[dalbasal]

The bubble op referred to is not a particular place or lifestyle.

The bubble, in this context, is the average/representative lifestyle and parenting depicted in lifestyle journalism/blogging space. The proverbial TED abstraction.

Obviously physical circumstances are vary, but that didn't start in the smartphone era.

[watwut]

Yeah and the person with kids being allowed outside is the one living in a bubble in USA. And the people outside of his bubble do get really outraged over the idea that 7 years old could be outside without parent.

[dalbasal]

Perhaps, but that is a seperate debate.

Arguably everyone has always been in the bubble of our own life. OP had an intention, using the term. He's not talking about stereotypes or extremes. He's talking about the normal life of of most parents reading hn. Even if not, he just gave an example from his life.. demonstrating why he thinks that screens>suburban planning as factors.

Then in commeth the recycled meme version of this conversation. Memes of 7-year-olds taking their dirt bikes to the hardware store. Reddit class politics. Second hand TED arguments about parents not letting kids be free.

I take all the points, but a whole variety of social conditions play.. now and in the past. Also coevolving parenting culture. Also suburban planning, the actual topic of the article.

There's nothing unreasonable about OP's point. That the main factor is screens. It's arguable, and it would be interesting & reasonable to argue a contrary point too. Good faith would be to assume that he/she is someone up to date with the meme version.. as most of us are.

Instead, he gets a snarky, internet-bubble suggestion that parental reticence is at the heart. It is, quite honestly, typically internet.

A 15-year-old analysis, that "went TED" 10 years ago. Went viral 5 years ago.. and jammed into this thread.

This is in fact, a good demonstration of how digital culture prevails. It is aloof from normal life. Allowing children freedom is one thing. Getting them to exercise it, in practice, is the primary challenge most parents see and face. They don't want to go explore. Run wild with their friends. They want screen time. You have to force the little bastard outside

Anyway.. from here the word bubble is the conversation.. and since someone mentioned the word suburb.. Reddit class politics.

We really need to do better on this. These conversations are making us dumber, not smarter.

[squigz]

Lots of people handwaving about "bubbles" and making vast generalizations about massive populations. Is there any objective data to back these claims up?

For what it's worth, I wouldn't claim either of the sides in this conversation are the norm; I know plenty of people who will let their kids run around, and plenty of people who wouldn't.