Teens & Technology

How many hours of the day do you find yourself sitting at the computer? On your cell phone? Playing music on your ipod? Are we at a point where we, the people no longer are in control of technology, and it is in control of us? While technology is extremely beneficial in day to day life, teenagers health and well being is being negatively impacted by it. Teens and young children are suffering from the mental addiction and attachment, thus leading to a bad lifestyle.  

Studies are proving that teens seem to find themselves restless, living more careless lifestyles, have difficulty falling asleep, and there is an increased consumption of stimulating beverages and stress and fatigue, all caused by lack of sleep due to their excessive cell phones use. Dr. Gaby Badre, MD, of Sahlgren’s Academy in Gothenburg, Sweden recently performed a study proving these points. Based upon his research he has concluded that, “There seem to be a connection between intensive use of cell phones and health compromising behavior such as smoking, snuffing and use of alcohol”. Because of the legacy left behind so far of the cell phone, indicates that in the future it will have a bad reputation because of its negativity rubbing off on people. The average teen uses their cell phone from the moment they wake up until the moment they fall asleep. Teens often feel pressure to be up late at night using their phones so they can remain totally accessible and in-touch with their friends and family at all hours of the day. The problem is, teens do not know when to put the technology down for a minute and enjoy the pleasures of childhood. Being attached to your cell phone all the time is not a good thing what-so-ever. Children experience a harder time communicating in face-to-face interactions. In his article, “Cell Phones are the new cigarettes”, Jon Markman states, “…the cell phone connects us to the world even as it disconnects us from people three feet away”. “From cell phones to video games, computers to dvd’s, the documented effect on kids and teens is unquestionably negative. These negative effects are caused primarily by the tendency to withdraw from social interaction, withdrawal from society in general, a lack of exercise – even vitamin deficiencies resulting from lack of sunshine”(John Crippen). What is the deciding factor to take initiatives to fix this “technological plague” that we have brought upon ourselves? The cell phone addiction is now becoming common, even at an early stage of life when children start their phone use. It has been reported that this addiction is part of a set of symptoms leading to personal isolation later down the road.

“Between 2001 and 2007, texting while driving has been the cause of over 16,000 deaths” (Fatality Accident Reporting System). More recently, one of the most popular activities that continue increasing in popularity is texting while driving.  It seems so obvious how much of a distraction this act is, yet people do it every time their behind the wheel. Teenagers especially are primary offenders. “48% of young Americans ages 12-17 say they've been in a car while the driver was texting” and “52% of 16- and 17-year-old teen drivers confess to making and answering cell phone calls on the road. 34% admit to text messaging while driving” stated by the Edgar Snyder & Associates Law Firm. It’s scary to see the numbers out on paper, yet everyday more and more people are latching onto this. “Each year, 21% of fatal car crashes involving teenagers between the ages of 16 and 19 were the result of cell phone usage. This result has been expected to grow as much as 4% every year”. This is just another clear example of how technology is taking over control. “Teen drivers are four times more likely than adults to get into car crashes or near crash events directly related to talking on a cell phone or texting”.

“As texting has become a centerpiece in teen social life, parents, educators and advocates have grown increasingly concerned about the role of cell phones in the sexual lives of teens and young adults” (Amanda Lenhart: Teens and sexting). There have been many instances and stories heard of about children and sexting in the media for the past few years.  Many are unaware that it’s illegal for someone to have naked pictures of you on their phone.  “A new survey from the Pew Research Center’s Internet & American Life Project found that 4% of cell-owning teens ages 12-17 say they have sent sexually suggestive nude or nearly nude images or videos of themselves to someone else via text messaging, a practice also known as “sexting”; 15% say they have received such images of someone they know via text message”.

Although technology has been very beneficial in many different ways, there are still many flaws to it. People have been given the power to surf the web on their phone, send thousands of messages to anyone, anywhere in the world, or even listen to their personal music at any given time of day. It has been made an extreme convenience to everyone; however, it may not be as good as everyone thought. Its true colors have been revealed. It is now time for some change to be made before the problem worsens and continues into the future.