UNDULY UNDERESTIMATION OF THE YOUTH

 Nowadays all of debates about children and technology always have some critical and disappointing sound. There are tons of howling exclamations how today's children firstly learn to manipulate with gadgets and then they start producing some voices which should be speech. Standing up and walking come even later which additionally frustrates parents. Especially, those mothers and fathers who already have more children who are older and who have problems in physical development thanks to sitting in front of all of types and sizes of monitors.

However, an example of three teenagers from a Serbian town Niš could blow parents' worries about that new native-technology-cyber generations are hopeless. Two boys and a girl made an application named MiCross in terms to entertain and teach people about their town. The app itself is created to answer question about the history and locations of this town. The idea of these children is not just educative, but it is there to tickle curiosity in terms of discovering more about the third biggest Serbian town. What is more, all of parents should be happy when they saw their sons and daughters with their phones running around the city centre, the fortress and the river Nišava. They do not have reasons any more to say ''When we were children, we didn't know about being inside of the house during whole day''. Their children do not have just physical trainings, but they exercise their brain's bends as well.

MiCross was made in three modes – free mode, competition and competition with friends. The second regime force users to answer questions and get directions for locations and so on, by already set order. The third option sounds perfect for young people or even tourists who could divide in groups and improve they knowledge, work out a bit and get acquainted with this town.

Even though Anđela, Stefan i Dušan did it as a result of convergence of fun and seeking for knowledge they did not expect that they would be awarded or that their application could have even bigger significance on a broader level. It is pity that this information was left in a form of a couple of newspaper's articles without an action to broaden it and to make something similar for other Serbian towns and locations, to promote it and to rise tourism on some higher scale.

These children left an open option for all of people who are interested to put in some more interesting questions and enigmas, so there are still chances that something could be wider even if it is necessary to be slow process. After this example and their prize to go to Barcelona for Mobile World Congress, there are still hopes and chances that they inspired some more children or even adults to create something similar and to contribute in programming useful softwares and applications.

Despite this instance there would always parents who would spoil belief that there are good sides of web networks and computer games. A bunch of mums and dads would still claim that the only activity their children do is catching Pokemons and that without it they would never go for a walk. However, there are still some examples from Serbia which could show that video games are not always lost of time and that it could even wake up our minds.

Three years ago at the main square in Belgrade, the Serbian capital, at one video billboard advertisements faded away and for one minute citizens could observe a game among two tanks which IT students caused. Of course all of local media branches reported about it but of course that background was covered by ''conspiracy theories'' that it is not possible that someone hacked it, that a group ''Anonimus'' did it, that everything was directed and the other ''screenplay'' which are common in this kind of situation.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=FO_o8casdhs&feature=youtu.be

Before Ivan and Filip stood in front of this multi vision screen, they informed by an email message an owner of a company which possess this monitor that they plan to disturb their broadcast for a minute in terms of that to show that they should put security standards on higher levels. These boys wanted to present for everyone how it could be easy to enter programs and that people should pay attention about it if they want to safe their cyber property, privacy or even money. Their scientific and investigative aim definitely showed that elders could learn from youngsters.

The epilogue of this story is that the head of the company which was affected reacted in a way that he awarded these guys by WiFi 4G gadgets for each regarding their warning supporting their observation underlining that they did not infringe company's work and that he is thankful for drawing his attention. Nevertheless, his claim that this could not finish without a punishment in some other countries should definitely ring the bell for authorities to rise standards of cyber security.

Although there would always be some argues, discussions and polemics about youth and new technologies, we should still look for examples which could make some benefits and improve our society. Moreover, we should never neglect or underestimate observations and minds of new generations. They could see that older can not and exactly that could be a fortune.