Distracted From Distraction

Sam Anderson book reviewer for New York magazine and writer of many articles like, In Defense of Distraction, Anderson has primarily become interested in the way culture and our habits of reading has drastically changed with technology. In the article In Defense of Distraction, Anderson explores the poor attention one has developed throughout the decades and how this attention has distracted the human mind in a way that it has centered to our cultural attention. It is an inevitable habit we seem to apply in our everyday life’s, in our yoga class one a week, the cancer slowly spreading across our body, the pretty little liars show that is shown every Tuesday that seems to not be enough. We seem to pay attention all the time

After reading the online article “10 Great Things Teens Learn While “Playing” Online” by Christy Matte and the magazine article “ Teens and the Internet: How Much is Too Much? “ by Stephanie Newman , it is clear that teens should be limited to the amount of time used online daily. The use of the internet may be beneficial; it all depends on how the student uses it. Teens should not be able to use a significant about of time online because it affects their social isolation, physical and also mental health.

The idea behind the internet was to revolutionize society and with over 3 billion individuals using it, it clearly succeeded (ITU, n.d.). However, individuals started coming online to check their email, watch a video, visit Facebook, or play an online game as a habit, may easily become addicted to these behaviors over time. According to the DSM-V, internet addiction applies to individuals who use the internet excessively, often without realizing how much time has passed, how much more they are using the internet and neglecting their basic needs, as well as, ignoring any negative impacts said internet use has caused (dsm). When not using the internet, the individual may feel withdrawal, angry, tense, and/or depressed; in addition, they may feel the need to have a better computer and more software, which is an internet-addicted individual’s form of tolerance (dsm). Time of use per day in those addicted to the internet is nearly double the time those who are not addicted spend online (Lee,

As technological advances are being made every day, the average adult has begun to increase their screen time daily. More people are spending time on their devices, than going out and interacting with others and their community. People also tend According to a study by David Greenfield, this addiction occurs to individuals who are unable to interact with others in real life and tend to be “socially reclusive” (Greenfield 1). This highlights how some individuals feel uncomfortable connecting in person, so they go to social media to assist them in mingling with other people who share similar problems. Unlike past generations, millenials have been using the internet much more as a platform to interact and this has caused several individuals to become addicted to their personal devices. This real life fear also causes many who attempt to withdraw from this addiction to have long term side effects. Some of these effects consist of “experience withdrawal including: anger, depression, relief, mood swings, anxiety, fear, irritability, sadness, loneliness, boredom, and restlessness” (Greenfield 1). As shown by the symptoms, internet addiction is a growing problem that current adolescents face. This fear is far more than justified as hundreds of studies have sampled and diagnosed individuals combatting this addiction. Another negative impact of internet addiction is that it can isolate one from the rest of the world and cause them to neglect things that are happening around them. Although everything may seem normal at first, as one grows older this can have long term effects on their social life. Internet addiction is one of many technological fears faced by the world

It has become common today to dismiss different perspectives, such as Danah Boyd’s, that teenagers aren’t the ones responsible for themselves constantly being on the internet, but society is the one to blame. Many people assume that teenagers have put themselves in the position of being addicted to the internet, yet Danah Boyd complains in her article, “Blame Society, Not the Screen Time”, that, “We put unprecedented demands on our kids, maxing them out with structured activities, homework and heavy expectations.” In making this comment, Danah Boyd argues that adults continuously add stress and pressure to teenagers, which then results in teenagers resorting to the internet as a way of socializing. For many, the internet is simply an escape.

The use of social networking sites is rising at great rates. According to a report conducted by the Pew Internet & American Life Project in 2012, ninety-five percent of individuals aged 12-17 use the internet; and eighty-one percent of those use social network sites (Pew Interest). Although it is known that social media can have a useful impact on lives, often times people forget that with a positive comes a negative. The continual use of social network sites will impact teen lives more negatively than positively because they can cause huge distractions from valuable and critical pursuits like education; they can also cause mental health issues and a reduction in communication skills.

In Katie Hafner's “Texting May be Taking a Toll”, she elucidates how teenagers are focusing on what is happening on their phones rather than what matters most.The first point the author is trying to make is teenagers texting too much which is causing distractions, failing grades, and sleep deprivation throughout the day. The author states, physicians and psychologists worry “... it is leading to anxiety, distraction in school, falling grades, repetitive stress injury and sleep deprivation”(1). This is stating, teenagers are not paying enough attention to school work or how they are doing physically, but instead are paying attention to who texted them and what is happening. Also, the author is expressing texting can be a tool for many but may

Different studies directed to the amount of time teenagers spend online agree that beyond gaming, kids and older people fill in their free time in social networking, blogging, messaging, downloading content and more. Potential warnings signs regarding to this topic can be that the person loses track of time, becomes angry, prefers to spend time online more than with friends and family, etc.

Aided by the convenience of smartphones, tablets, and computers, the Pew Research Center has found that 92% of teens are online daily, with open access to harmful material that can affect developing minds permanently, and set up habits that can damage their potential for success in the future. An even more shocking 24% of teens say that they are online “almost constantly.” As a tenth grader in Carolina Day’s upper school, I’ve witnessed the daily activities of students who confirm these statistics. To them, navigating the internet is second nature, and that is where the real danger lies. While at school, they are still granted connection to every game, social media site, and free essay resource, without limits. Unrestricted and unlimited access to the internet is negatively impacting Carolina Day School’s environment by affecting interpersonal relationships, stunting the positive development of the brain, and decreasing the chance of students gaining critical life skills.

The field of psychology is steadily expanding due to the progression in technology, which is being driven by the advancement of civilization. More and more time is spent on the internet, which has gradually altered the method in which primary communication takes place. Previously face-to-face interaction was touted as the primary method of interfacing with one another, now communication via the internet is almost mandatory to establish and maintain healthy relationships (Greenfield and Yan, 2006). This is especially true amongst children, adolescents and teenagers. The need for psychologists have never been greater in order to assess how individuals are able to acclimate to this societal change. Traditionally, there are two methods in which children, adolescents and teenagers communicate via the internet, through social media and video games. Each primary method presents their own unique social challenge. In response to the issues in of teenagers over use of the internet, psychologists are providing assistance for internet addictions at a greater rate. The first method utilized by mental health professionals is traditionally counseling and if those efforts fail, then the potential exists for adolescents to be placed on medications.

The Internet is a worldwide system of computer networks. Today, it is a public, cooperative and self­-sustaining facility accessible to millions of people. This global access to a new world has its shortcomings. One of many that might be considered the most important is addiction; I can easily confess that I see myself as a cell phone addicted person. After reading the article “Half of Teens Think They” by Kelly Wallace, I came to a conclusion that I am not the only one who faces this impasse. However, the article also says that it is difficult to say how many teens are truly addicted to their devices and the Internet. Also it is found a problem, because parents feel their teens spend too much time on their mobile devices. Trying to solve this difficulty, some parents came up with solutions.

Internet safety has been an extensive issue for children and adolescents since accuse to the Internet has become readily available in homes. With Internet use increasing at such rapid rates and a large proportion of adolescents using the Internet daily, the awareness of Internet safety should be addressed. The term Internet safety can be defined as “the knowledge of maximizing an individuals safety to private information, and self protection from using the Internet”. The impact and influence that the Internet has on adolescent life is far-reaching and research findings by Norris (2007) indicate that one-quarter of the American youth that go online at home, do so in the privacy of their rooms. Additionally, with the recent trend of wireless connections there has been a profound expansion in private Internet usage. The diverse means by which adolescents are using the Internet has become coupled with inherent risks of unsupervised and uneducated use.

Social media seems to be one of the many hot topics of discussion recently, and consequently many people have the false sense of security that they have a profound knowledge on how it affects the health of the teenage population. A sedentary lifestyle, decreased sleep, as well as other physical health conditions seem to come to mind when one links health and social media. However, there is a much bigger problem that can go unnoticed because it can be impossible to see: the impact it has on mental and emotional health. These branches of health are just as important, and even arguably more important than physical health is. Social media can be utilized to connect with distant friends and express oneself; however, teenagers should refrain from the overuse of social media due to its detrimental effects on their mental and emotional health.

Relevance Statement: Most teens nowadays use the Internet; the usage varies according to each person, but I know that everyone in here is familiar with it.

In this article “Teens and Technology 2013” by Pew Internet & American Life Project shows statistics between teens internet access and teen and tablet ownership. Now these days most teens are online. The article says, “Fully 95% of teens are online” (“Teens and Technology). Internet can be accessed through cellphones, tablets, and mobile devices(“Teens and Technology). The younger the age group, the more use of internet occurs. Pew Internet & American Life Project wanted to show facts and graphs on internet use for teens. The information could open people’s eyes and see how much teens are using the devices with internet.