Today’s generation of digital natives live in the "Third World" of the metaverse, where online interactions feel as real as face-to-face conversations, and our job as parents is to help guide our children in this digital playground so it remains a creative, safe place of interaction, and not a gateway to radicalization.
ust recently, my 14-year-old son Salman was inconsolable. He’s a sensitive kid, sure, but this was different. His 16-year-old brother Hiro spilled the beans: “Salman got scammed on Roblox.”
Roblox? The game with those blocky avatars and cartoony landscapes? How bad could it be?
I tried what any clueless dad would. “Why not just create a new account?” Big mistake.
Salman looked at me like I’d just suggested erasing his entire existence. “Dad,” he said with the gravity of someone who’d lost a limb, “I’ve had that account for eight years. It’s like losing a little brother.”
And there it was. Roblox wasn’t just a game. It was his world: a space where friendships were built, identities crafted and memories stored. That night, as he hugged a pillow like it was a life preserver, I realized something: For kids like Salman, the internet isn’t just a tool. It’s a place.
Our generation splits life into two neat categories: offline (real life) and online (virtual distractions). But for today’s teenagers, it’s more complex. They live in what I call the Third World. Offline is the tangible, physical reality; online is social media, streaming platforms and gaming; and the metaverse is a blend where digital interactions feel as real as face-to-face conversations.
In this Third World, a gamer tag isn’t just a username; it’s an identity. Friendships aren’t defined by geography but by shared digital experiences. But like any playground, the digital world has its dark corners.
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