They stop "playing" and start "hanging out." They form digital sleepovers via FaceTime and use media as social currency.

A 12-year-old girl watching a slime video is not wasting time; she is regulating sensory input. A 15-year-old writing fanfiction is not avoiding homework; she is learning narrative structure. The danger is not the content itself, but the isolation from adult guidance.

They will create personalized NPCs (Non-Player Characters) in VR worlds like Horizon Worlds . They will have AI best friends (Replika for teens) who recommend movies based on their mood.