Alien's POV

Around a magical age between tween and teen years, the children of this society receive a small box that lights up when the buttons are pressed. For some of these kids, these boxes barely travel far away from them. When the box gives of a sound or a vibration kids get excited to see the box light up. The reactions of the kids are always different depending on how the box lights up. Sometimes if a young female sees the lights she will jump and start chattering to her friends about what she saw in the box when it lit up. Other times the child might look at the screen and start to panic, become angry, or even ignore the box.

Usually when children are left alone or a bored, they will pull out their boxes and start pressing buttons. It seems as if they wouldn't be able to survive the loneliness without the box lighting up. In addition, there are a few rare boxes which can connect to pieces of string that the child sticks in their ears. Non stop sounds come out of those strings. There are special programs on the box which produce moving images which the child can control by pressing buttons. Children lose track of time when they become enchanted and press buttons for hours and hours.

This magic box can literally control children.

Why do different societies treat children in completely different ways?

In America, parents over protect their kids. A babysitter is always hired for most children who stay home alone in elementary school and even up to middle school. Aren't they old to stay home alone at middle school? What about going to bed at 7pm? That seems crazy from my point of view. 

Growing up in Russia I would spend most of my time with friends outside till night came. Kids as young as six year olds can go and play outside by themselves without supervision. I never had a babysitter that would come to my house when my parents would leave me. Being home alone was never a big accomplishment it would just happen. I also never had a bedtime. I would go to sleep when I was tired. In Russia at least in my family kids are given a lot more responsibility for themselves at a younger age.

I think the difference is that in America children have a lot more tv and media around them to be afraid of staying home alone. In my hometown staying home was always the most boring part of life. I didn't watch much television because there wasn't anything fun to watch. Instead I spent most of my time outside. Comparing my childhood to my brother's, his is completely different. In our neighborhood there are no kids playing outside. It pretty much looks dead. Without many options he spends his after school time inside watching nonstop television from PBS kids or CUBO channel. Whenever I leave him alone to just go and pickup the mail he gets extremely scared. Personally I think it comes from watching so much television that he's brainwashed to think that when young kids stay at home they always need a babysitter or else the robbers come or a monster would get them.