Linked To Cyberbullying

Teens are always on their phones. Whether it’s at the store, school, or even driving. Teenagers are losing communication skills, getting into fights more, and getting distracted in school. These are the effects of teens getting on their phone way too much.

As a teenager I for one have stayed up at night on my phone or other electronic device texting, playing games, or scrolling through social media. Lot of people actually have this problem and it affects our quality of sleep. Using technology before bed worsens sleep quality. The sleep quality is lowered because technology keeps the brain alert, wakes you up during the night, and prevents you from powering down at bedtime.

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)

“According to a recent poll, 22% of teenagers log on to their favorite social media site more than 10 times a day, and more than half of adolescents log on to a social media site more than once a day.2 Seventy-five percent of teenagers now own cell phones, and 25% use them for social media, 54% use them for texting, and 24% use them for instant messaging.3 Thus, a large part of this generation’s social and emotional development is occurring while on the Internet and on cell phones.” (O'Keeffe, Gwenn Schurgin)

Parker Chilliers’ studies showed that more people use their phones during a dinner date with their family, or their date to avoid awkwardness, or to avoid talking to them at dinner (Chilliers ). However, people have been concerned with teenagers and cell phones, they want to make sure they have a life outside there phone. Some teenagers would rather stay inside then go outside. One study shows seventy two percent of kids ages 12-17 are getting phones( ). Today younger kids are getting a phone, this is a concern that they won’t have a social life outside of their phone.

Teens are becoming more distracted than ever before. “Experts say each beep, chime, or chirp seizes your attention, triggering [a] fight-or-flight response” (Kaminski). The urge to look at the notification that popped up on the screen of a cell phone, “comes from a chemical called dopamine” (Kaminski). The chemical makes it difficult to resist all the notifications a teen receives. “After [the] false alarm pumps adrenaline through [his or her] body, it takes [his or her] brain up to 30 minutes to regain focus” (Kaminski). “Technology [also] makes it harder for [one] to focus and get work done” (Lewis). When using a cell phone it takes the brain 30 minutes to attain a state of concentration needed to conclude a task in hand (Lewis). However, “It takes 50 percent longer to accomplish a single task, and one makes up to 50 percent more errors” (Kaminski). How much time does a teen spend looking at a phone-in-hand? [An] “average teenager spends more than 7 hours a day looking at a phone, tablet, laptop, or TV” (Lewis). Furthermore, a teen spends more than 53 hours on, or in front of a technical device per week (Lewis). Is the communication on a cell phone overwhelming the lives of teens? Despite the daily conversations a teen has in person, one will send and receive more than 3,339 texts just in one month alone (Lewis). Kristen Lewis, author of “Your Phone Could

However, studies show that adolescents’ melatonin levels peak from 11 p.m. until 7 a.m., which only gives them 7hours of sleep at most, without accounting for the influences of technology use (Finely). Access to televisions, computers, and cellphones promote alertness (Foster). About 88% of adolescents have a smartphone today (Zeitzer and Nathan). Although there is not a direct link in increased daytime sleepiness and cellphone usage, studies show that 80% of students that have a smartphone claim that they need it with them at all times which does affect sleeping patterns (Zeitzer and Nathan). Jamie Zeitzer, a Ph.D. in neurobiology, explains that the necessity of a smartphone during bedtime causes people to sleep lighter and spend less time sleeping. In her experiments about 25% of the subjects that slept with a smartphone nearby suffer from excessive subjective sleepiness (Zeitzer and Nathan).

Have you ever thought how many teenagers spend a large amount of time on their cellphones, laptops, and or tablets? Eliana Dockterman wrote an article called “The Digital Parent Trap” asking if teenagers spending too much time on their technology is good or bad

In our society the teens should be watched on their phones and their attitude’s. Because if you do not watch their moods and talk to them it will get worse and worse. In most articles people always are saying that teens are bad about posting things they should not and bullying on technology.

Cell phones are a ubiquitous and necessary part of most people’s lives. Young people, especially teens, do not know a world before the cell phone. Many parents believe that a cell phone helps maintain connectedness and personal safety. However, with every advancement in technology comes unforeseen consequences. There is a concern among parents, and I am one, about how teens are using the shortcuts afforded by this technology to perhaps, their academic detriment.

Texting is sabotaging the youth in today’s society. Teenagers are not experiencing as much face to face interactions as they probably should be. Instead, they’re becoming more dependent on communication through texting. Many teenagers would prefer to send a text message than to make a phone call and that’s sad. Because people are so reliant on

One of the major reasons that teens suffer from the lack of sleep are smartphones and media. It is proven that most teens own or have access to cellphones. Based on a 2011 poll from the National Sleep Foundation

In “Have Smartphones Destroyed a Generation” published in the Atlantic Magazine, Jean M. Twenge states that teenagers rely mostly on smartphones in this generation. She has noticed shifts in teen behaviors and emotional states. This generation is shaped around the smartphone and the rise of social media. Teens spend more time on their phones than they do talking to each other face to face. In an interview held by Twenge and a 13 year old girl. Twenge discovers that teens seem to like their phones more than they do one another. Teenagers behaviors are changing daily. They grow up using a smartphone and having social media accounts before they even begin high school. Depression and suicide rates are higher since 2011. Twenge believes that smartphones have something to do with that. “Where there are cell towers, there are teens living their lives on their smartphone,” Twenge states. She believes that teens are much safer now because they would rather stay at home on their phones. Teens are more comfortable at home in their beds than they would be at a party.

Teens’ addiction to cell phones affects the parents and their teachers all the time. Teens do not have a limit on how many texts to send out. Social networking, disrespect, streaming the internet, being dishonest towards parents and teachers, and lying are all pieces of the inappropriate relationships between teens and their cell phones. Social networking and internet gaming during school is a distraction to teens and teachers. Teens take photos and play games rather than focusing on the lesson that is being taught. Most of the class can be distracted because the student is taking or asking his/her peers to participate in a picture, also causing many teens to get in trouble because they are distracting others during class periods at school. Teachers who are trying to teach and the teens who are trying to learn are irritated with the disrespectful teens who are continuously playing games, taking pictures or conducting social networking during class. Teens are also surfing the web for games that look better then listening to a teacher talk. Many of the games that are being played during school are filled with violence and often times it is very inappropriate during school hours.

Progress continues to take shape in the form of technological advancement as a means to improve our lives. We consider these advances as modern conveniences and in many respects they do improve our lives, hence, the consideration is how to integrate these advancements effectively. Consider the evolution of the Smartphone and it’s unknown long-term effects on society. For example, people born after 1995 grew up with the Smartphone technology and this device is affecting an entire generation often referred to as the “iGeneration.” Today’s teenagers do not understand a world without smartphones and their effects on their socialization, mental health, and physical health.