Video chats are replacing telephone calls for some tweens and can be annoying

Video chat replaces the telephone for tweens.Photo byUnit t2345

Video chat replaces tween girls on the telephone

My 12-year-old granddaughter uses Messenger Kids on her phone or tablet to video chat with friends. When I was a preteen in Southwest Virginia, we used rotary dial telephones, and our family members could only hear our conversation and not the person on the other end.

Video chat lets you hear and see the other person on the call. Decades ago, we said goodbye to those we spoke with via telephone and hung up. Today, young people who talk via video can remain online.

Children today don't know the joy of a rotary phonePhoto byFlickr screenshot

Tweens today enjoy video chat over the telephone

My granddaughter left the chat open while friends went to eat a meal, use the bathroom, or check the mail. One girl asked her to stay on the line while she took a nap. My granddaughter left friends when she went to walk her dog or ride in the car with me.

One night, when the grandkids stayed over, I heard voices after they fell asleep. The video chat was left open, and a friend was singing and talking to her mom while waiting for my granddaughter to return, but she was not awake. How will this work when these girls fall in love and a significant other is on the other end of the call?