking.

[@notinamerica_911]

Urban sprawl at play. Greed has taken over and in the US wealth is the only measure of success we need a major priority shift.

[@tomb6576]

I'm 25 and going outside still often feels "wrong." I had a few neighborhood kids around growing up but by the time I was 12 going outside was mostly only for a walk, bike, or skateboard around the empty neighborhood roads. The only interaction was a weird stare from the neighbors or a car passing by.

[@SassyFraspondue]

I live in Ohio I get stared down big time for getting my mail or just standing in my driveway or taking out the garbage or watching the eclipse in April we were stared at big time been living there 40 plus years I asked a neighbor if their electric went out just stared at and said nothing

[@SassyFraspondue]

I actually just went out side today may 14 neighbor across the street was out mowing then saw me stopped and went back inside people are weird she does it all the time when we are out side the best thing about being out side here no one bothers you my house is pretty private in the back yard area is a big plus

[@artrdytdd]

I’m 14. It drives me up the WALL when my parents ask me to go do something outside, but I live in the suburbs/city area. What the HELL do you want me to do. I can’t drive, I can’t go anywhere, they won’t let me go farther than the stop sign alone because the actual places like arcades and shit like that are FAR. I can’t bike my way to school as he said, adults are fearful. ADULTS ARE THE PROBLEM. I’m shy and hate talking to people, I hate going anywhere without my phone. WE ARE DOOMED.

[@Voltaic_Rider]

Get an E board and enjoy

[@macho.813]

At age 14, nobody can stop you from biking to school

[@trost7860]

@@macho.813their parents absolutely can do that lol

[@brokentower3148]

@@macho.813 police

[@Abayas.]

Unwanted advice: A stepbrother of mine is 14 (significant age difference between us). He had a similar problem and eventually begged his way into an e-bike/e-scooter. This is because, like you, there is almost nothing within walking distance other than busy streets and sidewalk. (cars are dangerous and you aren't invincible, so this might not be a safe option.) Fortunately he's got a friend group that is into sports that gives him an easy way to spend time outside. Honestly, the landscape has changed. Many social spheres are online as opposed to outside or in-person. Easy for me to say (socially awkward fish that I am), but finding a friend group with similar interests as yourself is literally the key. Even if there's a weird social stigma associated with them. It was 'nerds' and anime when I was in high school, but once you leave that place everything is thrown out the window. The only thing that remains are your interests and the friends who share those interests, because everything and everyone else will pursue what they like, weather that means leaving old friends behind or not. It might sound stupid or irrelevant to you now (as it did to myself at your age), but pursue your passions. You'll find like-minded people who will become your friends. Note that this does not mean your should abandon your current friends.

[@lullabychannel5400]

Like even at college, no one talks to each other. My mom was surprised that no one in the dorms knows their neighbors. We've been raised that way, we grew up as kids not allowed outside and dont know how to talk to each other

[@caucasoidape8838]

When you are bullied all your life, that makes you not want to interact either.

[@KatKaotika]

​@@caucasoidape8838depends on the person I think.. I was bullied BAD but I got a job and made friends with my coworkers and hung out with them. 🤷🏽‍♀️

[@ShadowMudkip123]

I graduated in 2022 and during that last year the freshmen were literally like NPCs. They rarely interacted with each other so upperclassmen would do the socializing lmao. I think COVID fucked them up

[@Mandrea65]

Kids are growing up with their friends, actually their entire lives in their hands. Texting doesn’t develop social skills, idk it’s so impersonal.

[@duckway4733]

​@@ShadowMudkip123 damn can't wait for college then. Covid fucked me up too.

[@Coffeepanda294]

What always gets me is that looking back at my childhood, I have so many good memories from just walking home from school with my buddies. The walk home was about half an hour, and we'd talk, play, maybe take a detour, stop by a shop for candy, what have you. So many memories. On school buses at least kids sit together, but if you're driven, chances are you ride the car alone with your parents. Kids who get driven to and from school miss out on so many experiences.

[@gameknightplays1211]

Parents: Go Outside. Also Parents: If you go outside alone you will get kidnapped.

[@xSPAZNSPARTANx]

No wonder there's a loneliness crisis in young people. When your infrastructure, laws and helicopter parents discourage you from doing things outside and experience things at a young age you tend to not grow and develop social skills properly, which makes your 20's very difficult. And I feel most people are having to spend their 20's realizing things they could've figured out and should've been taught in their teens. Also, I think it's part of the reason why so many kids wanna go away to college despite the debt while also not knowing what they want to do. It really is mainly for the social aspect, it's their last chance to make up for what they couldn't get out of high school or growing up in general.

[@scruf153]

more like when they were 10 or 11

[@mathbathh]

fr man its true. I'm a young adult now and this is like an epiphany to me. I mean im still realizing things and learning to socialize. It's not normal

[@whiile1239]

That's why I want to go to college. You've read my mind. I grew up in a bad environment and then was taken away from my mother to my gramn. She was a severe helicopter parent and I had undiagnosed autism so the change was super hard on me. Now that I'm 19 I realized how much of life I missed out on. But it's nearly impossible to make friends outside of school now

[@rexman971]

I love how older people talk about living their glory days so that the young generation didn't have to. I.e. racing bikes down that steep hill off a ramp over a creek type of stuff. There's so much emphasis about becoming a criminal because you had fun that kids don't do anything but play with electronics. Can you get hurt doing physical activities with your friends outside? Yes but it's something you'll cherish until you die.

[@mr.nobody2858]

Yeah this was something that was unfortunate for me as well, I don’t have the urge to always go outside. I’ve gotten a bit better at socializing and trying to manage social interaction with others but it isn’t too easy. My parents only let me use my technology rather than bringing me outside or encouraging me to go outside. Not to mention various other aspects that I had to handle in my life which messed with me a lot. Depression, emotional numbness, anxiety, stress, slight suicidal tendencies, loneliness and many other things in high school didn’t do me much either since the kids there only considered me a psychopath. When I was just always fucking suffering and now I am feeling better as a young adult. And guess who helped me? Barely anyone in my school, only teachers were nice to me and some students or classmates were cool with me but ain’t that many. Even my French Teacher gave me a fucking hug once, I wish I could hug her again and cry into her arms. Because she was a good teacher, as well as a nice woman, the others who helped me are those that were online. And I found my own passion is to help others who may not be so fortunate, thanks to people online which is unlike the cunts outside in society. So I plan to become something like a therapist or a psychotherapist as well as just being someone that other people, especially kids can rely on. Because with the way shit is going, kids don’t have someone to listen to them who’s an adult so if I have to be the adult that other kids can speak to and give them a chance to speak up about anything then that’s what I’ll be. Society can go fuck itself for trying to destroy me and those I love, I’ll be laughing my ass off at all the adults when I’m finished helping children who will be asking for help and need the help.

[@brendenstahl7007]

Whenever I go outside, I never see teenagers like me. It’s always little kids. 💀

[@amphibiland7315]

Same

[@darklordsauron3415]

You can prey on the little ones, I don’t see the issue.

[@unnamed6864]

​@@Ink_Animsbro is gonna play with the little ones

[@luvtaste]

sameee omg or really old folks😭

[@michellebradford438]

My mom made me move to the suburbs while all my friends live in the city I don't mind the park because no one really goes there

[@zainubatif1827]

I live in Japan and I’m in middle school, everyone walks or bikes to school and even elementary school students walk to school! And there’s always places for kids to hang out in Japan. Even adults bike to work or anywhere. People only use cars if they’re going somewhere far, lol

[@milkycolaaa]

I want to go outside so bad, I prefer nature over devices, but my parents get worried about kidnappers, so I can’t go ANYWHERE without supervision, and they barely go outside so that kinda leads to me barely going outside. Trust me, I'd go ride my bike all day rather than being on this phone typing right now. I just feel really isolated from the outside world and it makes me feel sad.

[@mokje_]

Same!

[@violamateo-on8pc]

Some of those suburban vistas depress me. People spend so much time and money on their LAWNS, but there hardly aren't any TREES! Also, the American idea that public transportation is only for the poor is so ridiculous. Americans are too car-dependent. WAY too car-dependent.

[@the_expidition427]

Then lets stop looking down on the poor

[@scruf153]

how many car owners comeplain about not having any money it is because they own a car

[@laurie7689]

It depends on the location. I live in suburbia, but the State that I live in has an abundance of trees and so does my neighborhood. Most of my backyard is wooded as is part of my front yard and at least one side of my house.

[@coke8077]

@@the_expidition427 People in America don't realize that 'the poor' doesnt just mean homeless people and bums. It's also most college students and young workers.

[@JdeC1994]

Most Americans want to live in auto-dominated areas. Why? To keep out the hard-core losers.

[@Oguy2020]

Finally someone brings light to this problem, if adults want kids to go outside then build a place kids want to be. Suburbia is a pretty boring place outside Edit: a lot of neighborhoods (not all) only have small playgrounds, which can be fun, but older kids would rather be at places like skateparks. Normally a lot of these place are built further away from suburbs so teens would rather just stay inside.

[@beverlykandraceffinger3764]

Right on! I agree.

[@CerealKiller669]

"build a place kids want to be"...wouldnt that be skateparks, malls, amusement/water parks, movie theatres, or anything else yall already have that dont really care about kids being there lol. Give an example

[@Oguy2020]

@@CerealKiller669 all of those things are at least 20 minutes away in car, and I don’t even live in a rural area

[@randomexeter3627]

@@CerealKiller669 We used to have these things called "arcades" where you'd go with your friends and pump quarters into machines to play video games. Strangely enough, so many of those have vanished... almost as if the demand for them wasn't there.

[@AbimaelLopez-hz3qq]

@@beverlykandraceffinger3764some suburbias have slides and swings

[@callmeej8399]

I’ve always had a sneaking suspicion that “stranger danger” education in schools and the fear mongering of parents has created a plethora of problems for gen z and millennials and how they interact with others and that it has impacted the problems in loneliness, dating, and the friendship recession. We were taught to be incredibly fearful of each other when the statistics don’t call for it

[@jonathanpinckney9227]

Yes. Made us paranoid of the outdoors.

[@dasupamario5588]

I stopped going outside because there is barely anything even cars, and walking in a small sidewalk with few trees and no life around is really depressing

[@ChrisDaGamer]

i hate modern american society

[@redrox3312]

9:20 this part especially pissed me off. It’s fascinating how closed minded people can be when they’re used to doing something else

[@althunder4269]

Then go back to the way it used to be with people living in city tenements or one room cabins with no electricity or indoor plumbing.

[@GeeEm1313]

Me too.

[@chromie6571]

@@althunder4269How about neither?

[@scruf153]

how do you think us GEN Xrs feel the boomer are to blame they started the for the safty of the kids thing

[@moe2000]

The last time I walked into my local library with my 19 year old little brother, the librarian yelled at us from the circulation desk, declaring that teenagers could not come in without supervision or written permission from a gaurdian. And they wonder why kids are the way they are.

[@combos7]

at 18 your legally an adult so i dont really understand why they would say that.

[@moe2000]

@combos7 I agree. For clarity, he looks younger, and she let us by after learning our ages. It's just that the idea that any kid walking into the library would be turned away is so frustrating.

[@B0OBIES]

Right. My teen sister wasn't allowed to go into the teen room at the library so she straight up left. Disinterested in the library thanks to the dumb librarian 🙄

[@AviKats66]

That sucks. I work at a library, and we are a community space - we encourage people to come in and hang out, not just for books or other items we offer to borrow/browse, but to participate in the many different programs we host, or other services like reference questions or computer use and free wifi. We have a dedicated kids section and a thriving kids program - I am being 100% truthful when I say kids love coming to our library, and we love that!

[@gaerekxenos]

@@moe2000 If they are under a certain age, I can maybe see that. But teenagers...? I think teenagers are old enough to go around on their own without supervision, yeah...? If they're under 10 years old, then *maybe* you'd get someone to watch over them. Or those are the standards I grew up with, so about 15 years ago that was probably how things ran

[@warriorwolvez]

My hometown is so small that it’s only red light was put in in my moms lifetime. My graduating class was 36 students including me. There is ONE place to eat in town, and that’s subway. This place has prices over 50% marked up from any other subway AND has a no loitering policy. Students used to go hang out after school bc you can walk from the hs right across the street to it. But then they kept kicking kids out who didn’t buy. Where were we supposed to go ?

[@vincesergi7339]

There's a big difference between being a kid in the 80s and 90s compared to today. In the 90s, I was born in 88, i could walk or ride my bicycle 4 streets over by myself to my friends house, stay outside all day playing baseball, or kickball in a public street and never worried about anything. I could go at 8 am and not come home until 6 pm for dinner. We knew right at 6 to get home. Only then would mom be worried and calling neighborhood parents asking if i was their house. Sure, we had shady neighbors on occasion, but we were taught to stay away from them. Now kids can't walk two houses down the street without some suspicious looking van riding through the neighborhood, shootouts in the street, homeless and druggies wandering like zombies everywhere. I wouldnt want to be outside either.

[@SallySprague]

12 yo on parents acc: not all towns are like that i have split parents so i live in 2 different cities and both of them are very safe where i live i can ride my bike around as where i want as long as i dont go on a main road (outside our subdivision) and at my moms house i can walk to dollar general (about 50 minutes there and back) and i dont even have a phone

[@beefbmx]

The second I sold my car to get around via bike skateboard as an adult it really made me realize how pressured you are to have a car

[@emmypants6727]

I remember getting a skateboard and wanting to bike more but there were just signs all over town saying no skating and there were no lanes or bike racks. It’s really a car centric world now :( not having a license can completely cripple your ability to go out and be in the world in so many cities

[@octosquid48]

My mom constantly pressures me to get a car

[@o0Donuts0o]

Your friends who have to drive you everywhere want the same.

[@goobersguide]

Same

[@Maytrixwasheree]

Same, as soon as I turned 14, my parents, my younger brother, and just anyone in my family was begging me to study for my learner permit so I could start learning on how to drive until I turned 16 so I could get a car and start driving myself when I'm not even interested and even slightly scared of driving knowing how reckless some people anymore, I miss where people weren't so independent on driving, I would rather walk 4 miles to a store than do a less than a minute drive thank you very much

[@darkwingswarrior9327]

I stopped going outside by myself when I had the cops called on me for being AT THE PARK alone when i was 12. Being brought home the 10 blocks to my house by a cop for being at the park was kinda the last straw. A child just wanting to hang out on the swings being told by law enforcement I couldn’t be there??

[@sup8447]

my little kids got the cops called on them for drawing on the sidewalk in front of our house with sidewalk chalk. Three police vehicles showed for chalk vandalism and I almost got arrested because I argued with the officer that it wasn't vandalism.

[@GraniteStateVictoria]

This sounds like something right out of an Orwellian dystopian novel. I'm heartbroken and angry that stuff like this really happens. It also makes me extra grateful for my small rural town where the cops don't act like cartoon villains, where people are always outside, where people have a sense of community. In my town if someone called the cops on someone for being in the park alone playing or writing on the sidewalk, the cops would tell the person to not call over frivolous things or _they'd_ be arrested for wasting police time resources over BS and that person would no longer be invited to any community gatherings and would be given dirty looks at the general store since everyone would know what they did.

[@theperfectburger9892]

My neighborhood is becoming this dystopia. Here, there isn’t a single park. There are 8 lane streets (4 on each side) in SCHOOL ZONES. Literally nobody knows each other. The only social event that happens around here is this great guy who runs an overpriced but still great ice cream stand that maybe 2wo families can meet and get to know each other. There hasn’t been a single kid outside that doesn’t immediately get in their parent’s car for something in years. And last but not least, the only hangout spot my friends have is the local 7-11 next to a fucking freeway. I hate modern city design

[@GraniteStateVictoria]

@@theperfectburger9892 Oh my goodness, this sounds like a dystopia that Judge Doom from the old Roger Rabbit movie would create

[@theperfectburger9892]

@@GraniteStateVictoria I know, and it fhACking sucks! I just wish it was like my old town, the definition of “that 80’s hometown we all grew up in”. (p.s. are you a media critic? You’re making excessive amounts of references to niche media.)

[@EvaLuvzFnaf]

As a teenager who lives in a town so small it can be considered a village I agree 10000% with everything you said. All me and my best friend can do that isn't on the internet is shop at the nearby doller general and go to the park which is fun Don't get me wrong but it gets old quick and for a while I was terrified about going anywhere without an adult (I'm less afraid about this now but still)

[@Human-xn2lj]

As a teenaged girl, I don't feel safe walking or riding bikes unless it is with my brother or his friends (the 2nd shortest of these guys is 6 feet tall). Only time that is safe is the 4th of July where we close half the city down for bikes and very busy summer days. I live in the middle of a high desert, so I am trapped by lava rock. Basically there is no where to go here.

[@elijahdelacruz3204]

Getting arrested for walking with your kids is crazy Edit: after seeing all the replies, I’ll never take walking freely for granted again. I grew up and live in the Philippines where walking to anywhere you want is normal (well, as long as you’re in one of the developed suburb communities or cities), very similar to our neighbors in Hong Kong, Singapore, Japan, and basically every Asian country.

[@501isa]

Yeah that was a hard WTF moment.

[@cowpoop123457]

We live in a dystopian hellscape lmao. Suburban sprawl has ruined the United States.

[@Kehwanna]

Suburbs are also ripe with Karens and paranoia it appears. Apparently walking in your neighborhood looks suspicious as a lot of recorded 911 calls show and from my as well as plenty other people's experiences (far too many examples to put in this comment). It's no wonder why so many Karen videos take place in the suburbs and why so many people in suburbs get killed or harassed over some person's suburb paranoia.

[@NateDoesYT]

@@501isa Agreed, that's just a random wtf moment, I think that's too far at this point.

[@Lolo_fried]

Thank god i live in canada where kids walking is legal

[@ARwastaken1]

A lot of the times it isn't the kids fault that they don't go outside much, it's the parents fault. Change my mind.

[@scourgatory]

i have friends who want to go outside and their parents would want that too but their parents are simply too busy to drive them around everywhere. going anywhere nowadays takes so much planning and stuff. this is almost 100% due to infrastructure that values the giant moving vehicle more than the human. if our infrastructure was made for civilians, parents wouldnt have to be the ones responsible for making sure their kids can leave the house.

[@michaelschneider1471]

Wanted to play outside, roam around a little. Too many gangs in the neighborhood due to living close to low income housing. Very diverse.

[@s-nooze]

​@@scourgatory💯 parents just want to keep their kids safe, the blame lies with planners and people paying and taking bribes to wreck our cities for pedestrians and keep us car dependent.

[@lf1980]

@@scourgatory you literally open the front door and you are outside. You don't need parents to drive you anywhere. Issue of american? society

[@Daedalus09]

@@lf1980Idk about other countries, but at least here in the US, I and many other americans I have known can attest that if you *do* step outside, you will walk in front of one of several cameras, set off an alert on your parent's phones, then they immediately chime in and ask what's wrong/what's happening, and bring you back inside. Parents are simply too paranoid due to mainstream media spreading fear about the "man in a white van" so they don't want their kids exploring anything independently.

[@Hayden-pg4og]

I’m 21 years old, I’ve always felt like there was nothing to do outside, even at a young age, the only things that came to mind when wanting to do something out of the house, it was always either the park, going out to eat, or… well that’s it really. I’m tired of living in a world built for cars when we as humans are the ones who need the space. Also I would like to note that I made this comment about 1/3 through the video, I was somewhat surprised to see that this video had the same conclusion that I had come to

[@lizbeth-zr4rm]

I stopped going outside because the neighborhood creep always slow his car down at me and my friends and cousins. I told my stepdad: the guy said his intentions weren’t like that. After that he kept doing it. I told my real dad he got mad but instead was friends with him because they work at the same place.

[@azureavocado5195]

We were chased by a man in a white van and accosted by creeps almost daily. It doesn’t get better with age for girls. Naturally this content creator has no empathy for the female experience.

[@notinamerica_911]

Wow that's messed up..

[@casuals.3.19]

I’ve also had a small experience with something like this, my dad was renovating a house in a run down neighborhood and I went outside in the backyard area and in the front area of the yard (I was visible) I saw a car drive by and then stop in the middle of the road in front of the house. I thought nothing of it really but it was kinda suspicious, that pretty much was until it was still in the middle of the road and it had been like 20 minutes, then I said fuck it and went back into the house. Funnily enough, it was gone after I went inside.

[@highestpeeqs9532]

Jesus loves yall, died for us, and rose again! Jesus calls for all of us to repent! He's coming back!!!!!!

[@notinamerica_911]

@@highestpeeqs9532what does this have to do with this video?

[@empanadassucias3572]

OMFG what were those clips of those boomers just having melt downs over people sugesting bikes and other modes of transportation 😭 like they sound like a bunch of preschoolers agruing over what name they should give the new class pet like omfg CALM DOWN let here people sleep?? Did biking kill your grandma or smth? 😭💀

[@luigi55125]

Reminded me of the seagulls from Finding Nemo lol

[@althunder4269]

How old are you? 16 ? OMFG LOL !!!

[@onrch]

​@@althunder4269Did you even watch the video? Or will you just do personal judgements?

[@althunder4269]

@@onrchboth.

[@awesomeferret]

Why is bigotry like that applauded by 54 people? Wow.

[@Shythalia]

Props to that school bus driver for preventing those cars from potentially running the kids over. 👏🏼

[@ariesearthdragon]

I'm surprised school buses don't have long bars that can be swung out to block traffic like bars at railroad crossings.

[@jules9669]

​@@ariesearthdragon the ones I remember from the 90s/early 2000s did! There was this arm thing out front that swung out to prevent the flow of traffic. No idea what happened to it.

[@PTS1337]

@@jules9669I think you can see the bar on the front of the bus, but the roads have just widened too much for it to be effective at all.

[@e3xiii315]

They have the bars and the stop signs on the buses, but cars still disregard them. I literally saw it happen last week to a school bus thankfully the kid did not have to cross the road..

[@Jimbobthebarbarian]

Florida is fucking wild! I just moved to Florida last month and I have never seen so many school bus passers in my life! Disgusting!

[@Senacacrane]

Let's be honest, if your kids don't have independence as children they're going to have problems as adults kids nowadays have been conditioned to have dependents on their parents. That's the reality we need to show these kids that they can be independent.

[@georgekim933]

You’re very observant and insightful. I’m 64. I always thought many of the things you said but was never as articulate and productive as you! I recently sold my overpriced and depressing suburban home, got lucky and moved to a small farm with acreage. Cars are dangerous as you say but people still don’t operate them like farm equipment. Thanks for the great job, young man!

[@Black_Shaheen]

As a european, that news pages was trully shocking!! You cant let your kids play in YOUR backyard??? You cant WALK your kids from school??? Land of freedom my @ss.

[@mihaleben6051]

Yea, i feel slovenia is more deserving of the title "land of the free"

[@fairywingsonroses]

Right. What happens if your car breaks down, or if you can't afford a car? Or if you can't drive for legal/medical reasons? How on earth do you pick your kids up from school then? America is the land for entitled and wealthy people. Everyone else is criminalized.

[@justjesse4276]

Because of overzealous lawmakers and LOTS of "lobbying" (Bribes) lead to benefits for large corpos. Its a endless cycle of late stage capatilism that endlessly feeds itself.

[@mihaleben6051]

@@justjesse4276 endlessly feeds itself? That sounds like something im into... Plant cells. *realizes this comment is a mistake*

[@elultimo102]

The US is about down to 24 in terms of being a "free country." "1984" is a reality in the US.

[@arpit0092]

Parents really be super strict and not ever allow you to leave the house and then have the nerve to ask you why you dont go outside...

[@FRYE_4EVER]

FR THATS HOW MY PARENTS ARE They asked me why I don’t go outside and I told them that I do but number one they don’t let me go outside because “YoU cAn GeT kIdNaPpEd! And it’s for your safety!”,number two I’m not even allowed to to play in the front of my house even though my neighborhood is a good neighborhood like nothing has happened plus I’m not even able to hang out with my friends anymore! It’s just so ridiculous that kids like me can’t go outside without having parent supervision 🫤

[@awkwardautistic]

My kids have always had freedom to run around the neighborhood. Well, when they were old enough to not run in the street and not talk to weirdos.

[@WitchKing-Of-Angmar]

Don't think this excuses your obsession with phones by 1%.

[@FemboyKaiSaku]

@@WitchKing-Of-Angmarits hard to not get addicted when your parents raised you as an ipad kid, im so thankful for the lockdowns because i got so bored i started a hobby and realised it made me feel way better so many parents really just let their kids sit on their phones etc all day and then get surprised when they do use it all day. Like help them pick up a hobby or anythimg..

[@WitchKing-Of-Angmar]

@@FemboyKaiSaku Maybe that's why you are trying to escape from being a male or female. For absolutely no reason other than the "whatever" mentality of today... effortlessly charming in its own regard.

[@bd10232003]

This is why I am so thankful to have grown up in NYC. It has plenty of problems for sure, but I had the freedom to go places on public transportation, see sights and walk my neighborhood and do things because it was easy to just walk everywhere. I have since left the state and moved south, and while I love the new environment, I (and my son) sure so miss how easy it was to go places without being forced to drive. My son cannot drive so he’s often stuck at home. And he’s at the age where the park doesn’t appeal to him anymore, so it’s hard. I love where I am except the fact that you just cannot walk anywhere except stores, the mall or park.

[@shoetoss2655]

Tl;DR: it's not as simple as telling someone to "go outside", it's more about making the outside more accessible to said someone.

[@TheTaxiCast]

the past few years i've been looking at those "children at play, drive slow" signs and saying to myself...where are these said children

[@DoofenSpyroDragon16]

It’s sad 😢

[@scallie6462]

They grew up. You should still drive slow in residential. Pedestrians and animals are everywhere.

[@lisabonanno3839]

Sheltering in place.

[@user-gr5lh6cs8o]

@@lisabonanno3839hahahaha!!!! Spot on!

[@user-gu9yq5sj7c]

Watch Not Just Bikes on traffic calming. Just plopping up signs doesn't work. There needs to be physical and logical indicators to why drivers should slow down. Even in this video, Flurf said drivers wouldn't even let kids cross to school. The bus driver had to intervene and protect the kids. Which I'm glad the bus driver did. I saw a comment on Not Just Bikes or Shrifter from a European tourist to America who asked why was America empty of people. Also, check out Not Just Bikes on third places and Cash Jordan on anti-homeless/hostile architecture.

[@johnannand5449]

Thank god to that one kid in every suburb with a basketball hoop infront of their house.

[@tripps3631]

The real mvps of the cul-de-sac

[@TopixAnimations343]

We can't even use ours cuz the driveways to damn small

[@LastBastian]

Unfortunately, that one kid is a complete dick to all the other kids on our neighborhood.

[@sashimi879]

Damn that's sad​@@TopixAnimations343

[@twestgard2]

It’s okay if you like basketball

[@SpregioCheeks]

These same ppl who say "kids don't go outside anymore" when they are literally the ones that continue to contribute to ruin everything for fng kids to get outside.

[@michellechouinard4958]

I live in an apartment complex in Wisconsin with two kids and I have legitimately complained that I feel like we're in a cage. When the kids are older I can let them play outside a bit on the grass, but there's no where they can walk to alone. There are a few kids who play around here, but not many.

[@azureavocado5195]

Name the problem. Why can’t they walk alone anywhere? Is it infrastructure, other kids, other women? Or is the issue men?

[@cartoonmaster2401]

I'm 25, and remember at 10-12, the highlight of my day was hearing the doorbell and the kids of the neighborhood asking my parents if me and my sister could come out to play. As long as we'd did our homework, we could go. We'd play hopscotch, tag, jump rope, one of the boys taught us how to play with Pokemon cards, and gave us two (I still have my Jolteon and Charizard.) We played without supervision, came home when it got dark, and not a single person worried about getting arrested.

[@Joseluis10119]

As a teen that doesn't live in the US, I'm experiencing that rn, it's really cool getting along with people I didn't even know their names and now getting invited to play at the park

[@zarrowthehorse]

this is still possible, i dont get it

[@NotLuaYT]

@@whiteboikev I’m in that new generation, ‘addicted to screens’ and I’d still absolutely love to of all of those things. It’s just a lack of those things being available to us kids, and with the public school system being as awful as it is. Can you imagine a 15 year old going out to a park and playing hopscotch? Well maybe you could, but younger kids will shame you for being childlike because that’s what they’ve been sort of conditioned to do by the school system. Just either be cool or fit in, those are the only rules. I sit in my room for hours at a time, yet I still would prefer to have fun with my friends outside. It’s just a matter of possibility with this new system, and if you’d actually watched the video fully or been in our current situation before you got older, you’d understand.

[@whiteboikev]

@@NotLuaYT “possibility in the new system”? what “system” would that be? actually curious i’d love to know the new system .

[@LadyLunarella]

I miss those days.....playing ding dong ditch did get us in some trouble but it was fun. I would say harmless but everything's harmful these days....so yeah not much to do these days. parks used to be the one place to go to make random friends now a days idk if kids are even doing that?

[@pavld335]

Omg all those cars waiting at that school is so depressing.

[@kailahmann1823]

and I thought, we have a problem with "parental taxis" as they are called here in Germany… From a study 70% of students in my metro region (Hamburg) get to school by walking or biking, another 10% use public transport and around 20% are driven - usually, because the school is on their parents path. And these 20% are seen as a problem to be reduced - because we want to keep cars away from schools and children to be independent.

[@JustinJamesJeep]

@@kailahmann1823 what a dream that would be

[@PraveenSriram]

The cars 🚗 need to go

[@laurie7689]

@@kailahmann1823 It would take over an hour for my kid to walk to her school in our city from where we live. Google Maps estimates walking time to be closer to 1.5 hours. My city encompasses a little over 25 miles. There are no direct roads from here to there either. We live on the very edge of our city closer to the school in the neighboring city. Laws don't permit children from one city to attend school in another city. It messes with the tax system. However, even if we could move closer to the school, we wouldn't. This location is most suitable to my husband and me, if not our daughter. She'll eventually leave. We're the ones who will be staying. So, we chose it for us, not her.

[@kailahmann1823]

@@laurie7689 which would be one of the cases where the kids here use public transit. And yep, the county here is *legally required* to offer a bus route from your nearest bus stop to the school, even if there'd be only one student. Also as an alternative there is almost always a bike path.

[@amfro4276]

i went to portugal and spain last summer. one of the biggest things i noticed there was how easy it was to walk or bike from place to place, and how close everything was. i LOVED it. when i wasnt on a bus going to a different city, i was walking. i walked everywhere! i walked across so many cities, and even if i only spent a day in it, by the end of the day i knew how to navigate it. i still have vague memories of how to navigate a couple of cities i spent more time in. coming back to the US was a shock because suddenly, i couldn't walk anywhere anymore. i spend most of my time inside. if i need to go somewhere, i have to drive or be driven. there are no buses nearby, and the closest metro is 30-40 mins away by car. it has been such a reality check for me, and i really wish we werent set up like this.

[@gunnarcarlson2118]

I'm a 13 year old boy and my neighborhood doesn't even have a park, instead we just have pits full of lava rock, when me and my friends got some leftover wood that construction workers weren't using from a nearby construction site, we built a massive fort in the pit of lava rocks, it had two rooms, chairs, and even a roof, then the town had to get involved and make us take it down even though it was on public property, then me and my friends just had to sit in our front yards with nothing to do because the town cared about their stupid pit of rocks more then the citizens of the town being productive and healthy, and I was 12 when that happened

[@duewhit310]

Arrested because their 9 y.o. was unattended in a public park!?!?!?! The government doesnt even CARE about your KIDS that they will arrest you for giving them ROOM to enjoy A NICE DAY AT THE PARK alone! We are in such dystopian times. Its so unbearably pointless.

[@louisquartersson4555]

"America is the best!" Americans be like:

[@Ultrakrillon0]

Yep

[@xanperia]

In my country (in Europe) most kids go to school by themselves, they go to whatever other activities there are outside of school, they visit their friends, go hang out in the mall - whatever it is, they go to places by themselves. And often times they arrive home before their parents, so they cook when they are hungry. When I was in elementary school, me and my deskmate took horseback riding lessons and that meant that we had to take a bus that went outside the town, to basically nowhere. We had to walk quite a bit to get to the stall. And this was very normal. I don't remember ever complaining about it or ever feeling unsafe. This was part of growing up, being independent to a certain point and being responsible. I remember doing all sorts of stuff that required walking to different places. Stuff like catching small fish with mason jars at the river. Or rescuing homeless puppies from abandoned houses etc. Or hanging out on the beach. It's so sad that so many kids miss out on the real stuff. They either stare at the walls or endlessly scroll TikTok.

[@lukeasselmeier]

They literally abort babies THATS KILLING THEM and act like they are good parents

[@joealbarella2493]

Worse was the one who got ARRESTED for their kid playing in their OWN backyard. CRAZINESS!!

[@juliathelittle7007]

I remember one time in middle school one kid missed the bus and used his bicycle. He was reprimanded rather than praised for coming to school.

[@cavanmorber3238]

That's messed up...my main mode of transportation is walking, biking, and the bus

[@freeamericanthinker558]

Reprimanded?🤨

[@Wepawnet]

@@freeamericanthinker558 what's the issue

[@AppleIndianFTW]

@@freeamericanthinker558You do know what that means, right?

[@elleaaaron6775]

@@freeamericanthinker558makes sense. We weren’t allowed to bike or walk to school either.

[@kidsto2612]

Visited a small town to see a baseball game a while ago. Its was so beautiful, I couldnt stop talking about how nice it was to have rows of trees lining the sidewalks, giving people shade on a VERY hot day. In the summers, I usually end up overheating while walking only about a mile to my house. Theres barely any trees, in fact, one of my neighbors recent cut down an old tree in their front yard, giving even less shade. Proper planning makes good neighborhoods.

[@jennyrobbins440]

Very well thought-through and lots of people needed to hear this. Thank you. Keep em comin!!

[@Bearadactyle]

Alot of this is why VR is so appealing to teens and kids in general... it gives them a "physical" space to socialize and play in with out having to leave their homes.

[@rileyyost4959]

100% agree

[@NuttyTheKidd]

that’s what i did over covid… i would just go on, talk to everyone, make some pretty good friends, one of which i still an in contact with today, and i just felt like i finally belonged somewhere with other people who made me feel welcomed

[@SuperFlashDriver]

This is how I felt too when it came to KZbin/Art websites was that people had something more in common with my interests than those in my elementary school. While everyone at Knollwood elementary school in 2005/2006 were into spongebob, they didn't realize I was into the Saw/Hostel/Horror Movie franchises back when I was 9/10 years old, which I've been a fan of horror movies since I was 7 years old in 2003 (20/21 years ago to be exact). Needless to say, my parents thankfully allowed us and my siblings to bike or walk anywhere not because of school, but rather because it was for health and exercise. So thankfully it wasn't because they kicked me out due to video games, but rather they were concerned I wouldn't get much sunlight or activity to feel better and not get sick all the time.

[@sp00k48]

It sucks for me since it gives me a headache.

[@Harpy-with-Legs]

That was legit awesome. I remember one time there was a social event for that VR game Rec Room. it was like a hide and seek game in one of the paintball pvp maps. It was a blast weirdly awesome how a bunch of random online players were able to work together and simulate a real game of hide and seek in a completely virtual world.

[@kasF]

Millennial here. I often run into these conversations with people my age and older about how “young people are this and that” and it’s wildly frustrating. YOUNG PEOPLE ARE NOT RESPONSIBLE FOR THE CONDITIONS THEY’RE BORN INTO. It amazes me how the generation(s) that created or perpetuate said conditions love to pass blame onto the generation(s) most affected by their decision-making. It’s happening to us and Gen-Z hard right now in nearly every aspect of our lives. To the older people out there: Don’t build a kid a sandbox and then get angry at the kid for playing in it.

[@TheRenofox]

Like someone once put it, "It's a real powermove from boomers to complain about how badly youths are raised when they're the ones raising them."

[@nmnsc744]

Gen z here, just gonna add Ive been called a millennial more times than I can count because I’m a full adult, when I say I’m Gen Z older people get taken aback. They don’t want to admit that you guys aren’t kids anymore and that Gen z aren’t all kids anymore because it shows that one, we can vote against them, and two, they can’t use “kids these days” as an excuse anymore because none of us are kids and we are having the same problems. “Wages are too low? When I was 15 I made $4/hr!!!” But when they see me and see that I’m an adult they realize Gen Z aren’t working summer jobs in high school anymore, and I’m still being paid less than they were at my age. They can ignore how ongoing your problems have been as Millennials if it’s just you, but now that Gen Z are becoming adults with the same problems they have to start looking at themselves. At this point, as sad as it is to say, im just waiting for them to die off so our votes can count for more. Millennials and Gen Z together can fix this but the boomers are called that because of how many of them there are, and all we can do is wait.

[@MrKeykeylikesit]

Sounds like a lot of excuses. You aren't responsible for the conditions you are born in to but you are responsible for how you live your life and what you do with it. I know a lot of people born in a lot worse situations than most and still made the best of things rather than throwing in the towel and blaming others. Take accountability.

[@S0RNG]

@@MrKeykeylikesit Search up stuff like inflation, rent rates, student loan debt, how hard it is to get a job after college, and how much the average salary is compared to what should be *basic human rights* like healthcare and food, and *THEN* look us in the eyes and tell us to take accountability.

[@ianweir3608]

Every generation in human history had tried to leave a better life for their children. The Boomers are an unnatural generation, the only one that knowingly fleeced their unborn descendants for a better quality of life in the moment. And then they have the nerve to criticize the children they neglected to raise

[@thiago64]

Im from Brazil, i always see kids in the streets, being happy, walking to the school. (Sorry my broken english)

[@Coffeepanda294]

The studies with the maps is such a powerful way to show how much damage you do to kids when they don't get to be outside by themselves.

[@Emperor-Quill]

It's terrible that you can get arrested and have your kids taken for letting them play in your yard unsupervised, or picking them up on foot, but there's still a ton of horrific cases where people straight up abuse their kids and have them live in horrible conditions, and nobody does anything till the kid's name is on a headline and their body's gone cold.

[@KamilDeKerel]

if this would be how it works in Belgium (where i'm from) i'd be put in an orphanage when i was younger lmao

[@bboi1489]

​@@KamilDeKerelAre the waffles nice there?

[@starglow4375]

Yep, hey folks why dont you check out the dark web kids being sold, raped and chopped up alive to have their body parts sold. Hey folks remember when it would take a while to get body parts and now during covid 19 it was like I got covid 19 but they just replaced my lungs, heart, liver etc... wow and how many children and adults disappear in America every year many never to be heard from again a lot, so nowadays its best to be safe than sorry.

[@gothixxx12]

Ya because America

[@MrLeroyJacob]

Where the heck do you live where you can get arrested for letting kids play in the yard. You're exaggerating! Please tell me you're exaggerating! lol

[@StumbleMetal]

I live in the suburbs, and there ain't SHIT to do outside. If you go literally 0.2 miles from my house roads, roads, and even more roads. It's awful when I go outside there's some liminal space crap going on. it's creepy as hell.

[@NickSofranko]

liminal space, thats a great way to describe it

[@PlutoProtogen]

welcome to my town, im 30 and its a small town, ive never had anything to do here and i wouldnt have minded some good outdoor spaces growing up! it honestly sucks and i really wish the younger generations had something to do outside of home life

[@dudethatuploadsstuff4247]

​@@NickSofrankothat IS the description. Did you learn sum new?

[@GensChilledCola]

exactly! the closest thing to my neighborhood is my school and a plaza, which just has a deli and other pointless shops, and atleast a 30min walk would get you to another neighborhood or a dollar store, 45min and you'll get to the gas station

[@borahaeist3215]

i live in the suburbs too but I biketo the town center, to my school which has a couple of shops around, and to the park, pools, and ponds around.

[@GorggW]

I used to walk to the bus stop, school was miles away I'd have to wake up crazy early to get there on time, but after school up until covid (i was 15 when covid happened) I'd go outside, i played sports, rode bikes, climbed trees etc. growing older I enjoy hiking and camping, i go for walks, skateboard, there's just about nothing more valuable than time spent outside, it's amazing.

[@SMITHOMATIC]

Its sad knowing some kids cant even ride a bike anymore 😢

[@Tenavix]

I swear the parents just picking up their kids getting arrested pisses me off so much

[@chocolateearrings]

Same. I hope they got a settlement

[@SkyChildrenoftheW]

It‘s turning to a way that smart, good parents are being surpressed

[@Caragoner]

I love that whenever i talk about how my parents are hypocrites for always hovering around me after they talk about the crazy shit they did as kids their first argument is "things are different now, you just didn't want to be outside." No, what I didn't want was to be locked to a 2 block radius around my house and allowed to explore and interact with others. "I used to stay out until the streetlights came on!" If I did that i would get grounded. I was actively punished for going out and being social and now my parents wonder why i don't like people and I'm a shut in.

[@Justin-uc8sc]

I pooped in the kitchen sink

[@bobtheball5384]

Bro you are so right about being locked in a 2-radius outside the house. I couldn't fucking step one foot on the PARKING LOT outside our apartment block like the other kids because my mom didn't want that when I was 7. I was afraid to walk across the street by myself at age 12 and 13...and they expected me to know how to cross the street on my own after consistently being told I have to stay attached to their hip.

[@Alex365x]

​@@bobtheball5384 When I lived with my dad from age 6 to 12, I wasn't allowed to leave the house to play with people. For some reason my dad thought that I would insta-turn into a gang member if I played outside with the other kids💀

[@PastelPeachEdits]

BRO SAME OMG MY PARENTS USED TO NOT LET ME GO PAST 2 HOUSES 💀💀

[@Lolo_fried]

Wth your parents are way too strict

[@McRibless]

I feel like this whole issue got worse when the pandemic passed. It really killed a lot of people’s social skills

[@Mp.k2day]

It's not just parents hovering- it's illegal for parents to allow young children out on their own

[@Ggdivhjkjl]

Our society currently treats young people worse than animals.

[@SoftConcrete]

Not even close, things are bad, but that's just an over exaggerating statement

[@J.D.Vision]

Most of them act like entitled spoiled animals to begin with. 🤦

[@maskthefacelessone]

Someone's never seen an industrial farm

[@DavidGomez-ll2qs]

That’s a huge over statement right there. We’re not putting kids into blenders or anything of the sorts. That’s the meat industry…

[@beefnacos6258]

Nothing new...

[@mysticmint1584]

I’m 32 and trying to get back into skateboarding. It feels like no one goes outside at all and no one even wants to see people outside

[@karsisonline]

Fellow skater here, unless you go to the skatepark I know only 4 street skaters, it sucks too cause it’s the only skating you can do.

[@stevearnold8265]

I grew up in Vegas and skated for years. I recently moved to Washington state and 20 years after quitting skateboarding I see no one outside skating, unless it’s a longboard for travel.

[@SouthernSouthAsian]

For real, you actually go outside and do something, and people look at you suspiciously.

[@zombieblaster5754]

try an electric longboard. they are a great way to get around and some are scary fast 30+ mph.

[@felixbrochu7821]

My neighborhood paved my local skatepark into a parking lot. I havent skated since

[@jefthereaper]

To be fair, when I went outside as a kid 20-30 ish years ago, there were barely any cars, bikes or people. And the crime rates were so low that you could say barely anything happened. If a piece of public property got slightly damaged it was big news. Today you go outside and can't cross the road due to the stream of traffic, a forest of people and bicycle drivers swarming around you. And not a day goes by without a violent or deadly crime being in the news in the local area. There is something about those crowded streets that just sicken me. I loved the quiet and empty streets of my childhood, the feeling of exploration and calm. As a "essential" worker during Covid, I can't explain how happy I was driving to work or just walking around the street (with permit of course) while reliving childhood nostalgia of how little to no traffic and people there were.

[@Yomjael]

Grew up in a rural community in the early 90s, I had a ton of fun running around a giant patch of land with my cousins. I lived right next to my aunts and uncles, my grandmother and grandfather. Then we moved 30 minutes away to a quiet suburb. I still played outside with my neighbors but not as much. My mom still let me walk all the way from one end of the neighborhood to the other side, unsupervised, because we chose to trust first instead of distrusting everyone. Then, more people moved in. More houses and subdivisions. The speed limit just outside my neighborhood is 55 mph. The sidewalk had to be put behind a row of trees, an entire ditch away from the road itself. But the sidewalk is also the bike path. The only place I can feasibly walk to and back is the gas station. The one time I tried walking much farther into town, my legs cramped up bad from the inclines and it took me over an hour round-trip. I used to think I'd go for walks to stay in shape but I can only speed-walk around the same empty streets so many times before I'm sick of it.

[@aidanesquivel3752]

The parents getting arrested makes my blood boil

[@catkitkit]

same

[@allesarfint]

People reporting the child's parents for "child neglect" after seeing them playing in the park alone, such absurd level of paranoia

[@miriamalvidrez1409]

Blame the Karen's who called the cops in the first place.

[@peacemaster8117]

@@miriamalvidrez1409 Blame the cops who arrest innocent people at the drop of a hat. They don't have to arrest someone every time a Karen dials 911.

[@jarrefan1990-tr7ki]

​@@miriamalvidrez1409entitled Karens really pisses me off

[@walter_lesaulnier]

It makes me sad that, where I live, an adult on a bicycle is often considered to be an alcoholic or drug addict that lost their license and car. I don't see kids on bicycles- I see several kids in a yard together all with their noses buried in their phones and not talking with each other.

[@theultimatereductionist7592]

Stop giving a shit what some hypothetical other person thinks about something that does not affect them.

[@mikiandfriends1820]

Was riding my bike and saw two kids playing in their front yard. No effort st all to play together

[@rexman971]

You can get a dui riding a bicycle. Problem is too many laws that we are all criminals.

[@UserName-ts3sp]

yep. only crackheads ride bikes, that’s the general stereotype

[@valerypc25]

Take comfort in that some of us young ones are trying to be more social, even the more introverted and quiet people like me, it’s difficult for me to start or make conversations, but we are trying, we just have to get past the awkward phase haha

[@whentherookbirdsings]

The reason I never go out anymore is because I was never allowed to make friends outside of school. The only people I could hang out with were the kids right next to me. I could never go across the street. I couldn’t leave the property. So when those kids moved away, and my childhood friends and I moved apart from each other, I had nothing else to do. I don’t even have chalk to draw on the sidewalk with. None of the surrounding houses have kids my age. So I’m stuck.

[@Asrajzz64]

Same.