I do not think this is a coincidence, I firmly believe that the childhood I used to have in the 90s and early 2000s did involve scouts as well as, playing outside in the road, cycling, camping, karting, and many more activities that children and teens don't really do as much anymore.

I got my first smartphone at the age of 17, before that calls and texts were the thing. But when I was in my early teens and a child, we had my dad's work phone only for emergencies. When we left the house we were totally disconnected and in the moment.

As much as smartphones are useful tool (and vital for many things including paying for parking, internet banking, Sat Nav and Maps. Phone calls when you no longer have a landline. Booking/ordering things.) I do think certainly for me, smartphones have detached me from real people to some degree.

I barely use social media anymore, I use the phone for the above, plus a bit of YouTube, Text/WhatsApp and Calls. That is a conscious decision.

With all the red tape, health and safety in this modern day and age, children are not able to do things that I used to do growing up. Couple this with the cost of living, and the cost of everything nowadays especially a place to live it is no wonder that children and adults are depressed and struggling. Money isn't everything, but money is an enabler. It means you can do what you want. If you trade your time for money, it means that even though you have money (or not) you have no time to enjoy this one life we have.

The other thing that affects people a lot is debt. But also companies who have a per month business model are providing added value. Actually though, when you add up all your per month items what could that fund?

In the 1990's you didn't have…
Broadband P/M
Doorbell P/M
Netflix (and the rest of the streaming services) P/M
Cloud Storage P/M
PCP on your Car P/M
Amazon Prime P/M or Year
Music Streaming P/M
Mobile Phone Contracts P/M
Parking Permits Per Year
And the rest.

Modern Life has so much more expenditures than it used to have, it's ridiculous! This has such a big impact on our quality of life, and all in the last 30 years.

Thank you to everyone in Scouts and the Sea Cadets and all other experience driven volunteer services.