Having a teenager in today's modern world must be more than challenging. Attempting to pry your teen away from their screens is becoming an ever-increasingly difficult challenge for parents across the world.
When we were kids, our parents used to threaten that spending too much time in front of the TV would turn our eyes square, that too many cartoons would fry our brains, and that spending hours on the phone to our friends that we'd spent all day in school with was not only going to rack up a big bill, but that it would also mean that poor grandma wouldn't be able to get through.
Nowadays, kids have a lot more to contend with than just the TV and the home telephone. A teenager's socials are their entire existence. Being told to sign out of their Twitter, Instagram, and TikTok (?) accounts by their concerned parents is like being asked to go walk on hot coals, eat gum found on the sidewalk, or go to the dentist (all of which they would probably agree to as long as they could send a Snap about it).
So, what do you do when your child refuses to get off their cell? Well, one mother discovered just how impossible it is to get a teenager to disconnect when she confiscated her cellphone. Here's what happened...
If your teen is part of a Twitter fandom, you will understand the struggle...
Teenagers have always had obsessions with pop stars. Even your mom probably had a poster of Donny Osmond on her wall.But a crush on Donny Osmond was harmless, right?
Besides playing The Osmonds' records on repeat, plastering walls with Donny's face, and cutting his interviews out of Jackie Magazine, fans of the pop star could do little else.The distance between stars and their fans used to be impenetrable.
Back in the day, if you were to send fan mail to your favorite celeb, the likelihood of getting even an autograph response was slim.Social media has made communicating with celebrities a much easier task.
If you want to directly speak to Miley Cyrus, all you need to do is comment under her latest Instagram post. She might not see it, but you never know... she might.Social media also makes it easier than ever before to terrorize celebrities.
Previously, celebrities only had the tabloid press to defend themselves against. Nowadays, any Tom, Dick, and Harry can say nasty things about them online and they just have to take it.Some online trolls are more creative than others.
It takes real artistry to become a successful online troll.Perhaps more dangerous than the trolls though: the fans.
Whether they're Beliebers, Janoskians, Little Monsters, Swifties or Arianators, finding their tribe online unleashes an otherwise harmless teen into an army of fiercely allegiant fans.A teen engrossed in fandom may as well have joined a cult.
The loyalty and dedication to the cause (whichever celebrity figure that might be) is nothing short of all-consuming.Fandoms start online.
Teens can already be susceptible to spending a lot of time glued to their screens, but if they get hooked on following the comings and goings of a celebrity their time online will increase ten-fold.Being part of a fandom is a full-time job.
ariana’s in london ???? ALL MY MUTUALS BETTER GET UP AND GO FIND HER IM SO HAPPY FOR YALL— joy⁷ (@joy⁷)1565795257.0
Ariana Grande has a strong fanbase.
i love singing to y’all so much. seeing your faces makes me so fuckin happy. your reactions to everything are so sw… https://t.co/jm1flsGcPC— Ariana Grande (@Ariana Grande)1557610771.0
Grande is good at social media...
love u— Ariana Grande (@Ariana Grande)1565135341.0
Imagine how much it means to an awkward teen that their favorite celeb "cares."
@ArianaGrande love u more— paige (@paige)1565135574.0
The Twitter format makes it seem as though the fans are actually talking to Ariana.
@ArianaGrande can u believe the european leg of tour starts SOON ? i cant wait toooo see you— paige (@paige)1565135627.0
These online relationships with fans can become pretty intense.
u there ? come online we miss u @ArianaGrande https://t.co/8QAKm1MnPr— joy⁷ (@joy⁷)1565718854.0
@thankunext327 (aka Dorothy) is a dedicated Ariana Grande fan.
Dorothy became famous in her own right this week.
The Grande-obsessed teen tweeted to her legion of followers that her mom had confiscated her phone. She cleverly communicated with them through her Nintendo 3DS.I expect that her mom got tired of the teen spending all of her time on Twitter.
@thankunext327 I'M FUCKING WHEEZING GOODBYEHSHSHAHZJSJAJKXKC https://t.co/wjuHVzB0jQ— moved accs @yeojners (@moved accs @yeojners)1565025379.0
Dorothy's attempts to get back online continued...
Her mom tweeted from Dorothy's account, announcing that she had realized that the teen had hoodwinked her by using her Nintendo DS. In response, her mom threatened to shut the account down.Of course, the Arianators did not like that...
In protest to Dorothy's mom's Twitter ban, the fans started the hashtag #FreeDorothy. And, in classic young-person-technology-smart-ass-ness, many were quick to call out Dorothy's mom for saying "Nintendo" rather than "Nintendo 3DS..." Give me strength.Dorothy's mom was also accused of abuse for taking away her daughter's devices.
Talk about a snowflake generation.Dorothy found her way back onto Twitter through her Nintendo Wii.
Much to the delight of her followers (I'm sure...), Dorothy worked out how to access her Twitter account by logging into Twitter through the Wii. Or "Wii U" (in case that's something different...).This kid sure has a lot of gadgets...
While her mom was at work, Dorothy took to Twitter again from her Nintendo DS to alert everyone that she was searching for her cell. ... You know, just keeping everyone informed.By the time that Dorothy was next online, #FreeDorothy had blown up.
Dorothy assured her followers that she would be online later while at a friend's house."Y'all so sweet."
Dorothy seemed to be very thankful for the support that she had received following her cell's confiscation.Even Twitter had issued support to the device-less teen.
@chromaticloud @thankunext327 #FreeDorothy— Twitter (@Twitter)1565113666.0
So desperate was Dorothy to stay online that she even tweeted from her LG Smart Fridge.
That's right... the teen couldn't bear to wait however long it was until she was going to her friend's house for a sleepover that she worked out how to get on to Twitter using the fridge.Tweeting from the fridge was next level.
Twitter erupted after Dorothy tweeted from the fridge, with people commending her efforts to stay connected left, right, and center. Since posting from her LG Smart Fridge, the tweet has garnered 21.6 thousand retweets and 83.6 thousand likes.LG Electronics even tweeted in support of the resourceful teen.
#FreeDorothy— LG Electronics (@LG Electronics)1565731486.0