What Maine Kids Are Asking for Now That We Never Had Growing Up

Okay, no one truly was able to prepare us for this part of parenting. 

I’m not talking about what diapers to use, or how to deal with the fact that sleep is a luxury now, but the moment you’re child finally asks, “Hey, when can I get Snapchat?”  

And we’re talking any app really, Snapchat, Instagram, TikTok, Facebook, you know the ones we didn’t have.

Now, somehow we are supposed to be the experts without any prior formal training from our parents.  

No one warned us that parenting would eventually include these questions. And it’s not just tech stuff, it’s also “Can I just use your card ?” or “Conner has a four wheeler, I want one too”  

Here’s what Maine kids are asking for in 2026, according to Mom friends and online forums, and why it’s catching so many of us off guard: 

• Snapchat and Instagram accounts before middle school, this is unsettling 
• iPhones instead of “just a phone”  
• Let's go to the Trampoline park every day constant request
• Four wheelers and dirt bikes like it’s a rite of passage or something
• Electric scooters and bikes that go way faster than you expected!
• I want to start drinking Starbucks coffee wait, what?
• Asking for an oculus or virtual reality headset
• Unlimited screen time asking like, “everyone else gets it Mom”  
• Roblox, Fortnite, and in-game purchases that somehow require real money  
• YouTube channels/TikTok accounts because being a “creator” is now the goal
• Group chats with only 6,7s
• Location sharing with friends (which feels like a lot, right?)  

The strange part isn’t just the asks, it’s how completely normal these things sound to them.

We grew up asking to stay outside past 9:00pm and now they’re asking about disappearing messages and virtual reality. Not to mention follower counts and becoming the next big YouTuber. Where's the parental guide for these questions? 

Somehow, we’re supposed to confidently respond with informative and clearly decision information, like we’ve been preparing for this moment our whole lives.  

Most of us, are figuring it out as we go, right? Is it a hard no? 

These days in Maine as parents, we’re coming face to face with a whole new kind of childhood and figuring out how to get through it without pulling our hair it and emptying our bank accounts.