Teens Skate Boarding Online Parents Perplexed

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Kai Cenat, Twitch streaming sensation. 

Men and women, working in big companies must sit down with teenage nieces, nephews, sons and daughters this holiday, and talk about internet fire-fighting.

Bringing skiing and skate boarding together might help companies minimize damage from online activity. Youth is mostly responsible for it. They have the time and know-how. The youth start the fire. Businesses react to it. Because they are formal like skiing, it takes time to put online policies in place, but it might be too late. The youth is ahead, and might be on new destructive activity.

In Nigeria, a musician died. His parents buried him immediately, as per culture. Nigerian youth mounted an online campaign seeking justice for him. The body was exhumed, the youth accused another musician as the killer and the police arrested him.

New York had a taste of that power in August, when Kai Cenat, the most popular video streamer online, told fans he will be giving away PlayStations in Union Square. More that 6,000 young men turned up, danced on cars, stole from street vendors, broke windows and left New York streets in a mess. Kai Cenat was arrested and charged with inciting a riot.

These are just examples of skate boarding young people do online, while their parents work in more formal structures, like traditional skiing. Older folks love skiing in Banff Alberta, British Columbia or Colorado, but will fall flat on the face on a skate board.

That is why the skiing generation must show interest in what the skate boarding generation does online, because it can destroy a product, a reputation or a whole industry. Switch off that phone, is not the answer. Parents must show interest in what kids do.

“Thami, my brother’s baby boy. Look at you!”

“Hey! Auntie Amaka, what’s up?”

“Your phone. I thought you had a flip phone last Christmas.”

“You got that right Auntie, but this new one is dope.”

Interest has been established. The more Thami talks about his new toy, the more he volunteers information about how the youth do things online. Auntie Amaka might find it useful, for that outdated internet policy at work.

Nonqaba waka Msimang

Executive Blogger

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