I agree that play dates etc are important for children but technology and playdates are not mutually exclusive. Using technology doesn't mean that is all that you ever do, even though quite a few people seem to think it does mean that.

This is an interesting issue to discuss and I don't think this is an overly simple issue. I love technology and I'm social. Technology helps me get stuff done and not forget things through apps like EpicWin which is a rpg based to do list. Apps like forest give me a visual representation of how much I have achieved each day. I would be less productive without these apps as discovering them greatly improved my life. I make lets plays and I intend to still be doing that when I'm Shirley Curry's age (she's in her 80's currently). I also play board games face to face with people. I play video games while talking through a mic to people I know irl and some people I don't know irl (mostly irl friends though). I talk to the same people the same way through a mic as I do face to face. The amount I talk to others doesn't really change too much going from face to face to mic. Stuff like gaming is a good thing to do with friends you have irl.

I intend to play video games with my future children and I intend to show them stuff like how to animate or programming if they are interested and I intend to get them toys like Cubetto and Codeapillar if they are still relevant / around by then to teach them coding logic. I also intend to play outside with them, play with our pets with them, walk our pets with them, and play board games with them and show them cool sciency stuff and teach them how to cook etc. It's not all or nothing. Technology and everything else is not mutually exclusive. It is possible to use technology and do other things. Also movies are no better than video games so participating in watching movies is not better and is actually likely slightly worse as video games build a lot of skills, and there's more opportunities to socialise and talk while playing video games vs watching a movie. I love a good piece of fiction but video games provide more skill building opportunity than movies do.

Also I have worked with children adn a lot of them love playing four square or dodgeball outside or drawing or building awesome stuff with lego. They also like Minecraft. I don't think playing outside has become outdated. My experience with the generation of kids now is that they are awesome individuals and they are actually quite balanced in terms of what activities they do.

Some people are anti-social with technology but they aren't the majority and also, people can also just read a book for ages and not socialise too. That's a social issue not a technology issue. Technology can be used in very social ways. Sometimes it is playing a single player game etc but what's so wrong with that? Individuals having time to themselves is good too and you can't have an issue with someone playing a single player game on their own if you don't have an issue with someone retreating to a quiet place to read or going to have a bath for leisure etc.

A big thing I think people forget is that people can use technology WITH their kids and play video games etc WITH them and they assume it is just a babysitter whereas in reality you have people like me who are excited about doing those things with their children once they have children. I already play both board and video games with my nephew and it is good fun for both of us. Some of the games have a bit of a learning curve (like learning to focus on the team goal in the game rather than running off to deal with something less important) but he's doing well. Technology will be something that will help us a family be more connected, not less.

I personally look forward to showing my future kids lots of things and that includes stuff like video games and technology and programming etc. Their life would more than likely also include playdates. And going to parks etc (depending on age and interest etc).