ถ้าเด็กไม่ดู YouTube แล้วจะให้เด็กทำอะไรดี?

I read ดร. ธวัชชัย ปิยะวัฒน์'s "ถ้าเด็กไม่ดู YouTube แล้วจะให้เด็กทำอะไรดี?" <https://www.gotoknow.org/posts/582903>
and thought of the time when I was young. I was born on a rural farm some 40 km from a nearest town. There was no electricity supply, no water supply, no computer, no internet, no phone (nor mobile phone ;-), nothing but one old beaten up truck that we used to go to town once a month. A round trip to market in 'amphur' was a special day. We got some candies or iceblocks and a chance to look around at things in shops, movie posters, and people in various dresses. We got to listen to music and stories on radio. We came home full of ideas and imaginations. If you could see me then and me now, you would wonder how I survived my youth -- without TV, computer, Internet, mobile phone, digital watch, CDs, sports shoes, hip sunglasses, ... (and YouTube).

What did we do in rural area before and after school and at school? We learned to do 3Rs (Read, Write, Arithmatics). We played soccer, "basket" ball, to-the-hill sprint, pedalled bike, swam in treanches and ponds, trapped, snared, hunted and caught many kinds of lizards, snakes, insects, birds, squirrels, fish and mussels. We raced and teased our dogs over rice fields and woodlands. We picked wild vegetables, seeds, nuts and fruits to eat and to make laces. We went to creeks to look for round pebbles and odd colourful stones to decorate our plant pots and foot baths. We climbed up trees and swung down on ropes or from outreaching branches. We made bows and arrows and practiced archery on banana trunks. We fought with evil warriors with our bamboo sticks. We made up codes and cracked them once or twice a year. (Modern spies would laugh at our code encryption techniques. But hey we were front runners in our 'world' -- a legend in our own mind.)

So, what is happening in this age of the Internet (and YouTube)? Do children no longer have 'free space' and 'free time' to play by their themselves? Do children no longer have 'free will' and 'free spirit' to learn and entertain themselves with 'free games', 'free thinking' and 'free imagination'? Are children no longer 'active' physically and imaginatively but passively wait and watch 'commercials'? ...

What about parents? Are they now too busy to play with their children? Do they not remember their young and carefree time -- playing, honing their physical abilities, learning how to win and lose intelligently? Don't they know 'young brains can develop better and faster' with physical activities and interactions with other beings?

What is happening in todays' culture? What is being transmitted and absorbed via the Internet (and YouTube)? How much time spent and productivity generated on the Internet (and YouTube) -- to put it another way 'Are we getting back 'valuable or useful return' for our time investment on the Internet (and YouTube)? (Remember playing, sports, yoga, even meditation can return good health and wellness.) Are we as a nation of consumers becoming an Internet (and YouTube) 'junkie' (or addict) that we must have doses each day or we show our ugly side?

OK. I have told nothing good about 'children on the Internet (and YouTube)'. Why? Because, I think 'children should learn and do more physical activities; train their body and brain to the 'max' they know how; gain confidence in their own capacity to do/make/interact; then with or without the Internet (and YouTube) children can grow up 'free'.

Now, It is your turn. If you don't have opinions one way or another, may I suggest searching the Internet (and YouTube) and think about what you find carefully? Happy day!