When I was a kid, mornings before school were a sugary ritual involving several bowls of Lucky Charms (peppered with Wheat Germ per mom's orders) and back-to-back episodes of "Star Blazers". Of course we had games back then, but starting the school day was still all about TV, which was banned from the dinner hour.

While the quest for a glucose buzz is still undoubtedly a part of the school-day startup, The New York Times finds that social networks and videogames have replaced TV as the techno-jolt of choice among students eager to start their day right. Of course, the kids aren't alone; their Gen X parents are right there with them.

In addition to several anecdotes about kids spending some quality time with consoles, snatching their parents' iPhones, or going online for a quick fix before heading off to class, the piece offers some interesting evidence of the early morning techno-trend.

According to Arbor Networks, which analyzes Internet use, Web traffic in the U.S. gradually declines from midnight to around six in the morning. But come 7 a.m., "It's a rocket ship," says Arbor's chief scientist, Craig Labovitz. Web content delivery giant Akamai sees a similar spike in the early hours of the day, and Verizon Wireless saw the number of text messages sent between 7 and 10 a.m. surge 50 percent in July, compared with traffic just a year ago.

That's what the networks get for taking "Star Blazers" off the air.

[via New York Times]