'I was an iPad kid and I feel like I was robbed of normal childhood development...'

"I was an iPad kid and I feel like I was robbed of normal childhood development..."

If you are looking for a horror story that proves just how bad the new "iPad kid" phenomenon is and how much worse it is going to get, this is it. I was raised in a neighborhood where there was not a single other kid. Nobody was my age, so I was already pretty isolated.

My parents gave me an iPad the year it came out (I think I was around 4-6) and since then I was hooked. I got addicted to youtube and would spend entire days watching mindless content. Throughout my entire childhood, I never played any sports, never had any real hobbies, and rarely even went outside.

I just stayed inside at a time in my life when I should have been running around with other kids socializing. Youtube and video games. That was it. There were times when I was interested in picking up a real hobby. I wanted to play basketball at some point. Another time, I got interested in parkour and wanted to do that.

Later, I got interested in martial arts. I saw all kinds of videos where I watched people do these things. I wanted to start. My parents never let me do them. It was too much of a hassle to drive me to a place where I can do something in the real world. It was easier to just leave me with my iPad, being overstimulated in my little room.

I never developed any real social skills. I am horribly myopic and basically blind without my glasses. It feels like my whole childhood went by in just the blink of an eye when I try to remember it, because nothing ever really happened. I was first exposed to adult videos young and was immediately addicted.

At the age of 14, I stumbled into various political extremist communities and was radicalized, leading me to espouse their views. I was pulled into all kinds of dark extremism without even knowing it.

When I went into high school, I could not connect with anybody. I couldn't even keep a basic conversation going. I could not make any friends, because I was simply incapable. I could not comprehend the concept of being social or establishing friendships.

During my entire 4 years of high school, I made a total of 2 friends. I watched everybody else around me socialize and it would sometimes make me cry, because I did not know how to interact with people and create real connections like everybody else.

Whenever I talked to people, they seemed repulsed by me, because I had no understanding of social norms or proper mannerisms. I would unintentionally push everybody away. I felt robbed of my teenage years.

To this day, I feel like I am still dealing with the consequences. I have since kicked the ideology I was brainwashed into believing in by aholes online. My social skills have improved drastically, but I still have other issues that I am working through. I feel like I might be damaged in all kinds of other ways that I am not even aware of yet.

It angers me knowing that I could have had a real childhood, real connections, and real experiences. I still resent my parents for being so complacent, leaving me in my room for the internet to raise me and turn me into a cave dwelling freak.

Here's what people had to say to OP:

SurroundNo2911 said:

Please write an article about this, publish it, become an advocate.

LumpyElderberry2 said:

I am so sorry. I’m so angry at your parents, you deserved better.

Visible_Nothing_9616 said:

I am so sorry your parents neglected you. That sounds like a shit childhood. But remember, it's not the end. You can do those things you missed out on now. Join a martial arts group, see if there's a group near you to play basketball with, try out parkour, go do all those things you missed out on as a kid.

Adulthood doesn't need to be serious, have the fun you missed out on. Develop hobbies, find out who you are, have fun, lots of it! You'll gradually find your people as you find yourself, don't push friendships and you'll find you build them up naturally as you get involved in things you enjoy.

Friendships are born from having things in common, so find groups where you can do the things you enjoy and take that first step.

trifouille777 said:

I saw a father pushing a stroller the other day with young child in it. There was a phone attached to the stroller and pointed at the young child. The baby/young child was looking at the phone totally unaware of what was happening in the world surrounding him

It felt like an episode of black mirror. There was like 0 valid reason to put the child in front of the phone. It’s not like you’re in a flight or a bus or whatever and the child could cry and bother other people

It was in the middle of the street and the baby/child need to see his environment. I felt depressed by seeing that honestly. I wish you good luck in life , you can do it ! Keep pushing your comfort zone, it’s never too late to create memories.

Idownvotebadthings said:

You are probably going to be angry for many years, but take it from someone from another generation who wasted their youth in a similar manner. Being angry is just as much as a waste of time and their is nothing stopping you from experiencing all the hobbies you once had an interest in.

gobledegerkin said:

You’re young so there will be a lot of growth and development still in your future. Your childhood was not necessarily “normal” but not unheard of. Even non-iPad kids get sucked into the wrong crowd, it’s been happening since the beginning of civilization, long before iPads were invented.

You should be proud of yourself for being able to develop beyond the hate and distance yourself from it. Focus on your healing and I promise you that one day your “abnormal” childhood will not bother you as much.