The pressures of modern parenting are, in many ways, like those of past generations. Meeting physical and emotional needs is a constant feature. Parents are tasked with loving, guiding, and nurturing. At a certain point, our children leave the nest. Turning them into responsible, contributing adults who establish lives and families of their own is the ultimate goal. But while the basics haven’t changed, present-day specifics are wildly different. Enter the complicating factor of the internet.In the 1980s and 1990s, when I grew up, life was slower-paced. Being unreachable was the norm. Boredom was a creative engine, especially for children. The wider world was at a distance and mostly inaccessible. It did not encroach upon local life and family dynamics in the way it does now. Notably, once you left school or work, the outside world stayed mostly outside. For many people, those insulating boundaries no longer exist.Thanks to constant internet access, we are inundated with a nonstop stream of news, entertainment, and social media content. The flow continues until we deliberately disconnect. While this can be challenging to varying degrees for adults, it is especially difficult for children and teenagers. It is this fight, unknown to previous generations of parents, that we must confront.