Criticizing the newest generation is a tradition as old as time. But there is truly something worrisome about the trends we are seeing in today's kids.

You've likely had this intuition yourself as you side-eye that family across the restaurant-kids and parents alike hunched over their individual devices. Or maybe you've bemoaned the decline of childhood hallmarks like pick-up games and biking across town-replaced by the allure of infinite entertainment and the growing expectation that parents manage every aspect of their kids' lives. Or perhaps you're a high-school teacher who has watched firsthand as students grow less comfortable socializing, less energized, less responsible, and less capable of setting out into the world, much less thriving in it.

It sounds progressive to dismiss these concerns, equating them with the typical brand of back in my day rhetoric. But that forgoes the opportunity for course correction at a time...