Otaika kids in Northland have got it right

The third industrial revolution will see major advances in robotics.

There's a worldwide industrial revolution happening.

And some kids in Otaika have the answer to how the world will not be entirely consumed by this revved up digital age so that we spend the rest of their lives inside glued to cellphones, computers and gaming screens, being served by robots.

These kids are making a concerted effort to dump the digital stuff and play outside. (See our story on page 5)

And that's fantastic (it might seem blindingly obvious) because the theory is, as we progress toward greater digital technology, we do not want to lose contact as humans and we will have to consciously interact.

There have been two previous industrial revolutions.

The first was when the textile industry went mechanical in Britain in the late 1700s, and factories were created.

The second industrial revolution in the early 1900s saw assembly lines and mass production introduced.

And experts say the third will see the same magnitude of change that occurred in the past few hundred years happen in just 20 years.

Already, we are seeing children grow up who have been babysat by the internet and exposed to the good, bad and ugly of the online world.

These kids - and many adults - have less social interaction, and therefore fewer social skills.

It is now possible to fall in love with and declare yourself in a relationship with someone you have never spoken with or met in person.

And when you do meet them, they often aren't the person you thought they were.

Just one of the reasons that these kids from Otaika should be applauded for consciously moving away from their gaming machines, phones and computers.

These things might seem obvious to us now - face to face interaction through business, sports, recreation and the arts.

But in the not too distant future the future of the human race may well depend on it.