I agree adults all too often throw shade on young people. But I do see some definite differences in the young people I work with compared to my generation.

I work at a Space Force Base. Until recently, electronic devices were not permitted inside the building. No Fitbits. No cell phones. No bluetooth headphones. No kidding. Furthermore, all social media sites are blocked on the network. No Facebook, no "X", no YouTube, no TikTok. No kidding.

Every year it became more and more difficult to hire and retain people to work in this building. Younger people simply could not adjust to being without their mobile phones all day. And they hated not being able to access social media. I've heard people complain about being unable to wear a smart watch or Fitbit, but I don't know how big of a deal that is.

So last year the policy changed. We can now bring mobile phones into the building, but not into the workspace. Phones had to placed in lockers in common areas. Comically, management placed about 100 lockers for over a thousand people. So, of course, mobile phones were placed on top of the lockers. They were placed on tables beside the lockers. They were literally sitting on the floor next to the lockers.

And now the common areas are virtual Internet cafes. People are always in these areas staring at their phones. I see some older folks doing this, but the vast majority are young people.

Relating to this issue, a few years ago I saw an interview with a Realtor during a TV news story about housing. One point she made which I found very insteresting was if she showed a young couple a house where broadband Internet was not available, it was an immediate, "Now way!". She said, "If the house doesn't have broadband, it may as well not have running water."

So anyway, I do think that's a very big difference between older and younger generations. I certainly like my Internet access. And I like having my mobile phone when I'm out and about. But it's not a big deal if I don't have Internet or phone acess. For younger people, this tends to be a very big deal.