"Kids have been telling their parents they're bored for as long as there have been parents. Nothing new there. But lately, it seems different. Many 21st-century kids, especially bright or neurodivergent kids, report being bored a lot. They're bored at school. They're bored on short car trips. They're bored when they're home and stuck inside without a friend. They're bored outside if there's nobody nearby to play with."
"They go to a trampoline park or spend the afternoon swimming and, on the way home, ask, "What else is there to do?" It's easy to label this as being "spoiled rotten," but I think there's more going on here than boredom in the traditional sense. I have begun to call this expectation of never being bored: "Entertainment Entitlement"."
Many modern children report frequent boredom across settings—school, short trips, home, and outdoor time—even shortly after stimulating activities. The growing expectation of continuous amusement is described as entertainment entitlement. Constant access to external stimulation, including screens and highly scheduled activities, raises demand for nonstop engagement. Boredom can be adaptive: it may spark creativity, reflection, imagination, and provide mental rest. Preventing boredom risks limiting self-directed play and cognitive incubation. Bright and neurodivergent children may experience boredom more intensely. Allowing unstructured time and reduced external stimulation can create space for internal engagement and imaginative development.
Read at Psychology Today
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