Argumentative Essay About Technology

Staying up until 1am to finish math homework and studying for that huge history test next class is pretty routine for some teens. Juggling school, sports, a social life, and other extracurriculars is tough, and teens are already in a critical period in their life. It is the time period in which teens grow and learn the most, and sets them up for a bright future. Staying healthy both mentally and physically is imperative, and sleep is probably the most important. Schools starting as early as 7am limits a teen’s potential. If schools were to start later, the benefits would be endless. Schools starting later improves both physical and mental health of students, keeps the individual and those around them safer, and improves students performance in school and sports.

The students of this generation appear to be a bunch of lazy, depressed, unenergetic zombies, but is this entirely their fault? After a considerable amount of investigating it appears as if their lack of energy could be due to sleep deprivation resulting from early school start times. When later school times have been compared to those schools that start earlier, there are significant changes in the behaviors and results that students emit in a school environment. Schools should have a later start time that is better suited to the biological needs of adolescents as a way to aid them in achieving a higher quality education.

Many of our students have smartphones, laptops, and tablets they use throughout the school day for school work. While some students depend on their devices to look up the current fashion trends and football stats, we feel that technology has also enabled students to think in a different way. Many students are quick on their feet to Google information to prove their friend wrong, send texts and emails in less than 10 seconds, and get excited when they are allowed to use their

DING! DING! That awful sound of the alarm goes off. Sound familiar? For many middle school and high school students across America this is just a typical early weekday morning. This isn’t because teens are lazy, it is because of the school start times. I think teen students’ need a later school start time for many supported reasons. Although, schools starting later means school would end later and possibly interfere with extra-curricular activities, school times should be should be pushed back to later times because students will have a better sleep pattern, students health will improve, and students will have better academic performance.

Research shows that teens sleep cycles are naturally delayed (Should High School Start Later, 2013). About fifteen percent of high schools start at 8:30am or later and, forty percent of schools start earlier than 8:00 am (SiOWfa, 2014). The start times of schools are reducing the amount of sleep a student is receiving on school nights. Most teens start their day at 5:30-6:30 am to prepare for school, but if their natural bedtime is 11 pm or even midnight, they are getting only 6-7 hours of sleep! Remember that teens need at least 8 hours to function properly. To fix this issue schools will have to start later.

School should start later for teens.If teens don't have time to sleep that means teens will be sleeping in the class that they are in.

You are getting ready for work when you notice the strangely quiet house. You wonder what is wrong, and then it hits you: your teenager is not up yet. You storm into their room, shaking them awake and yet the only response you get is a groan and a “just five more minutes” and a “leave me alone.” You notice homework and projects throw in a pile on the floor, evidence of the late night. But yet your teenager is not doing too well in some of their classes, which is confusing. The clock reads 7:27, meaning your son or daughter will be late for school if they do not get up now. After another attempt and another “leave me alone,” you leave, flipping the light on as motivation to get up. Parents all over the country are dealing with the same issue with their middle or high school students. Students in grades six through twelve need later school start times due to the change that occurs in their biology during puberty and the academic and health benefits that can come with delayed times.

There is more use of technology now than there ever has been before. Technology can be great, but there are some issues that are not looked at cautiously, and they can have negative effects on the adolescent body. Adolescents are becoming adults, and there is not a more important time to get enough sleep so that the body can recover and grow as necessary. Studies are finding that cell phone use is harming adolescents ability to get adequate sleep on a nightly basis. The Centers for Disease Control found that adolescents need eight and a half to nine and a quarter hours of sleep every night, with the youngest adolescents needing towards nine and a quarter, and the older needing eight and a half (qtd. in Adams, Daly, and Williford). The use of cell phones up to one hour before bed time is greatly interfering with the sleeping schedules of adolescents (Adams, Daly, and Williford). Lack of sleep sounds like just a drowsy, unproductive school day, when in actuality lack of sleep over extended periods of time, and even one night, can cause great health issues presently as well as later in life. Just one bad night of sleep can cause drowsiness during the day. Getting behind the wheel of a car, while drowsy, can have the same repercussions as driving under the influence. The National Sleep Foundation survey found that about 60% of drivers have been drowsy while driving, and that a third

Generation Z is addicted to social media because it is the first thing they worry when they wake up. They pick up their phones to see what people posted in the morning, the afternoon, and the evening. Dr. Helen Driver, a somnologist (with means the study of sleep), explains, “The explosion of social media and people staying on devices for longer – and taking them to bed with them – is a huge problem”. Social media has effected Generation Z’s by sleep because the light is from the electronics which interferes with sleep. Not only does social media affect the quality of sleep but, the quantity of sleep too. The next morning, they only got a few hours of sleep and they do not feel well both physically and mentally. If someone has issues with turning off their electronic devices in the evening, then they should dim the lights or and turn the power off.

Many do not believe that we have a technology problem in today’s society. But, ninety-five percent of people use technology an hour before they go to sleep (How Technology Affects Sleep). This is an alarming amount of people who use technology before they go to sleep. You do not have to be looking directly at the technology to trigger the pineal gland to stop releasing melatonin (Kim). Many also believe that lack of sleep due to technology does not affect how they do their daily jobs. Seventy-five percent of those over 30 that reported not getting enough sleep said that when they were tired that their sleepiness effected their daily work (Tarkan). For a school age kid ten hours of sleep is needed. Teenagers also need about nine to ten

In the past few years, cell phones and tablets have begun to take over people’s lives. Cell phones hold our entire lives on them, from what time we wake up in the morning to directions to get everywhere. People spend the majority of their lives on their cell phones, texting, tweeting, or even just playing games. Not only do these devices effect our social lives, but they also affect how we sleep at night and how much sleep we get. Sleep is very important in maintaining homeostasis and proper health, in order to function properly, “healthy adults need between 7-9 hours of sleep each night” (helpguide). If a person does not get the amount of sleep- they need, then they will become groggy and less efficient at work or school.

Today, most research done on technology’s effect on sleep has been focused on how technology makes sleeping more difficult. Technology can become a distraction and keep your brain active as a result of using it before going to sleep. The National Sleep Foundation even discovered through a poll that “nine of 10 Americans reported

Kids tend to stay up late because they sleep really close to their phones. According to "6 Negative Effects of too Much Screen time for Kids" by Jeffrey Green " A kid who is suffering from sleep deprivation will typically be cranky, have an increased rick of obesity, have a short attention span, lack decision making skills, have increased health problems, be lethargic and do poorly in school" (Green). Kids like to be on their phones in the middle of the night instead of going to sleep. The LED light that is emitted by the phones is transmitted as a daylight signal to the human body which will make it very hard for a child to go to sleep at night. Teenagers need 10-12 hours of sleep at night but with electronic devices next to them they only get about 6-8 hours of sleep at

Can you recall the last time you didn’t use technology, the last time you did not use your phone, smart watch, laptop, or tv? Can you think of an answer, no, okay. How about an easier question, when is the last time you used technology? Maybe last night before you went to bed? This morning to turn off your alarm? Or maybe right now to check what time the class is over. Either way you have probably used or will use about an hour of your day on technology. According to Felix Richter, in the article, “Americans Use Electronics Media11+ Hours a Day,” the average person uses technology for 11 or more hours each day. The human being is only awake for 16 to 18 hours a day. So, on average, a person uses 70% of their day on technology that is more than half the time we are awake and active during the day. This percentage increases 5% each year that means that in six years technology will occupy 100% the average humans’ active day.

    One negative affect that smartphones have on people is that they are considered  “Sleep Stealers.”  What this means is that smartphones interfere with our sleep. Research shows that when people use smartphones at night, they sleep more poorly and are less engaged the next day. (Organizational Behavior and Human Decision Processes, 2014) When using your phone at bedtime, your mind becomes activated when it should be settled and at peace.(Murdock) This makes it hard to get good sleep