Wanna Feel Old? Kids Don’t Even Pass Notes Anymore, They Use Google Docs

Once upon a time, our favorite pastime during school was passing intricately folded notes to anyone and everyone. Do you like me? Check yes or no. Did you hear that Mrs. Griffin is giving a pop quiz today? Are Lizzy and Betty BFFs now? Nothing went down without some note being passed around.

Well, kids today have refined this age-old process and resorted to new means to chat with one another during school hours without getting caught. They’re using Google Docs.

Yep, that program you thought was just for sharing company-wide documents with your co-workers and organizing travel itineraries that are accessible at the touch of an app is no longer just for grown-ups with jobs. According to a piece from The Atlantic, Google Docs are all the rage with kids.

With laptops more popular in schools than ever, students are learning to do all sorts of things on Google Docs. They flirt via Google Docs, they plan hangouts via Google Docs, and unfortunately, they talk trash on Google Docs.

But they’re not using it the way colleagues use it to disseminate information…because that’d be too boring. No, instead, they use the live-chat function of the program. So while it looks like they’re just perusing a lesson plan, they’re actually talking to the friends relatively undetected. That’s not all. They’ll even copy a Google Doc being used in class and use the comment function as a means to communicate. The sneakiest part? When you click resolve, the comments disappear.

There’s no paper footprint and it looks like they’re studying? Crap.