> Speaking from experience, children (generally) aren't very good at predicting how best to spend their time, which is why involved parents are so important.
I don't disagree, but adults aren't either, they just have clearer incentives. Disconnect the incentives from the desired behaviour, or make the reward any more ambiguous than not being rained on, getting more currency, or preventing their kid from being deceased, and adults are just as lost much of the time.
Case in point, the tendency for people to consider skateboarding an unoptimal use of time, but (often) simultaneously be confused about why they're lonely and fat in midlife. Kids look to their parents as models for success, but haven't yet had their judgement manipulated, and can see right through all the bullshit while they watch them rot away commuting by car and sitting in front of the TV. There's no convincing argument these people have against social media, because they're telling their kids not to poison themselves with degenerate laziness and addiction while engaging in degenerate laziness and addiction, in addition to not being able to offer the incentives otherwise that they'd have had not to do that.
"Don't play videogames, you'll get bad grades"
"What do grades mean?"
"They'll let you get into a good school"
"What will a good school do for me?"
"It'll help you get a good job"
"What does it mean to get a good job?"
"Well, back in my day, you'd eventually get a house and maybe have some kids"
"Ya but what about now or 10 years from now?"
"I guess... you'll be able to rent more videogames.. run along then"
I don't disagree, but adults aren't either, they just have clearer incentives. Disconnect the incentives from the desired behaviour, or make the reward any more ambiguous than not being rained on, getting more currency, or preventing their kid from being deceased, and adults are just as lost much of the time.
Case in point, the tendency for people to consider skateboarding an unoptimal use of time, but (often) simultaneously be confused about why they're lonely and fat in midlife. Kids look to their parents as models for success, but haven't yet had their judgement manipulated, and can see right through all the bullshit while they watch them rot away commuting by car and sitting in front of the TV. There's no convincing argument these people have against social media, because they're telling their kids not to poison themselves with degenerate laziness and addiction while engaging in degenerate laziness and addiction, in addition to not being able to offer the incentives otherwise that they'd have had not to do that.
"Don't play videogames, you'll get bad grades"
"What do grades mean?"
"They'll let you get into a good school"
"What will a good school do for me?"
"It'll help you get a good job"
"What does it mean to get a good job?"
"Well, back in my day, you'd eventually get a house and maybe have some kids"
"Ya but what about now or 10 years from now?"
"I guess... you'll be able to rent more videogames.. run along then"