21st century young people’s hobbies are different not only from the ones of their parents’, but also from the ones of people who are little older than them.

The constant and fast developments in the field of technology that characterize these days have changed also the way children and kids spend their time, and although there are some activities, like sports, reading and going to the cinema, that are appreciated by generation after generation, we can claim that nowadays kids can choose among many other alternatives, and many of them derive from the field of technology.

Among the favorite hobbies of kids, most notably of young boys, are videogames. Some children would stay hour after hour in front of a screen, trying to pass to the next level or to beat their own record. Much has already been said about the negative effects that a disproportionate use of these games might have, and sitting everyday and all day long in front of a computer screen, without interacting with other people, cannot but be deleterious for a kid. However, videogames should not be entirely condemned; a moderate use of videogames will not do damages, on the contrary: some studies have shown how videogames can help people developing some abilities, like quick reflexes and the capacity to take fast decisions, which might be useful both for studying and to work. Moreover, next generation videogames have been conceived to solve the problem of excessive sedentariness: some games, indeed, ask you to stand and make some movements that you usually do when you dance or do sport.

Another hobby of teenagers is listening to music. Nothing new about that: young people have always found refuge in their favorite music, sometimes considering bands and singers as idols, but the way they listen to music now has totally changed, and it has changed in a very fast way: forget about portable record players and 33 rpm, cassettes and walkmans, as well as compact discs. Nowadays music does not need any digital or magnetic media, and nowadays kids have become expert in downloading music and transferring it into their I-Pod. Until recently it was not obvious to see a kid walking on the street while listening to music, but nowadays it is difficult to see a kid without earphones. MP3 players have become a sort if status symbol that every kid must have, exactly like mobile phones and I-Phones.

Going to the cinema and reading are other two hobbies that are not dead out, but they have been adapted to the times: the most popular movies are now 3D movies, and also TVs are following this trend, offering you the emotions of cinema at your place, while the descendants of books are e-books. In conclusion, young people keep playing, listening to music, going to the cinema and reading, but the way they do that has changed a lot.