Squires 1

Brynn Squires

Mrs. Richards

English Language 12 Q4

May 10, 2019

Technology and Teenagers Today

Technology has been fighting a battle ever since its conception. That battle has been

based around a single question: What are technology’s effects on its users? Then, continuing to

grow in complexity and importance, this single question has spiraled into countless more

questions that demand answers—Is technology overall beneficial? If so, how? What will this

generation of iPhone-addicted young adults turn out like? Are “smart” phones really making us

smarter? Or, are they damaging minds and making us less efficient? People want to feel safe, but

it’s hard when there are so many unknown factors to technology. In ways that many of us aren’t

even aware of, the technology we hold in our hands each day holds in its alluring screen the

power to shape our minds and lives. Its effects can be damaging and dangerous to the quickly

developing mind of a teenager, which is why it is more crucial than ever to be aware of the

influences that a single bright screen can have on development, thought, and happiness.

Dependence on iPhones especially is increasing steadily. A smartphone can be a

distraction when it is simply sitting nearby, not even being used! Phones are automatically

checked “at every pang of boredom, anxiety, relaxation, satiety, frustration, or weariness”

(Meyer). Statistics prove that as this subconscious dependence on iPhones increase in teenagers,

so does loneliness, depression, suicide, unhappiness, sleepless deprivation, and laziness

(Twenge). Each day people are harming their confidence and overall happiness by overusing
 Squires 2

technology, and at this rate they’ll Tweet about it and add it to their Snapchat stories all the way

into their deathbeds. Because although using social media can be fun and fulfilling, it’s also

addicting because of what happens if one doesn’t use social media. Missing out on the latest

updates can keep teenagers feeling hopelessly behind and left out, like when everyone else is part

of an inside joke that they haven’t heard (thus, FOMO is born). Dependence is developed

psychologically, socially, and mentally, and it’s affecting the health of its users in negative ways.

Brains constantly rewire themselves as their environments shift—the increasing amount

of screen time among all people today, teenagers or otherwise, is causing many neurons in the

brain to reconnect to fit the most frequent situation: screen time. “Is Google Making Us Stupid?”

is the question that begs to be answered in Carr’s article. He writes, “[Media channels] supply

the stuff of thought, but they also shape the process of thought. And what the Net seems to be

doing is chipping away my capacity for concentration and contemplation” (Carr). This is one of

the most typical examples of the obvious effects technology is having on the minds of its users.

As the brain constantly grows, changes, and makes new neural connections throughout a life, its

wiring adjusts itself to the shifts in an environment. Herein lies the issue of having much of the

world’s knowledge lying compacted right into our hands—technology is culturing the

expectation of immediate gratification and easily discovered answers to questions. Long gone are

the days of poring over textbooks and searching libraries to find information; now, all the

average American must do is pull up Safari and type in their question to find that once elusive

knowledge. On one hand this is absolutely astounding—there is so much waiting to be learned,

and it is accessible to so many—but on the other hand, the answers people seek in real life will

rarely be easily accessible, and problems aren’t easily solved.

Technology can certainly be dangerous for the minds of its users, but it can also be hugely

beneficial when it is used in the right way. In his article “Digital technology and youth: A

developmental approach”, Steven Barreto carefully breaks down one way to tackle this massive

attack on the psychology of teenagers. He addresses school-age children, explaining that at this

age “children can easily become overly dependent upon video games as a primary source of play

and fantasy, leading to an avoidance of social interaction with peers and adults. There is also the

risk for impulsive use of technology without regard for safety risks” (Barreto). Dependence on

technology can be dangerous at any time of life, but if it is granted with the right mindset, it

won’t have to be such an addicting force in the life of so many adolescents and teenagers. The

fact is, technology is most people’s go-to for any spare moment of the day. Spending time

communicating with others through technology isn’t a terrible thing when done in moderation,

but real-life communication still reigns far superior. By seeking ahead of time to set up genuine,

in-person, and engaging activities with other people as much as possible, teenagers are more

likely to forget about their phones and enjoy what’s really happening around them. A few

activities planned throughout a day will help teenagers to set down these addicting screens. And

when used the right way, technology can be an outlet and a break from the confusion and chaos

of everyday life (Wilson).

Technology’s influence on teenagers especially cannot be ignored. Each day the brains of

more people are becoming rewired to rely on technology, which can be damaging in social,

mental, and psychological ways. Teenagers today reportedly feel more isolated and lonely than

ever before despite the many connections that technology offers. Learning to set down the

smartphone and develop more appreciation for real life should begin at an early age, with parents

who teach the importance of limiting technology time. However, for those who are already
 Squires 4

teenagers, planning fun and engaging events ahead of time will help to fill life with things other

than an emotionless screen. Health and happiness can be significantly improved—starting with

less screen time and more real people.

Works Cited

Barreto, Steven. Digital Technology and Youth: a Developmental Approach. Ebsco, June 2011,

web.b.ebscohost.com/ehost/pdfviewer/pdfviewer?vid=3&sid=ff1596ef-08d4-49b0-9cff-

6514c83978cd@pdc-v-sessmgr01. Retrieved from: EBSCO Host; Academic Search

Premier.

Carr, Nicholas. Is Google making us stupid? The Atlantic, 2008,

www.theatlantic.com/magazine/archive/2008/07/is-google-making-us-stupid/306868/.

Meyer, Robinson. Your smartphone can reduce your brainpower, even if it’s just sitting there,

The Atlantic, August 2017. www.theatlantic.com/technology/archive/2017/08/a-sitting-

phone-gathers-brain-dross/535476/.

Twenge, Jean M. (2017). Have smartphones destroyed a generation? The Atlantic, Sept 2017,

www.theatlantic.com/magazine/archive/2017/09/has-the-smartphone-destroyed-a-

generation/534198/.

Wilson, Sarah. Digital technologies, children and young people’s relationships and self-care.

Utah’s Online Library, Children’s Geographies, June 2016,

https://web.a.ebscohost.com/ehost/detail/detail?vid=2&sid=d8101970-3065-4870-aa0b-

887293567875%40sessionmgr4009&bdata=JnNpdGU9ZWhvc3QtbGl2ZQ%3d%3d#AN

=114081572&db=aph.