Dad Enjoys Watching How Gen Zers Try to Pass the Time Without the Internet: Video Goes Viral

A week completely offline can test the creativity of young people. He knows it well Kevin Silbermanan American teacher who during the summer decided to take his daughter Daley, 19, and some of her friends to a cabin in the Boundary Waters of Ely, Minnesota. A retreat surrounded by nature, but without WiFi and TV, and for Gen Z kids, accustomed to being constantly connected, it was a real challenge.

While the days were spent swimming in the lake and canoeing, the evenings required a good dose of inventiveness to pass the time and Silberman had fun filming the attempts of his daughter and her friends. to cheat boredom unable to use social media or chat. The only connection to the world was a hut equipped with Internet 50 meters from their accommodation, but the boys could only go there twice a day to check social media or make a video call.

Between old games and new habits

As Silberman told the website Newsweekdespite the initial fear of having nothing to do, the boys soon adapted to the unusual situation, returning to having fun with pastimes that had now fallen into disuse, such as the various card games or the “old” Candy Crushthe famous mobile game that the Gen Z often associated with boomers, but which was rediscovered and appreciated during the holiday.

But there were also more original solutions: Zach, a friend of the daughter, spent hours practicing signing his name on the phone, in preparation for the arrival of his first credit card.

A social experience gone viral

Silberman observed with amusement how the kids had immersed themselves in this new reality, so much so that he decided to create an ironic video where he voted and commented on the various activities. Among the scores, he gave a three out of ten to those who watched downloaded movies with earphones and a seven out of ten on Zach’s signature exercise,

The video quickly went viral, racking up over 7.8 million views and more than 158,000 likes. But more than social success, for Silberman the real success was seeing young people rediscover pastimes that seemed lost forever.

“If there had been WiFi, they would have been glued to their phones the whole time,” the man commented, definitely satisfied with this little adventure.

Social reactions, between irony and nostalgia

The story has generated a lot of comments on social media. Hundreds of users have praised the creativity of the boys, while others have tried nostalgia for their summers spent without internet.

Zach himself commented ironically on the video, underlining the importance of continuing to practice signing. His comment has garnered over 22,900 likes.

Another user joked (but not too much) with a question that could open more than one reflection: “What happened to the idea of ​​… going out?