Teenagers weigh in on the news of the day in three recent Picture Prompts.
Taylor Swift and Travis Kelce. A 400-pound “fully autonomous” security robot in New York City’s subway stations. The value of shopping malls.
We invited teenagers to weigh in on these issues, and more, in our Picture Prompts. Each week, we ask at least one question in this column where teenagers can share their opinions on the news of the day. Below, we’re rounding up their responses to three of them.
Thank you to everyone who participated in the conversation on our writing prompts this week, including students from Helen Stacey Middle School in Huntington Beach, Calif; the Philippines and Japan.
Please note: Student comments have been lightly edited for length, but otherwise appear as they were originally submitted.
Celebrity Relationships
How much do you care about the love lives of the famous?
I am fascinated by celebrity relationships even if I am not a fan of the celebrity. I am not a huge fan of Taylor Swift, yet I am invested in her love life. Taylor and Travis make the cutest couple and I am waiting to see what happens next. I believe I am fascinated by celebrities’ love lives because I don’t have one. The drama between celebrities is like a movie that’s in real life.
— Noelle M., Jr. Masterman School
Like high school relationships, celebrity dating can be both intriguing and unoriginal. As a high schooler, so much of the drama from celebrity gossip is similar to that of high school chatter. It’s always about who broke up with who, and who went to homecoming with that person and are they dating now? I ask this question — when did we start to care so much? We grew up always minding our own business and not worrying about those around it. When did Taylor Swift going to Travis Kelce’s football game become such a big deal? Beyond that, the drama that comes with relationships is no place for people to stick their heads into. Relationships are personal, something to be cherished by the two involved, not to be preyed upon by those on the outside looking in. My take on it is as follows: let people be people! If you wouldn’t want people getting caught up in your own business, leave others alone.
— Olivia, Glen Ellyn
I feel like in our culture, celebrities have become somewhat fictionalized, if that makes sense. It’s kind of like a TV show except with real people. This is shown with the many actual television shows about celebrities such as “The Kardashians.” I admit, it is fun to be able to watch people go through their life conflicts without having to move from your couch. It also can be a distraction from your own life, instead of, for example, going out and meeting someone, you can watch someone else’s happy (or not-so-happy) relationship without having to risk anything yourself. It offers an escape from your own life.
— Esther S., J.R. Masterman Philadelphia, PA
Sure it was interesting and a fun situation, however there was no need to zoom in on Taylor Swift after every single play. Additionally, for the whole week, the media repeatedly and solely talked about Taylor and Travis. That is absolutely ridiculous. Me — being a Bears fan — simply wanted to watch the game, but I was interrupted by Taylor being shown and put on blast every five minutes. I think that they have gotten so much media attention and action revolving their relationship because the NFL wanted to bring in more Taylor Swift supporters to also watch the game, because more watchers equals more money.
— Kaspeer S., Glenbard West HS Glen Ellyn, IL
Personally, I couldn’t care less about celebrity relationships, but I do understand why some people are so fascinated by celebrity relationships, especially when it concerns two people such as Taylor Swift and Travis Kelce. Now the reason that I think our culture is so fascinated with celebrity relationships is that it allows ordinary people, who might otherwise not have much in common to talk about something that they both know about … This is also why Travis Kelce and Taylor Swift dating has gained so much press and attention, that being that fact that it concerns to groups of people that don’t overlap very much …
— Charles, J.R.Masterman School
Celebrity fame contains its own set of hefty consequences: private choices are both criticized and publicly broadcasted while being picked apart with a fine- toothed comb. However, quick-witted celebrities are able to alter the situation and utilize this phenomenon for personal profit. Behind Taylor Swift’s blonde hair and bold, red lipstick, is a brilliant mind that has learned to manipulate the ballgame of fame. After all, it takes brains to create the highest grossing tour ever. Whether or not Travis Kelce and Taylor Swift have undeniable feelings for each other, their relationship is bound to keep their relevance at an all time high.
— Mariia, Glenbard West High School Glen Ellyn, IL
It’s sort of creepy how much the media and press are involved in celebrity relationships. They’re not any different from the couple you may walk past on the street the other day and yet they’re a major focus for the public. This probably puts major strain on the relationship too. At least the breakup songs will go crazy.
— Noah, Port Townsend
Police Robot
Would you welcome a “fully autonomous” security robot in your city or town?
I personally very much like the idea of having a robot guard in the subway stations. Especially since Korea has faced some problems recently about people with knives making disruptions in the subway stations. Also, sexual harassment has always been a problem in subways because they don’t have evidence and because there are no cameras. But now, the robots can record everything to help people be safe and sound. The robot also looks very huge and cute which I think is a point that young children might like.
— Leo, seoul
I am both skeptical and supportive of the robot cop. The idea of what it is might be beneficial. The robot saves money, will stop some crime, and doesn’t seem too nosy as long as there aren’t that many in a certain area. But the idea isn’t always what comes to fruition. I don’t trust that the robot will be able to prevent crime by itself well, I don’t trust that eventually the robots will continue to run without eventually getting the ability to have facial recognition, and I don’t trust that the robot will not make mistakes or malfunction. As long as the robot doesn’t necessarily directly interfere with people, like if all the robot does is be a system that alerts cops to come, or people can use to alert cops to help, and the robot doesn’t get too much surveillance, like facial recognition I would be in support of it.
— Dylan, glenbard west HS
The simple answer is no. A hulking security camera on wheels is probably the farthest thing from a solution to the crime happening around the city. It’s not even a probable start; the inability to take action, the expenses, the obvious avoidance of the real problem. The government needs to stop looking for flashy, technological shortcuts to solve a much larger problem. If the government cannot figure out a solution to prevent crime with their police force, full of trained officers with the capacity for humanity and understanding, what will a cold piece of steel have to offer? When I think of someone in a crisis, I don’t imagine them running to a glorified camera, a robot that can offer at best, documentation of a crime or an alert to an officer but will stand silently, unable to prevent a crime from happening right in front of it. My biggest problem is that the government has put more money into another project that is not proven to have a positive impact while ignoring the problems with their already established task force. I would support a program like this if I knew there was a sure improvement in the lives of citizens with a machine like this available, but without knowing what this is going to do exactly to assist, many people, including myself, will not advocate for it.
— Lucy, Glenbard West IL
Currently, robots are replacing lots of jobs, especially jobs requiring physical labor. As we can see in this photo, a robot is also used for security in the subway station. I don’t trust robots in every way, but I think they would be able to monitor passengers and people better than security guards. I see lots of cameras mounted inside the robot, which will be in place of the security guard’s sharp eyes. Those cameras will probably have a function that humans can’t, such as scanning objects. In addition, I see wheels that’ll help the robot move. Due to these functions that I can expect, I would welcome this robot in my town.
— Noak, SPPS
Although New York City is going to deploy a security robot in one of its subway stations, I would most definitely not welcome one in my town or city. There are so many things that could go wrong, and like Mr. Radlein exclaimed, “What if someone pushed it off the platform? Does it [even] have brakes to stop itself?” Moreover I just don’t like the concept of having robots replacing humans. They require programming, which means all their behavior must be pre-determined. They typically cannot handle unexpected situations. So if they are not programmed for the situation, they cannot work around it because they lack critical thinking. In addition they are not reliable, so why should we trust them to be a police officer or even a security guard? And most importantly, they affect the environment negatively because they require energy in order to operate. Therefore, the more we use them, the more energy would be required. For all these reasons, security robots would most definitely not be welcomed in my town.
— Daniya, Glenbard West
This police robot seems like a perfect idea for certain places like malls and airports. Depending on how much and how they are used in these locations, I think it can lead to a safer environment … Although this robot has some downsides, the presence it employs is a good reminder for people to act accordingly and to let them know they are being monitored at all times.
— Cooper, Glenbard West High School
I think it will be helpful to place a lot of robots for preventing crime but replacing police officers is not a good idea. If there are police robots in the street, then people might be careful about their behaviors and the number of people throwing trash or stealing things will decrease but there are some risks to it such as errors and the possibility of being destroyed by criminals. If someone did a crime and wanted to erase their record or evidence, they might destroy these robots. Also, there will be a lot of people who can’t trust robots because AI is not completely welcome to everyone and the history of it is short. So the town or city is where people live with various values and thoughts. If a lot of people can’t trust the robot, then the trust of town/city safety will decrease.
— Elva, South Korea
The Mall
Love ’em or hate ’em? What’s your relationship to the shopping mall?
I live in the Philippines, a country where malls are pretty much ingrained in our culture. There are many many places in Manila where 3, 4, 5, even 6 malls are beside each other on a street and all thrive somewhat. These same malls also anchor not just department stores but also supermarkets, something unusual in malls in the United States, if I am not mistaken. Others have cinemas, bowling alleys, and even full-fledged amusement centers. It’s like an all-in-one place for shopping, groceries and leisure.
I love the mall. I think it’s the place to hang out whenever you want to hang out with friends or bond with family during the weekend. In our country, where it gets really hot, the mall is the place where you could bask in the glorious AC for free. A lot of malls here have an area dedicated to restaurants in addition to the food court and you wouldn’t get tired coming back to try them all. The movie theaters are reasonably priced too and, if you’re lucky, you’d probably be able to sneak in a snack or two from the supermarket downstairs.
With that said, if the US has too many malls dying out, I think the Philippines has way too many malls that live. There are more malls than parks in Manila and we need to have a balance of both. Some malls have incorporated outdoors areas (e.g. Festival Mall and SM North EDSA) to mitigate this but there’s still too many!
With that said, I hope US malls could have a great resurgence and maybe they could learn a thing or two from our malls.
— Samuel, Manila, Philippines
The mall is a fun place to go for buying clothes or just a place to go to do things, but in many states there are many other places to go for entertainment … For some states, like New Mexico where I am from, it is one of the only forms of entertainment we have besides maybe Cliff’s (an amusement park) and Top Golf. The mall is more of a relaxed pace though so it’s good if you’re just trying to kick back for the day, like a leisurely stroll. This isn’t mentioning that to actually enjoy the mall to the fullest, you will probably need a decent amount of money, unless you’re window shopping.
— CJ A., Atrisco Heritage Academy High School
There is a mall near my school and it is very dead in there. Nobody shops there anymore and you basically have the whole mall to yourself. All the stores are sad and empty besides the larger stores like Macy’s or Target.
I love going to malls though because I find it fun to see people go about their day and just seeing people shop, like for example for clothing. I can kinda get new recommendations for clothing that I might not have seen. I love shopping for clothes and makeup though, so I like malls that have makeup stores, like Ulta or Sephora and I like seeing different brands’ new products and seeing if they’re good or not. For clothing, I like to see if stores have my style and what I’d wear on a daily basis. I also like to see other people’s clothing styles and what they’d buy and wear. The food in malls is also really good and I just love buying mall food. Also I love seeing dogs in malls because I love dogs and I like seeing dogs going on and about their day.
— Cathimy, California
While some people might love shopping in an indoor shopping mall, that isn’t the cause for me. There are so many reasons regarding why I feel that shopping malls should be turning into outdoor shopping malls. One reason is Covid -19. While many people are shopping around, you always come upon a person who is coughing. When this happens to me, I start to walk the opposite way because I tell myself I do not want to get sick. Not only does it have to do with coughing, people around the world still wear masks to prevent themselves from getting sick. As a result, they will feel safer if they are in an outside shopping mall. l I feel that every mall, if it isn’t already, should be converted into an outdoor shopping mall.
— Morgan, Block 1, Hoggard High School in Wilmington, NC
I struggle with budgeting, so I try to steer away from going to the mall just to kill time or going too often. I always tend to spend more money at the mall than my friends and don’t end up liking some of the clothes for more than a few months. I go to thrift stores a lot over shopping at other stores to help me save and still have fun, but also to contribute less to fast fashion … I’ve found some one-of-a -kind finds and think it’s a great alternative to mall shopping.
— Sydney, Glenbard West High School
Let’s just say I’m not exactly known as the shopper of the family. My brother and I are always the ones who dread the shoe store, endlessly searching for a bench in the drowning sea of leather and rubber. Personal experiences of perpetual boredom, like this one, have led me to side with a growing percentage of the public who no longer care for malls. The neglect and general disrepair of these shopping centers around the country has made it clear that the mall has fallen from the eyes of Americans. But why? In my mind, the reason is clear. The internet has made shopping so incredibly convenient, that it has become easier for Americans to order an item from the comfort of their homes rather than to actually go out and find it. As the mall continues to inevitably fade away, I will remember those moments when I wandered around the shoe store, longing for escape from the prison of purchases.
— Bennett W. G., Glenbard West High School, Glen Ellyn IL
Something that my friend and I do when I go to the mall near my school is hang out together and go shopping a bit because I don’t want to spend that much money. I do it because I need to get out more. We also buy food and drinks. We had a lot of fun but the mall is closing down.
— Brandon V., Helen Stacey Middle School
To me, it’s not the mall but the company. I despise going to malls with friends as malls are always a reminder of how I don’t enjoy the same things they do. I don’t have the same obsession with shopping — when I go shopping it’s entirely need based. I don’t share the same fondness for cute stationary and struggle with spending hours browsing clothes and stickers. But I love going to the mall with my mom! It’s a tradition that I look forward to. We purchase anything we need, eat a delicious dinner, and buy cheesy bread for the next day. Malls are generally enjoyable places but it’s the people you visit it with that determine your experience.
— Shree N., Japan
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