Negative Effects Of Mobile Phones On Teenagers

    (Introduction) “Put down the phone, turn off your the laptop, and do something-anything-that doesn’t involve a screen” (Twenge 63). It is astonishing the amount of time teens spend on phones. Jean Twenge discusses the effects smartphone usage has created among the younger and past generations in the article, “Has the Smartphone Destroyed a Generation”. The purpose of Twenge’s article is to aware readers about the many consequences the smartphone usage has impacted generations.

“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”.

Ever since smartphones were created, they have changed teenagers’ lives entirely. The article Have Smartphones Destroyed a Generation? by Jean Twenge, shows the ways the invention of the smartphone has changed recent generations. The article mentions the rise in teen depression and suicide, cyberbullying, and teen safety. It also mentions the decline in our social abilities, dating, and sleep. Smartphones have had both negative and positive affects on teenagers, but the negatives significantly outweigh the positives, which points to the need to put down the smartphones, as the article suggests.

“Put down the phone, turn off the laptop, and do something-anything-that doesn’t involve a screen” (Twenge 63). It is astonishing the amount of time teens spend on phones. Jean Twenge discusses the negative effects smartphone usage has created among the young and past generations in the article, “Has the Smartphone Destroyed a Generation”. The purpose of Twenge’s article is to aware readers about the many issues the smartphone usage has created on generations. Twenge narrates different stories about young teen’s experiences with phones and social media. Twenge also provides readers with statistics and some studies of many effects caused by smartphones. Twenge gives emphasize to differences between generations. According to Twenge, today’s

Have Smartphones Destroyed a Generation?, by Jean M. Twenge, was published in the September 2017 Issue of The Atlantic. Twenge discusses the impacts of smartphones in teens (also referred to as “iGen’s”) today and attempts to determine if smartphones have caused a generation to falter in their mental and physical health. The author interviews a 13 year old girl about issues teens are developing due to these devices. She examines the spike in teen suicide rates since the invention of the smartphone, how teens no longer go out and socialize with others, and the lack of sleep teens may be getting due to smartphone activity.

“Have Smartphones Destroyed a Generation?” by Jean M. Twenge on The Atlantic in September 2017 are changing people generation by generation. Twenge's thesis is that smartphones are changing the way teens act. Twenge is comparing baby boomers when they were teens to teens now. Teens now are shaped by phones. Smartphones are affecting teens by changing their personality and the way they look at themselves. She is stating that because of smartphones, teens are becoming disconnected from the outside world. In addition, smartphones are making teens less social and less independent. Also, another effect with smartphones is that they are making teens depressed and suicidal. In 2012, 50% of people had smartphones after 2012, is when suicidal and depression rate kept rising. The only good things Twenge states about smartphones, is that teens are more safe now. If there is an emergency, they can immediately contact someone. Furthermore, teens now have more individualism than millennials did. Twenge interviews a “13-year-old” girl and pulls her audience in by telling the girls story with phones. Twenge pulls back to the question, “Have Smartphones Destroyed a Generation?”. Teens today do not see the bad affects a smartphone has on them. They are too attached to their phones and also blinded to see it from another person's perspective.

One of the major problems in the world today is the dependency that teenagers have on their cell phones. The majority of people depend on their cell phones for everything that they do. They feel like they have to constantly check it to look at what is new on Facebook, Twitter, or Instagram. They forget to focus on the world around them and become absorbed in the online world. Some suffer from panic attacks if they don’t have their phone with them. They might not need their phone, but they have to have it with them.

In the article, “OMG Teens and Their Phones” by Bob Ross, he discusses a survey that shows on average everyday teens send about one text message every five minutes. Throughout this article Ross discusses the question of whether the use of technology is being abused by kids today and the answer is yes, but only if the parents let it happen. Parents cannot be ignorant about what their child is using technology for, they need to understand the technology their child is using and they also need to create rules about the use of technology so teens do not abuse their power of it. Ross explains how it is important for parents to set guidelines and rules that are reasonable for themselves and their child’s needs so they are more willing to follow them. To make sure that teens are not abusing their technology it is important for parents to encourage technology free time. It is important for a child to learn when the appropriate time is to use technology and when they should not, for example when they are in class or when they are doing homework. Another suggestion that Ross makes is for parents to check phone bills to make sure that their child is following their guidelines. On the phone bill a parent can see what times their child is texting and the other person who they are texting. If a parent sees that their child is not following their guidelines then they can always disable their phone during a certain

In the article “Have Smartphones Destroyed a Generation?,” Twenge discusses the negative effects of smartphones and social media on today’s teenagers. She delves into a case study citing examples from a girl she refers to as Athena, who gives Twenge insight into this generation of teens. Twenge suggests that smartphones have become the main cause of increased depression and suicide rates for teenagers. Ever since 2012, with a majority of Americans owning smartphones has led to both the levels of happiness and independence to decrease.

A reporter for CNN, Kelly Wallace, addresses her concern about the future generation in her article, “Half of Teens Think They’re Addicted To Their Smartphones.” After pointing out factual information from a variety of polls and reviews about mobile device usage, she expresses her panic over digital addiction. Not only does she mention teens suffering from this potential “public health threat,” but parents are added in as well. As Wallace collects information from various surveys, she also gathers opinions from parents and a digital detox expert named Holland Haiis. Throughout all the statistics Wallace mentions in her article, she also discretely mentions the importance of rules and boundaries. Regardless, the increasing amount of use

At what point, do we as a society, say enough is enough and attempt to alter the downward spiral we currently are accelerating with our addiction to smartphones. In Jean Twenge’s Have Smartphones Destroyed a Generation? the author uses a multitude of statistics to convey to the reader the negative impact of smartphones on the individual, I agree with the overall negative influence, but I also believe to fully understand this problem first-hand experience is required. Growing up as an “atypical” member of the iGen Generation, I believe I have a unique viewpoint on the impacts of smartphones on adolescence. It would be naive to believe that smartphones are going away anytime in the near future, so it is of the utmost importance that we- not just members of iGen- but members of all generations formulate a response to the problem that has already cost hundreds of lives

In society today, almost everyone is guilty of spending too much time on electronic devices, cell phones in particular. Teens and parents alike can’t go for five minutes without checking for new notifications. According to Kelly Wallace in her article “Half of Teens Think They’re Addicted to Their Smartphones,” cell phone usage has become a real problem which affects not only teens, but adults as well. Within the article, it is stated that, “Sixty-nine percent of parents check their phone at least hourly compared to the 78% of teens who say they do that” (Wallace). Considering these alarming statistics it's no wonder that people have begun to admit to the over usage. Parents in particular worry about their teens over usage and have even gone

Everywhere you go teens seem to be glued to their phones, tablets, or computers. Technology is an addiction that does not seem to be going away any time soon. According to the Washington Post, teens can spend up to seven or more hours on their digital devices a day and the usage is still increasing. Not surprisingly enough, more than a third of all teenagers own a cellphone, ranging from a smart phone or just a plain old-school flip phone. But can spending all that time on their computers and smart devices be such a bad thing? Today’s easy access, always on world presents a wealth of opportunity for teens as students, but also challenges them to retain them essential humanity and unique personalities.

Technological advances have increased dramatically in the past 40 years. Martin Cooper invented the first cellular phone in 1973, which was called the Dyna Tec, while working for the famous company Motorola. The first cellular phone did not sell well because it was as large as a brick. So now knowing how technology has advanced, it is obvious to see why it is advancing. Although technological advances have affected both the generalized public and society’s teenagers, it seems to have had a larger effect on society’s teenagers, specifically the advances in cellular phones. Not only does cellular phone usage affect a teenager’s social life and literacy, but it also affects their health. Cellular phones have a great impact on a teenager’s social life. The following solution would also be in their best interest without them even realizing it. The over use of cell phones by teenagers will have a negative effect on their academic, social, and mental development.

From having good grades, to studying for the ACT, in addition to trying to fit into the social aspect in high school a teens life has never been more hard. And the invention of the smartphone has only added to the amount of stress that a teen has to deal with. The smartphone has created an environment in which adolescents are always connected with those they go to highschool with, through the use of social media. For example if a bully were to be picking on a student at school the student could not just go home and forget about the incident, but now the bully has the ability to abuse that student at any point he/she desires. These types of incidents are creating a new wave of problems for adolescents and their parents, Nojiri Matthew interviewed Rick Wolf (assistant superintendent at Mifflin School district) explaining “The increase in social media use has added another element when identifying and caring for kids dealing with anxiety, depression, eating disorders, attention-deficit/hyperactivity disorder and other mental health disorders, Wolf said” (Wolf). The smartphone is the catalyst to these problems. If you were to take away the smartphone problems such as cyberbullying would be less of an issue. However adolescents these days are given smartphones at such a young age, with no supervision on how long they use it throughout the day, that it becomes second nature to be looking at it every minute of everyday checking their social media profiles.