Alphabet is teaching Americans to be adults

Forget mom or dad: Alphabet-owned companies are increasingly teaching Americans the ABC’s of adulting.

• Searches for things like "how to clean bathroom vent," "how to use a mop," or "how to do oil change" have reached an all-time high on Google this year, according to data newly reported by Axios.
• ~35% of all US adults say YouTube is very important for helping them figure out how to do things they’ve never done before, according to Pew Research.

From iPad kids to search-engine adults

The US-education trend over the past few decades could very well have been the inspiration for Alanis Morissette’s “Ironic.” As the percentage of Americans with a college degree has been increasing, the percentage of Americans with the necessary knowledge to maintain their cars and homes has been declining.

No more tinkering with a jalopy in shop class: Less than a third of US high schoolers are enrolled in a class that teaches practical skills (ex: managing finances, cooking healthy meals, how to change a flat tire), according to the American Association of Family & Consumer Sciences.

Big picture: Alphabet isn’t the only teacher in the world’s biggest classroom (the internet); Reddit, TikTok, and ChatGPT also perform the virtual version of writing equations on a chalkboard. IRL learning solutions still exist, too—local libraries and universities often have classes for practical life skills, as do clubs like Repair Café.