Have Smartphones Destroyed A Generation?: Article Analysis

However, Twenge makes an emphasis on the decline of mental wellness that smartphones seem to cause. She includes quotes from teens in her article stating how certain environments on smartphones, such as social media, effect their emotions. Twenge says that teens not invited to social events are made very aware through posts from friends on social media, leading to feelings of loneliness and exclusion. In addition, cyberbullying is a majorly targeted issue, teens who spend more time on their phones are more likely to be bullied online which can lead to depression. There are also percentages of the increase teens who report feelings of loneliness or wishing for a good friend, things that can lead to depression. She explains how allowing for more room for feelings of loneliness and exclusion to lead to depression can eventually lead to suicide. The article explains how smartphones can become a hazard if slept with in bed as well as how they can lead to sleep deprivation. She explains how teens use language of addiction when they speak of their

In the September 2017 issue of The Atlantic, Jean M. Twenge factually accounts for the brisk changes in “Generation Z’s” ways of living as compared to generations before. The article, entitled Have Smartphones Destroyed a Generation, propels valid evidence justifying that the release of smartphones and tablets has procured an entire generation to develop unfamiliar habits. An iPhone or Android in the hands of a child who has yet to reach the middle school level is becoming increasingly common. Twenge explains how Generation Z, or ‘iGen,’ grew up with technology and has not known about a time before the internet. With this upbringing, there have been evident “shifts in teen behaviors and emotional states,” as found through years and series of national surveys. Emerging from these changes, they are physically safer; however, tend to have higher rates of suicidal thoughts or poor mental health. Also concerning to those raising the generation, teens are less likely to strive for their own individual freedoms, such as obtaining a driver’s license, going out with friends, and finding a job. In this article, Twenge elaborates on both the benefits and disadvantages of the newest generation growing up with various technologies at their fingertips.

In September 2017, Jean M. Twenge articulates the development of generation “iGen” in the article “Have Smartphones Destroyed a Generation?”. The emphasis Twenge provides in the article directs to post-Millennials and how they are generally safer and cleaner than past generations have been. Twenge provides various enlightening details about generational problems and how they need improvement. Generation “iGen” is dependent of technology and uses it often compared to past generations. This generation has become powered by their smartphones; it has changed the way several people live today and has brought many individuals to a point of mental illness.

The severity of smartphones impacting a child’s adolescence continues to increase each and every year. Forty years ago my parents were teenagers and none of them had a computer, let alone a smartphone. Flash forward to today and every single kid my age has a smartphone and some get one as young as ten years old! What will the next forty years entail? Vasts amounts of cyberbullying occurs online every day between high school students, so with time will this behavior continue into the workplace? Twenge shines a light on the fact that the more time spent on a social networking site, the unhappier the user felt. Not only does her article indicate we are on the brink of a mental health crisis, but we are also one the brink of a shift in basic human behavior. Before now, humans have never willingly spent such large amounts of time doing activities that leave them unhappy, unfulfilled, or worse off overall. Only time will tell, but time is not a luxury we possess, a response to this technology addiction needs to be formulated

Today’s teens are becoming both physically and mentally ill due to excessive phone usage.Today’s teens are becoming mentally sick as they are due to teens spending a crazy amount of time on social media making them feel left out and depressed. Also, today’s millennials are in a dangerous physical level because they are spending plenty of time on social media and forgetting to exercise. I believe that phones are dangerous to everyone in our world as it makes them less physically fit and mentally sick.

In the article “Digital Dependence”, the reporter Kelly Wallace discusses how half of teens and young adults think that they may be addicted to their smartphones. First, the author explores how more than 90% of American adults have their cell phones on them 24/7 and 29% say they could not live without them. The reading also includes that social media is a big factor in the addiction for teens. Teenagers said the main reason for they’re on their phones is because of Facebook or Instagram. In addition, Wallace explains that 71% of teens are on more than one social networking site, but studies show that social media can sometimes not be great for self-esteem, and teens actually feel worse when they’re on their phones. Moreover, the author writes

“Some 95% of teens ages 12-17 are online, 76% use social networking sites, and 77% have cell phones. Moreover, 96% of those ages 18-29 are internet users, 84% use social networking sites, and 97% have cell phones” (Rainie). After reading this statistic, it is no surprise that technology plays such a huge role in the overall lives of adolescents. However, technology is destructive towards many aspects of an adolescent's life. To be more specific, technology has a negative impact on an adolescent's health, social life and self-esteem.

“We can’t jump off bridges anymore because our iPhones will get ruined. We can’t take skinny dips in the ocean, because there’s no service on the beach and adventures aren’t real unless they’re on Instagram. Technology has doomed the spontaneity of adventure and we’re helping destroy it every time we Google, check-in, and hashtag”. Written by Jeremy glass a Connecticut- born writer in the article, “We Can’t Get Lost Anymore”. Many whom have grown up in the twenty-first century can reflect on his or her childhood hooked on technology. Reflecting back on the good ole days to the first cell phone and pager allowing for the creation of instantaneous contact. However very few individuals are incapable of seeing how these prolonged consequences are truly life altering. In this research paper, I will be focusing on teenagers and young adults; ages ranging from 13-25 years old. For extra knowledge pertaining this subject according to the Anxiety and Depression Association of America, “Anxiety disorders are the most common mental illness in the U.S”. This information becomes essential to consider because research shows technology influences anxiety rates in teens and young adults to rapidly increase. Nevertheless, some people will defend technology by arguing its benefits within education, but fail to recognize the consequences. Technology creates the gateway for many teens and young adults with easy access to the internet which provides endless social media sites inducing anxiety

Smartphones have become a problem in today’s generation especially for adolescences that has shown a decline in focus and intellect in the past few years. Although smartphones are created to help make communication easier, they also affect youth’s performance and productivity in school, in their workplace, home, and their communication with adults. Other teenagers use social media to express their feelings online and to release their anger and stress. Most of the time, when teenagers reveal too much on the internet, violence and rumours can take place afterwards, which results in arguments and misunderstandings. The youth today feel as if they cannot live without their smartphones and without access to the internet. They have become

“The arrival of the smartphones had radically changed every aspect of teenagers’ lives, from the nature of their social interactions to their mental health” (Twenge 60). Smartphones are easy-to-carry mobile devices that almost have the functions of a computer like internet access, video games, social networks, and of course calls and text messages. In 2014 in the USA almost 60% of the population owned a smartphone (Cheever, et al. 291). The percentage of people that own a smartphone has been increasing fast since then, especially in young people who overuse their mobile devices. Excessive use of smartphones is associated with the addiction to these devices and other psychological imbalances that can lead to death. Smartphone addiction is changing the behavior and attitudes of today’s teenagers which can lead to serious psychological issues.

Technology is intended to improve our lives and since the dawn of man progress continues to take shape. We consider technological advances as modern conveniences, and in many respects they improve our lives. The consideration is how to use and integrate these advancements effectively into life. Consider the evolution of the Smartphone and it unknown long-term effects on society. For example, people born after 1995 have virtually grown up with the Smartphone technology and they are affecting an entire generation often referred to as the iGeneration. While progress is good in many ways, the costs are revealed as time passes. Teenagers do not understand a world without technology, in particular, smartphones and their effects on their socialization, mental health, and physical health. Smartphones quite possibly could be making the “iGeneration” less smart and less fulfilled.

A stereotypical teenager rebels. They are illustrated as reckless, constantly seeking independence. However, with the introduction of smartphones and social media at a young age, many like Jean M. Twenge question how these devices affect the attitudes of teenagers in the iGeneration. Twenge argues that not knowing a world without the Internet destroys the generation. By generalizing technology as either an enhancing tool or a harmful device, Twenge limits the conversation; while technology changes the way people interact in society from earlier times, it’s ability to connect and inform people proves that it has both damaging and aiding effects on one’s well being.

In the article “Have Smartphones Destroyed a Generation?” by Jean M. Twenge, published by The Atlantic, and the article “Teens and tech: what happens when students give up smartphones?” by Erin Cotter, published by The Guardian, both authors claim that without technology we could be more content and better our interpersonal relations with others. Twenge writes about life with technology through facts and comparing the Millenials to the newer generation, in which Twenge refers to as the “iGen.” Meanwhile Cotter surveys students through the use of the “disCONNECT project,” which is a project made specifically to survey the effects, emotionally and how it changes their position in society, of taking cell phones away from the students. Both of

Young adults have been the most affected in our technological world. Most teens own a phone by the time they are in middle school if not before, and a laptop by the time they are in high school. “78% of teens now have a cell phone, and almost half (47%) of those own smartphones. That translates into 37% of all teens who have smartphones” (Madden). “Nine in ten (93%) teens have a computer or have access to one at home. Seven in ten (71%) teens with home computer access say the laptop or desktop they use most often is one they share with other family members” (Madden). Teenagers use these devices to communicate through texting and social media. Both these

Name a friend without a cellphone. I dare you because if you under the age of thirty five that 's nearly impossible. We have always been warned: don’t trust the internet, it is a shield to hide behind. But what if everyone now is hiding behind that shield? 75% of all teens own a cell phone and 73% of online teens have used a social networking site (Carroll & Kirkpatrick 2011) Today our entire world consists of extreme usage of technology; it is integrated into our movements, our plans, our mornings and nights, it is simply becoming us. No wonder the over usage of phones as a form of communication, justification and stimulation is moulding how we are as people. I am targeting the adolescent age group, predominantly young girls between the