What does it feel like to grow up in a world where childhood, friendship, self-image and attention are all shaped by technology? In this episode of We Are The People, I speak with Lorena, Tara and Rosie, three young women reflecting honestly on their childhoods and the role that phones, tablets, online games, social media, short-form content and AI have played in their lives. This is not a conversation about blaming young people. It is not about blaming parents either. And it is not a claim that technology is only bad. As Lorena, Tara and Rosie explain, technology helped them connect with friends, discover interests, find community, learn new things and stay close to people during moments like COVID. But this conversation also explores the cost. The cost of always being available. The cost of comparing yourself to people and lives that may not even be real. The cost of growing up with algorithms, beauty standards, cyberbullying, online risk, short-form content and endless scrolling before you have had the chance to fully understand yourself. Across the episode, Lorena, Tara and Rosie speak with humour, vulnerability and remarkable self-awareness about what it meant to grow up online. They discuss early experiences with tablets and phones, the impact of TikTok and Instagram, the pressure of being seen online but not replying, the way social media can affect anxiety and body image, and the strange exhaustion that can come from spending hours doing nothing but scrolling. They also reflect on the positive side of technology: creativity, connection, learning, access to communities and the ability to stay close to people even when life keeps you apart. As the conversation develops, we talk about what parents need to understand, why screen time is about more than just time, how short-form content can affect focus and mental health, and why young people often know there is a problem but find it difficult to step away. This is a thoughtful and timely conversation about growing up online, but it is also a hopeful one. Lorena, Tara and Rosie are not speaking as experts or trying to represent every young person. They are simply sharing what they have lived through, what they have noticed, and how they are trying to build a healthier relationship with technology. For parents, teachers, young people, and anyone who has ever picked up their phone for five minutes and looked up two hours later, this episode offers an honest look at what technology is doing to our attention, our friendships, our confidence and our sense of connection. In this episode, we talk about: Growing up outdoors, imaginative and connected before screens became centralThe first tablets, phones and online games that changed childhood habitsHow social media affected friendship, confidence and self-imageThe pressure of being constantly available onlineTikTok, Instagram, short-form content and the feeling of losing timeCOVID, online connection and the difficulty of going back offlineAnxiety, brain fog, guilt and the physical impact of endless scrollingCyberbullying, online safety and the risks young people faceBeauty standards, comparison culture and AI-generated imagesThe difference between real-world friendships and online connectionWhy “screen time” is about more than the number of hoursWhat parents need to understand about technology and childhoodThe positive side of social media: creativity, learning and communityHow Lorena, Tara and Rosie are setting boundaries and taking back controlA note on the conversation This episode includes discussion of social media addiction, anxiety, body image, cyberbullying, online harm, AI-generated images and the pressures young people can face online. The conversation is honest and reflective, but it is handled with care and without sensationalism. Listen if you are interested in: Technology and childhood, social media and mental health, TikTok addiction, parenting in the digital age, online safety, Gen Z experiences, screen time, anxiety, body image, AI and young people, friendship, attention span, digital wellbeing, and growing up online. Let me know your thoughts on this eposide Website Instagram Twitter Facebook
