Technology Use Among Adolescents And Young Adults

Kardaras, Nicolas. "Generation Z: Online and at Risk?." Scientific American Mind, vol. 27, no. 5, Sep/Oct 2016, pp. 64-9. MasterFILE Premier. Kardars discuss generation z use of social media affecting them negatively. He opens his article with a story of Heidi who becomes addicted to social media when her school issues her a Chromebook. Before Heidi is issued the laptop, she was a sweet innocent girl and after having it for a semester she became someone her parents could not recognize. He states that social media is a “perfect storm” for humans because having a social connection key to “happiness and health”. Having the ability to always use social media leads to hyper texting the illusion of a real connection making it hard for teens to have face to face conversations, making a teens become “glow kid[s]“, someone who is raised on mostly digital social interactions. Facebook depression” can result in the teen to have lower grades and behavior problems in teens. He concludes his article with facts proving that Facebook can become addictive in some people. This source helps support my thesis that Facebook affects teens mental health.

There have been many studies done on the negative psychological and sociological effects of technology while some may be true technology has its share of positive effects on society. The advances of technology have aided in the access to information from relatively anywhere. According to Hepburn (2013) “By the end of 2014, the number of Internet users was expected to be almost 3 billion, two-thirds of whom live in the developing world, and the number of mobile broadband subscriptions was expected to reach 2.3 billion globally” (as cited in Yáñez, Okada, & Palau2015, p.89). It has become easier to stay connected to family, friends, access personal information, and has improved educational opportunities. Technology is always evolving and changing for the better. “Mobile technologies and networks are increasingly expanding in their sophistication and capacity, and new applications (software programs) are enhancing the ways in which individuals interact” (Giota, 2014).

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)

Cell phones and the computers are similar to each other in many different ways. One of the most common similarities is the internet aspect. With everyone connected to the internet, the adverse effects can spread throughout like a virus. “A Nielsen study released in 2010 indicated that texting was the primary reason for purchasing mobile phones and that text communication had become a "’centerpiece of mobile teen behavior.’" The modern smartphone of the 2010s is a powerful computing device, and the rapid and ongoing development of new applications provides users with a growing number of ways to use mobile phones for recreation, productivity, and social communication” (Issitt 2016). In the following Issitt states, “however, as smartphones have become more common, concerns about the detrimental effects of smartphone use have also increased.” (Issitt 2016). Issitt expresses the large growth of people with smartphones has its positives and negatives. The positives being the ability to communicate, but the negative being the effects on relationships with one another. An example of the negative side of things is the lack of interaction with people. People are more likely to call or text instead of interacting with one another. The lack of interaction can ruin relationships, or make people feel unwanted. In the article “Eurasian Journal of Educational Research,” the writer states that the internet, “can transform into an addictive instrument in excessive usage situations.” (Gunduz 2017). The statement explains the issue of the unnecessary use of the internet as a growing addictive process that is taking over more and more

A teen sends 2,000 text messages a month and spends 44 hours per week in front of a screen. (Tarish, 18) 94% of teens who have smartphones use them daily. (Tarish, 19) To much online communication can get in your way of making deep friendships. (Tarish, 18)

Now, it’s easy to point to kids and teenagers and say, “you kids and those smartphones!” However, if you go back you’ll notice that I didn’t specify an age group. While kids and teens ages 8 to 18 spend 6-9 hours a day in front of some kind of screen, “… just over an hour of that time (1:11) is spent on social media,” Jordan Shapiro of Forbes said. What’s interesting is that 18 to 34 year olds spend 3.8 hours per

In Homayoun's article, she cites a study done by Common Sense Media in 2016 which found that half of teenagers felt addicted to their smartphones, 78 percent checked their devices hourly, and 72 percent of teens felt pressured to respond immediately to social media messages, texts, or any kind of notification. Homayoun also cites another study done by Pew Research in 2015 which found that 74 percent of teenagers from 13- to 17-year-olds had smartphones and a quarter of them felt like they were online continuously.

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.

In fact, the quick, simple access to the Internet causes our generation to spend more time online in our everyday lives. As the years go by, technology advances furthermore every day. Survey research shows the intellectual habits that complement them are slipping. (Source 1) This easy access to the information we can learn from has shaped what our society is today. With these new social media, teenagers are glued to their phone more than ever before. Teens then share their creations and receive feedback from others online. (Source 3) Teenagers feel the need in updating their status every second of every hour. Many times pre-teens just create their social media because they want to blend in with the crowd due

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.

Everywhere I look, I see a person grasping onto their phone. Leaving the house in the morning with a cell phone has become as important as eating breakfast. The article, Half of Teens Think They’re Addicted to Their Smartphones, written by Kelly Wallace describes the feelings of teens and adults towards their cell phones. “Two-thirds of parents -- 66% -- feel their teens spend too much time on their mobile devices” (Wallace). Unfortunately, these teens would prefer to communicate through a screen rather than face-to-face.

Today’s society revolves around technology. Everyone is immersed in a digital reality whether they are out to lunch with friends, taking public transportation, or sitting alone at home. Emails, texts, and social media feeds all demand the immediate attention of nearly everyone at all times of day. Everything from family to the military has a digital presence. Technology has heavily impacted the way everyone communicates within society and the way they function inside institutions. While there are numerous positive applications of the internet, it begins to go wrong when society becomes too immersed to acknowledge the extent of its influence.

The internet is one of the world’s most influential platforms. Since the creation of the internet, social media and media itself have made their way into being more and more prominent in the lives of humans, especially in the lives of our youth. According to an article in The Washington Post, “Teens spend nearly nine hours a day consuming media” (Teens Spend Nearly 9 Hours a Day Consuming Media). , which means it is where most of their time is being spent, whether that is in school, at work, or, at home. Although there are many great things that are learned and shared on the internet through all types of media, there are many negative factors shared as well that are just as impactful.

Studies have shown that the average person now spends more time each day on their phone and computer than they do sleeping according to Nick McGillivray (“What are the Effects of Social Media on Youth?). Social has become part of our social society, especially for the many youths. There are positives to being on social media and also equal amounts of danger that come with using social networking sites, including Facebook, Instagram, Twitter, etc. These social networking sites also have effects on today’s youth by altering the way they behave, the way they learn, in not only a classroom setting but also in the real world setting, and the way that they socialize with their peers and others.

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.