Be that as it may, modern technology is playing a much bigger factor in it - for both kids and adults - than it was, say, ten or even twenty years ago. As I've said many times before, my generation had cable, video games, and home internet was becoming more commonplace, but even so, we prefered playing outside any chance we got; everything else was usually our go-to rainy day activities . . . and even then, we probably played with actual toys, or made believe more than that. Not only that, but when people went out on dates, they communicated with each other face-to-face; when people went to a movie or a concert, they actually watched and paid attention; when people went for a walk, they observed the world around them.
Almost all of that has been taken over by phones and tablets nowadays: kids are glued to their phones no matter what they do; when people go out on dates, they spend the date on their phones; when people go to a movie or a concert, they're on their phones the whole time; when people go for a walk, they're on their phones.