Hey y’all,
I’m back once again to discuss FX’s Social Studies, a docuseries about the havoc social media platforms have wreaked on childhood.
I just finished watching episode five (the last one), and my goodness—get your kids off these damn phones!
The show had a surprisingly uplifting ending, but the core message was clear: to optimize your child’s happiness, no social media and no phones. If I had a baby today? Zero screens. Zip. Zilch. None.
And I know I sound like a full-on auntie every single time I say that (which is often), but the series made me feel as much sympathy for the parents as I do the kids. Just as Gen Z and Gen Alpha have no idea how to fend off the ubiquitous allure of digital drugs, their Gen X parents have no idea how to help them cope.
Caretakers handed their phones and iPads over to little babies and watched pubescents set up TikToks and Snapchats with no idea what they had introduced into their lives.
The moment in this episode that floored me was when Jonathan, one of the teens featured, said “Social media is our lifeline, but it’s also a loaded gun.” Devastating.
The series wasn’t perfect, but director Lauren Greenfield effectively highlighted the terror of how, in addition to the typical teenage trials many of us endured, like falling out with fleeting friends or getting stood up by ornery boys, they now have to worry about global humiliation constantly. It’s a depressing, compelling, but often unfocused watch. I’d still check it out if you’re worried about the kids.
Later in the podcast, I detailed some classic Fast Kimberly nostalgia circa 2007 and touched on how Prince’s estate killed a sprawling documentary based on his life by Oscar-winner Ezra Edelman. Quite simply: our faves were fucked up.
Talk soon,
Kim
✨Links & Resources✨
Prince estate blocks release of Netflix documentary by Oscar-winning director Ezra Edelman, The Guardian
Dopamine Nation: Finding Balance in the Age of Indulgence by Dr. Anna Lembke
Alright, y’all, that’s a wrap! We covered Social Studies, the impact of social media, college admissions struggles, and the lost Prince documentary. Now, I want to hear from you! Do you think social media is a lifeline or a loaded gun? Is college admissions more brutal now? And were you surprised the Prince doc got shut down?
Drop a comment with your thoughts—I love hearing from you! Make sure you’re subscribed, and I’ll see you next time!
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