Back then, connection looked different. Today, Meta’s new teen accounts make me think about what we lost when social media took over how we talk and spend time.
I remember when connection felt slower. When you had to call someone from the house phone and hope nobody picked up the other line. When getting your first cell phone felt like freedom. When messaging someone online was new, and chat rooms felt like the future.
Back then, the internet felt like a place where you could just be. No filters, no pressure. It was a space to talk, to hide, to explore who you were becoming.
Now we are here. Watching Meta talk about safety for teens. And sure, it matters. But it also feels like we are applauding the same system that taught us how to disconnect from each other. The same one that keeps families sitting together but miles apart.
I think about how adults are still struggling with the same things. How easy it is to reach for the phone instead of talking. How many nights end with scrolling instead of listening. How we started calling it normal.
So yes, protect the kids. But let’s not pretend we have it figured out either.
Connection deserves better.
Kinnect is the platform built to solve this. Private, invite-only, no ads. The Echo feature sends your group one question a day. Kin Groups keep your people close without a public feed or algorithm between you. Start free at kinnect.club.
