Bring Boredom Back

• Lori Palminteri
• Uncategorized
• July 7, 2026

There seems to be a perpetual phenomenon, or day I say epidemic, with the youth today. I see with kids I’m related to, or kids I’m a part time caretaker for… they are perpetually bored. In the house, outside, for three seconds in a car, this whiny little voice saying, “I’m bored!”

I hardly remember being bored as a child. Even in car rides (before cars were equipped with screens), I’m simply listened to music and looked out the window. I was rather fond of a good day dream. We had plenty of toys in the house, and video games would come later. And though we were big TV kids, we also loved the outdoors, and if it was nice out, we were in the yard in playing with kids in the neighborhood. Even the kids whose parents don’t allow them to have tablets or screen time seem quickly bored, but the kids who are allowed tablets are far worse with a growing ADHD problem.

So, I asked my mom if we complained about boredom a lot as children. She said no. Maybe on long car rides, or longer trips visiting my grandparents. But besides that, we were generally occupied. Additionally, we knew if we complained about being bored, we’d quickly be handed cleaning products and be told to clean the house. It was better to find something fun to do then be assigned chores.

The death of boredom is the death of creativity. All creativity stems from having to imagine your own fun, dreams and stories. By perpetually stimulating children, we are killing their imagination. Dare I say this is a far greater existential threat to the future of the human race than billionaires, ai, and climate changed combined. Creativity thrives in boredom. A stick is a sword. A cloud is a castle. A shell is special piece with magical powers. The world is a playground.

Screens can be miracles that show us beautiful stories and brave adventures, but for the developing mind, it is robbing them of their own means to create. Every adult, in every career, will someday experience burnout, even in careers people once loved, and that sucks. But that’s life. You get older, and you get tired. Hopefully, you’re in a position to retire. Hopefully, you lived enough of a life to not be grumpy about being old. And the screens will be a great comfort for us older folks. I have spent my entire adult life writing for the screen, so no, I don’t hate it. Hell, I practically worship it. You can learn all sorts of things about life and love, or just go on an adventure at the movies.

But children quick to boredom when they have all the toys and technology is a cancer of society. It is a breeding ground for mental health problems in the future. The screens are robbing the youth of their most precious time to be alive. Every adult knows life is hard, work is often unfulfilling, my god, adults would kill for boredom. To be able to stare at a sunset, walk among trees with no destination. Boredom is the goal! After all your responsibilities, work, paying bills, chores, cleaning the house. I pray for boredom. Why are these kids complaining?

If it is nice outside, no kid should be staring at a screen. They should be playing outside, being a goonie. This is peak life. And the comfort of the screen of robbing the children of real life, adventure, love, danger, and fun. Parents, I plead with you too, to stop looking at your phones and look at your children’s faces. Play a board game. A card game. Pick up a ball. Grab the boogie board and sprint into the ocean. Be alive.

And then later, watch a movie, together.

Take away smart phones for kids, for their mental health and yours. Live the kid life before it’s too late and you have to stare at a computer for work. See what comes of boredom instead of bending the knee to the convenience of a screen that is brainwashing you.