Mine are 9 & 5 and the stark difference I see with them (compared to my wife and I as kids) is the influence of advertising. I will concede that it is much more “there”, especially in the case of YT putting ads into everything. Not to mention sponsored content… We have largely kept out kids at the outer reach of YT and they only vaguely know of TT. But they can become engrossed in even basic TV style ads to a frightening level. By the time I was 9 commercials were things you tuned out, went to the bathroom, or got something to drink (probably a 16oz glass of Mt. Dew.) Yes, they had some subliminal influence, but it wasn’t nearly as direct as what my kids exhibit today.
Marketing has been honing its tools for decades and the kids today aren’t prepared for it.
