Anyone would be shocked to hear that a teenager in this day and age, is giving a blindside to dating. For Gen-Y, growing up as a teenager means making an extra effort to be seen and heard at public platforms. A recent survey as reported by the PTI shows that youngsters between the ages if 14 to 18, seem less involved with life or living in the present moment because everything is figuratively happening in their smartphones. The report also suggests that they spend more time socialising online than the usual meet and greet. Akshay Bhat, a social media influencer in the city says, “These days kids get a phone by the time they are in the fifth grade, which is pretty cool. When I was in school, getting a phone was a huge deal and something that happened only right before graduation or after.”
They are not all to blame as these kids grew up with social media and were not introduced to it like their previous generation. Our lives are structured now to be completely dependent on apps and it seems like there is no other way around it.
Anna Pauly, a BBA graduate says, “I’ve noticed among younger siblings that they prefer to sit at home. Their lives seem bound to the phone or laptop. It’s quite a startling difference given how much we were encouraged to spend time bonding with friends or in athletic activities,”
Dating or hanging out with friends takes a backseat for the current generation because there is a perception of having more to do than just that. Elizaba Abraham, a Teach for India fellow says, “In terms of dating, a lot of teens these days are focused on so much else . We’re evolving from a time when having a partner was a big deal or when it was a measure of value, towards a time where an individual has more value. We’re in an age where there is a lot of self-focus. There is also unnecessary vantage that’s given to being single in popular media.”
