I thank Mother Nature every day that I ’m not in Gen Alpha .

It’s been a hot minute since I was in high school, but I was still NOT prepared to learn what’s been going on ever since Gen Alpha decided to… you know, become actual people instead of remaining babies forever. So if you remember elementary school and high school as taking place in the 2000s, you might wanna sit down for this.

Are you seated yet? Great. This just in: social media is taking over our schools. Like, maybe even more than we thought it would.

Like, you know that niece or nephew who barely pays attention to you and instead spends the entire family reunion with their eyes glued to their parents' phones? Yeah. That’s what school is like now, except replace yourself with a teacher trying to educate our youth.

Anyway, it’s all very frightening, to say the least. And 9 school boards in Ontario see it too. So, along with 2 private schools, they’ve launched amassive lawsuitagainst TikTok, Meta, and Snapchat, for intentionally “disrupt[ing] student learning and the education system.”

They allege that not only are these platforms addictive, but that they’verewired kids' brainsin a way that contradicts our school system. And the cherry on top is that these companies probably know all too well that they’re endangering kids' minds. (If you disagree, go watchThe Social Dilemma.)

So, amidst all of this intensity, I thought I’d bring us all back to a better time, and share memories that only those of us who haven’t been addicted to technology since age 0 can relate to. And who knows? Maybe this is what school will go back to if the lawsuit goes through:

1.Sitting on the bus on the way to school, with only a pair of cheap earbuds and an iPod Classic to keep you occupied.

2.Passing physical, paper notes in class when you got bored, and risking having to read it in front of the whole class.

3.Getting vehemently jealous of the kids who were lucky enough to be able to call each other on their Motorola Razr phones.

4.Lugging your million-pound backpack home from school…

5….which definitely contained one, two, or twenty of these particular textbooks…

6….and a few binders, which progressively got heavier and messier throughout the year.

7.Actually playing games during recess, zero technology needed — perhaps some tag, Grounders, or Red Rover, which has since beenbannedfrom many schools for being too dangerous.

8.Beingsojealous of the kids with a massive pack of crayons or coloured pencils…

9….and don’t forget about the best markers of all time.

10.Being absolutely screwed if you forgot your lunch and didn’t have money, because there was pretty much no way to contact your parents.

11.Playing with your Game Boy, DS, or Tamagotchi under your desk, if you were feeling rebellious…

12….or, if you were a nerd like me, perhaps you resorted to a good ol' book, like the classicDiary of a Wimpy Kidseries.

13.Knowing the greatest class ever was about to happen when your teacher brought in a TV on wheels and started playingBill Nyethe Science Guy.

14.Logging online as soon as you got home to chat with your friends on MSN messenger…

15….or playing a classic game ofThe Sims.

16.Needing one of these on the back of your pencil after only a few days of school.

17.And finally, spending weeks learning cursive in class, which was honestly my favourite thing I’ve ever learned in school.

Ahhh, feels better to relive the good old days, doesn’t it? Let’s keep it going, then — let us know what other memories you have from elementary, middle and high school. And if you’re not one of the youngins affected by the lawsuit, you should probably follow BuzzFeed Canada onTikTokandInstagramto keep yourself posted.

Lea Michele seated, looking confused or shocked in a classroom setting

Stan Marsh, Eric Cartman, and Kenny McCormick from South Park are standing in front of school lockers. Text in the image reads, "You guys made another TikTok?"

A young child, Honey Boo Boo, is using a smartphone to take a photo or video

Toronto Catholic District School Board Catholic Education Centre building with a reflective sign in front reading "Toronto Catholic District School Board Catholic Education Centre."

Four individuals are grouped together, each looking at their smartphones. Their faces are not clearly visible

A man in a suit looks concerned and gestures with his hands while saying, "You unfollowed me?"

Hands holding and using a white iPod with a click wheel on a wooden table. The screen displays a menu with text options

Student passes a note to a classmate in a classroom while another student sleeps in the background; posters and books are visible in the classroom

Teen girl stands by a locker talking on a smartphone while holding books in a school hallway

A woman struggles to carry a large red backpack in a living room setting, indicative of heavy packing or moving. The text "barmer.de" is visible on the bottom right

Cover of "Nelson Mathematics 6" textbook showcasing a snowy owl perched on snow-covered ground

A person holds a bright pink folder close to their chest. They are wearing a dark jacket with a watch on their wrist, standing outdoors with greenery in the background

Lisa Simpson stands outside in a playground wearing a skirt and a beret, with text at the bottom that reads "You're it."

Two boxes of Crayola crayons, each containing 96 crayon colors, featuring a cheerful crayon character on the packaging

Box of Mr. Sketch scented markers, premium quality, with 8 vibrant colors. Text highlights “30 years” and “free classroom kit details inside.”

Helga and Phoebe from "Hey Arnold!" are in the school cafeteria. Phoebe looks at a lunch tray while Helga holds a box and talks to her

Vintage Nintendo Game Boy package including the console, box, game cartridge, link cable, headphones, and battery packs

A cartoon strip with 3 reporters asking Gregory questions: "Gregory! Tell us about your childhood!", "Were you always so smart and handsome?". Gregory, holding a journal, replies, "Here's my journal. Now shoo, shoo."

Disney presents Bill Nye the Science Guy

Hands typing quickly on a mechanical keyboard

A woman, viewed from above, is running away in a backyard, possibly from a plastic flamingo on the ground. A man looks out from a window in a brick building

A sharpened pencil lies next to a pile of multicolored pencil erasers

A child practices cursive writing on lined paper with a pencil, while resting their other arm on the desk