Jean M. TwengeHave Smartphones Destroyed A Generation

    (summary) In the article “Has the Smartphone Destroyed a Generation?”, Jean M. Twenge discusses the effects smartphones have created on younger generations. Twenge is a psychologist who has been researching the differences in generations for 25 years. In accordance to Twenge, smartphones have significantly increased the rates in teen depression and suicide. Twenge describes the generation iGen (born between 1995 and 2012) as being on the verge of the worst mental-health crisis in decades. Twenge’s research shows statistics on many factors that are affected by social media, smartphones, and the internet. For example, the number of teens feeling lonely or depressed has increased significantly since 2011. The number of teens that do activities outside of home is another example. According to Twenge, the number of teens that go out with their

In her article “Have Smartphones Destroyed a Generation?”, Jean M. Twinge discusses the effects on “generation i” through rising smartphone and social media usage. In the article, she provides many statistics to support her claims on what’s happening with the “i generation” and generations past through social media use. She concludes that while smartphones have some positive social impact on the generation (like lower teen pregnancy rates), there has been real damage to the generation as well. I have concluded that, our generation has been more negatively impacted through smartphone usage than positively impacted. This is a strong point to make but through my own experiences and after reading Twinge’s article I find myself truly thinking about what smartphones have done to us as a growing generation. I have witnessed firsthand many downsides to having a smartphone that Twinge reports on.

Many times our fears of what is unknown to us are often the strongest fears we hold as human beings. However, what if it was the fear of things we already know that were the most powerful and influential in our lives? In modern society, many hold within themselves a deep-seated fear of the technology that the world has become so revolved around. Additionally, it has recently become debatable whether or not this technology has become a hindrance to members of the so-called iGeneration, born between 1995 and 2012, who have grown up in a world surrounded by technology. Truly, the members of older generations, including millennials who have had themselves split off from the apparent technology obsessed generation of the youngest millennials, have expressed their concern as to whether or not these vast differences in generations have to do with the unhealthy use of technology. Among those to have analyzed this phenomenon is writer Jean M. Twenge who in her article, “Have Smartphones Destroyed a Generation?,” utilizes the study of a modern 13 year old girl named Athena to exemplify a plethora of determinants that technology has imposed on young people and the slow deterioration of everything from independence and social skills to a decline mental health due to technology use. Many of Twenge’s statements reveal the belief that many members of iGen are unequipped to handle adulthood and are even less happy because of the technology that has played a significant role in their lives

“The arrival of the smartphone has radically changed every aspect of teenagers’ lives, from the nature of their social interactions to their mental health” (Twenge). In her article, “Have Smartphones Destroyed a Generation?”, Jean Twenge discusses how the new generation of teenagers is becoming highly dependent on their smartphones. Twenge calls this new generation born between the late 1990s and early teens “iGen” after a recent survey found that the majority of teenagers owned an iPhone. She argues that with every new generation, new habits form, both good and bad. The technological developments that have occurred throughout the last ten years, Twenge argues, is not a bad thing; it is how the “iGen” teenagers are becoming reliant on their phones and use them to avoid social interactions. According to her article, teenagers choose to stay home alone in their rooms and talk to their friends virtually on social media versus actually leaving the house and doing something face-to-face with their friends. Twenge argues that if teenagers decide to leave the house, phones still have a strong presence, often not leaving the hands of its owner for longer than a couple minutes with social media like Snapchat and Instagram tagging along. Twenge worries that the strong dependency on smartphones and increasing rates of obsession with social media are a couple of the largest contributors to the rise of depression and suicide among the teenagers of “iGen”.

In her article, “Have Smartphones Destroyed a Generation?”, Jean Twenge discusses how the new generation of teenagers are becoming highly dependent on their smartphones and need them alongside them at any given point in time. Twenge calls this new generation born between the late 1990s and early teens “iGen” after a recent survey found that majority of teenagers owned an iPhone. She argues that with every new generation, new habits form, both good and bad. The technological developments that have occurred in the last ten years Twenge argues are not a bad thing, it is how the “iGen” teenagers are becoming reliant on their phones and using them to avoid social interactions. They would choose to stay home alone in their rooms and talk to their friends virtually on social media versus actually leaving the house and doing something face-to-face with their friends. Twenge argues that if teenagers decide to leave the house, phones still have a strong presence, often not leaving the hands of its owner for longer than a couple minutes with social media like Snapchat and Instagram tagging along. Twenge worries that the strong dependency on smartphones and increasing rates of obsession with social media are a couple of the largest contributors to the rise of depression and suicide among the teenagers of “iGen”.

Besides the cell phone, does technology really affect us in our society? Today’s generation of teenagers are using smartphones much of the time. Researchers also found that many teenagers are using more smartphones. This constant use of technology has had negative effects on today’s youth. Constant use of technology by teenagers is harmful because it causes depression and affects education

In her article “Have Smartphones Destroyed a Generation?”, Jean M. Twenge discusses the effects on “generation i” with rising smartphone and social media usage. In the article, she provides multiple statistics to support her claims on what’s happening with the “i generation”, and generations past through social media use. She concludes that while smartphones have some positive social impact on the generation (like lower teen pregnancy rates), there has been real damage to the generation as well. I have concluded that, our generation has been more negatively impacted through smartphone usage than positively impacted. This is a strong point to make but, through my own experiences and, after reading Twenge’s article I find myself thinking about what smartphones have done to us as a growing generation. I have witnessed firsthand numerous downsides to having a smartphone that Twenge reports on.

This specific generation has changed severally from past generations. Today’s youth have become attached to technology and can’t seem to let go of it. People have become dependent on technology; they make sure they check social media before they proceed to do anything else. Past generations focused on having a social life, getting out of the house, and having good relationships with friends. Twenge (2017) says that “the allure of independence, so powerful to previous generations, holds less sway over today’s teens” (p. 5) which is alarmingly true. Teens today spend more time at home interacting with their friends through social media rather than in person. Today’s teens have also let meaningful relationships slip away, many have put themselves in depressing states and end up feeling lonely because the lack of interaction and quality time with other individuals has gone away. Young people now focus on their likes and views rather than a significant other and being in relationships that could bring them joy. This newer generation lacks the independence past generations had. Past generations thrived to be on their own and have the ability to do what they wanted when they wanted. Past generations freedom came from having jobs and making money; teens today have lost the vigor to get jobs and make money. Many eligible young people have lost their strive to get jobs and have an income, many rely on their guardians to take care of them and pay for all of their necessities. However, Twenge mentions in the article, “Independence isn’t free – you need

Have you been in a party which everyone was taking photos, chatting, and playing with their phones? Have you seen a friend who always takes a photo of the dish before eating? Have you heard that lots of teenagers look at their screens till the midnight everyday? These scenarios are really happening around us in contemporary society, which bring a lot of troubles to teenagers’ mental health. In the article “Have Smartphones Destroyed a Generation?” written by Jean M. Twenge, she states, “More comfortable online than out partying, post-Millennials are safer, physically, than adolescents have ever been. But they’re on the brink of a mental-health crisis” (Twenge). In Twenge’s opinion, smartphones are destroying the young generations, because they lack the opportunities to really communicate with each other. However, as long as teenagers use their phones wisely, they can avoid being “destroyed” by smartphones.

According to Twenge, the number of teens that go out with their friends has decreased by 40 percent compared to earlier generations. Twenge compares iGens to different generations such as Gen X (born between 1965 and early 1984), baby boomers (1946-1964) and Millennials (born around 1982-2002). Twenge emphasizes on the time teenagers spend on their phones. Social media plays a huge role in this. In accordance to Twenge, different forms of social media like Facebook, Instagram, and Snapchat are what teenagers spend more time on. According to Twenge, the more time teens spend on smartphones the greater they are at risk for suicide, depression, and loneliness. Twenge also explains how teens are not receiving an adequate amount of sleep, many teens now sleep less than seven hours. Twenge concludes the article by sharing her own experience with her children and technology, she recommends parents to limit the time their children spend on phones. (59-65)

In American author and psychologist, Jean Twenge’s article, “Have Smartphones Destroyed a Generation?” Twenge argues that smartphones have seriously taken a toll on Millennials. She claims that smartphones are wreaking havoc on Millennials’ mental health, as this generation is apparently “safer than ever” physically, they are “seriously unhappy” with life in general (Twenge 4). According to Twenge, children who see their friends on social media more than they do face-to-face feel lonely and excluded. I feel that with a majority of my generation, this is accurate to an extent. Many fights and arguments between younger people stem from Instagram and Snapchat posts. For example, innovations like the SnapMap now allow people to view their friends’ locations. Various viral memes, a humorous image, video, etc. copied and spread rapidly throughout the Internet,

In “Have Smartphones Destroyed a Generation?” written by, the Psychology Doctor, Jean M. Twenge, she presents the results produced after twenty-five years of research (Twenge para3). Her research was carried out to understand the new generation and explain how it differs to the previous generations (Twenge para9). Although her style is indeed formal, she utilized a heavy amount of credentials, logos, emotional appeal and a factual tone, to enforces her appeal on the parents of the kids of this new generation. Furthermore, she underlays her stand on the topic throughout her analysis, rather than having a direct approach and states actual percentages to compare previous generations to the new one, which leads to a sense of validity. It is not until the very end, that she finally states her stand in a more direct sense, since she has now gained the trust of her audience.

In the Article “Have Smartphones Destroyed A Generation”, Jean Twenge argues the dangers associated with the lack of screen time moderation; By emphasizing how excessive screen time siphons happiness, while endangering developmental psychology and physical health in the “IGen” generation— a subcategory of millennials. When analyzing the quality of Twenge’s argument I came to the realization that all her premises supported her conclusion. In other words Jean Twenge made her argument clear when she documented the relationships between the change in overall social behavior, to the uprising of social media, smartphones, and the generation that was caught in the mitst of it all. While reading this article I couldn’t help but notice the similarity

Phones are quickly becoming the downfall of America’s youth in today’s society. You can’t go out into public today without seeing children, some no more than a few years old, walking around with smartphones worth hundreds of dollars. It’s a fascinating but unfortunate trend to witness and it’s only becoming worse as time progresses. Kids no longer have to leave the comfort of their home to hang out and socialize with friends. They can now do everything from their mobile phone including talk, text, browse the internet, and indulge themselves on various forms of media. The reasons to go out and socialize are slowly diminishing as companies are finding new ways to keep people glued to their phone screens. People no longer have the urge to go out and experience new situations or learn new information. All the information they could possibly want to know sits in the palm of their hand, eliminating the need for any type of patience. With society now favoring easier ways of communication, face-to-face interaction will inevitably become less and less common.

This generation in particular is facing huge difficulties in the way we communicate with one another, the way we feel about ourselves, and with how much we are being exposed to and this is all because of what we know as cell phones. These problems began to shift around the 1930s but weren’t brought to the public’s attention until recently in 2012. These cellular devices that we use on a daily basis are taking effect on how people socialize and act towards each other and is negatively affecting our minds. The decrease to face to face interaction, the increase in social anxiety within children and teens, and the increase of availability for sex offenders all can be tied to the dependence of cell phones.