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[quote=Anonymous][quote=Anonymous]It was 5/6 families getting together and this group was between 12-14.  However, I have no expectation for them to interact with adults. I only expected them to interact with each other. My son was the only one airport a phone and definitely felt very left out.

There was another group of 8 year olds girls. They ran around, played games etc. I hope this is not what’s in store for them in 4 years..[/quote]

Not excusing it at all, but pointing out that at age 12-14, interacting with other kids your age can be socially tougher than hanging out with adults. It’s a really awkward age, and even kids who were friends when younger get self conscious and weird around each other. There are 14 cousins in my family and like clockwork, they all have fun and “play” together (or with adults) when <12yo or >15yo but sit around awkwardly during those middle years. If phones are allowed to come out, they sit around awkwardly with phones.

If the host kid had their phone out, it sets the tone for others that it’s okay and they will all retreat into electronics. If a couple guests have parents who let their kids pull the phones out, it cascades. I went to two big holiday parties with a bunch of teens. At one, parents universally would eat you alive if you did more than quickly glance at your phone, and the teens played games, made conversation with relatives, or awkwardly sat around, thumbed through coffee table books, or watched a football game on in the background. At the other, they all sat together on a couch in the corner and browsed reels (my 12 and 14 year old included; there’s only so many times you can tell them to stop before it starts coming across like you’re being judgey to the host parents whose kids are allowed free reign).[/quote]

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