Recalling one’s teenage years may bring back memories of cycling to a friend’s place, having fun after tuition classes and cribbing over schoolwork with buddies. But for today’s teenagers, reality may be
slightly different. Teens today are trying to get ahead of the competition by developing knowledge in fields like cryptocurrency and coding. Not just that, these skills are also becoming a source of income for many. An X user dropped a post on a conversation between a group of teens she heard while on a flight from Pune to Bengaluru. The user jokingly wrote that the talk made her ‘reconsider’ her life choices since middle school.
Shared by a user named Ami Palan, the post highlighted how middle schoolers today are going the extra mile to earn some money. It also led to a debate on the pros and cons of a technology-oriented society.
X Users Post On Teens Today
Ami Palan said that many of the passengers on her flight were 12-year-olds who were travelling for a leadership camp. One kid mentioned to the others that he was already earning as a video editor and game developer. The kid claimed that he creates resource packs “for a game called Roblox, which players buy using the game’s currency that can later be converted into real money.” News18 could not independently verify the authenticity of the post. The kid was also talking about Bitcoin and Dogecoin on the flight. “At 12, I was still figuring out handwriting. I spent the rest of the flight reconsidering my life choices since middle school,” Ami Palan wrote.
On my flight from Pune to Bangalore, most of the passengers were 12-year-old kids traveling together for a leadership camp. One kid casually mentioned to the others that he already earns money as a game developer and video editor. He creates resource packs for a game called…
— Ami Palan (@markmeyourze) January 14, 2026
What Did The Users Say?
The post sparked a fierce debate over how children today are working and enjoying their free time. One user wrote, “I used to sit after school extra for handwriting practice and tuition also lol.”
Another remarked, “Earning at a young age, they won’t diversify their knowledge. You need to let the natural curiosity lead them to their passion not the dangling carrot of money.”
An account commented that there were both pros and cons to being a “mobile and internet first” generation.
“You are not alone, things around the kids are moving faster than they were around our childhood,” a user remarked.
Another claimed, “My son created lot of value on Roblox and Minecraft accounts. He would always ask me if he should monetise but I told him to focus on the game and not on real money from gaming (and I am told it’s not legal but I can’t be sure). He is in college now and says he is being offered a lot of money for selling his account or some holdings, but my advice remains the same. Not sure if he’ll become a millionaire someday from salary or his gaming account!!”
One account highlighted how people who were kids in the mid-80s and mid-90s had the best of both worlds. “Honestly, I would love to relive my childhood (mid 80s till mid 90s) several times over.. we r the only generation to have the best of both worlds, experienced transitions, experienced physical social interactions like unannounced visits, played games on MSDOS, yearned for things,” they recalled.
The post highlighted the debate over developing and monetising skills at a young age or enjoying one’s childhood to the fullest. Many people pointed out that kids today may miss out on making meaningful memories in their race to develop skills. For others, the post was an example of how far technology has come.
