Summary Of What's The Matter With Kids Today By Amy Goldwasser

In “What’s the Matter with Kids Today” by Amy Goldwasser, she talks about teens’ use of technology and the affect on them. Her main point is that the Internet has expanded kids’ minds when it comes to school and themselves. Kids tend to know more than the previous generations because they have easier access to information by using the Internet. In her article she states that several reports show that teens do not read or write as much as they used to, and that they are only interested in their IPods and computers. Amy disagrees with these findings saying that the Internet is a great way to communicate, and has created a generation full of influential people, such as writers, activists, ect. The Internet gives teens a means to write and share
their feelings whether it be through texting, emailing, or blogging. Amy argues that the Internet is a great source of information. Teenagers have the resources at their fingertips to learn just about anything. She does point out, however, that “findings show that one in four teens could not identify Adolf Hitler’s role in history,” but she does not feel that “it’s because teenagers were online and missed it.” Goldwasser suggests that parents and teachers are at fault for not assigning the proper research on the internet. Amy also gives reason as to why parents do not seem to trust their kids on the internet saying “teenagers seem to know things we don’t, ” and how teenagers are responsible for every cultural phenomenon such as IPod, Harry Potter, etc. Finally, Amy argues that parents should not be upset with the internet but be thankful that they are reading and writing while on the internet, which may eventually turn the generation of today into great thinkers and writers.