People Debate Whether Parents Should Give Their Kids iPads at Restaurants

Emmy Pratt • Senior Editor

Jul 18, 2023 5:00 PM EDT

Every generation of kids inspires a different moral panic. When Gen Xers were kids, people freaked out about TV rotting their brains. When millennials were kids, people freaked out about video games doing the same thing. When we Gen Zers were little tots, everyone was very concerned about child leashes. Of all of these panics, child leases were by far the funniest ones.

These days, everybody is incredibly concerned with Generation Alpha being iPad kids. They are the first generation to be born after the invention of the iPad, and they are obsessed with that technology. It's commonplace to see a child as young as 2 or 3 years old be fully able to maneuver YouTube on an iPad. Many people are concerned about what access to such addictive technology will do to young children, and others are just plain put off by seeing kids playing on iPads while eating dinner with their families. Others defend the technology, saying childless people have no right to criticize what parents do to keep their kids quiet in public. It's a contentious issue with lots of good points on all sides.