Maui and a DS

I was lucky enough to be lying on the beach in Maui a few weeks ago, watching families arrive with their little ones in ruffled suits.  As I lay there revisiting beach vacations when my kids were little, I watched two moms greeting each other with envy.  Oh, those days of getting kids and families together for extended fun.  The moms were young and attentive of their children.  Then why does the four year old walk up to the beach clutching and watching a pink DS?  She stumbles along with her head barely bobbing up to look at the next step.  Does she see the sea ahead of her?  Can she smell the tangy ocean air and hear the rush and pull of the waves?  What is so compelling on that screen that she doesn't want to experience the sand between her toes?