With social media platforms and technology exponentially advancing, we must ask ourselves: at what point does it become too much?
Don’t get me wrong, I swipe through my social media accounts a few times a day, and I am currently saving money for a handful of new technology products including a Smart Watch and a digital notebook. However, when I feel I am becoming addicted to social media and technology, I take a break.
This break is typically called “unplugging” or “disconnecting,” which reflects a dependence and constant digital connection, equating sentient humans to artificial intelligence. Therefore, when I am taking a break from technology, I simply call it that: taking a break.
The problem arises when “taking a break” seems nearly impossible. The adults of Generation Z—like myself—are beginning to notice the traits of addiction such as insomnia and extreme mood swings, and these traits become even more prominent the younger the individuals are. Technology addiction may seem like a silly term or concept to some, but it is very real.
It is not an unwarranted concern either. Since the rise of social media in the early 2000s, other problems regarding teen social media use have arisen as well.
1. Worldwide cases of depression (including adult cases) have increased by nearly 50% between the years of 1990 and 2017.
2. Adolescents with major depressive disorder are 30 times more likely to commit suicide than those without.
3. The suicide rate for high-school-aged girls had an increase of 65% between 2010 and 2015.
4. Adolescent girls who “keep up a high level of face-to-face social interaction” on top of maintaining an intense social media presence did not exhibit the same increased levels of depressive symptoms as the girls who had less face-to-face interaction.
5. There was a 33% increase of high-school-aged adolescents experiencing “high levels of depressive symptoms” between 2010 and 2015.
6. Approximately 95% of teenagers have access to a smartphone.
7. There is a correlation year-by-year between increased numbers of teens with smartphone devices and teens with depressive symptoms.
8. Out of nearly 5,400 students predominantly aged 12- to 13-years old, an average of nearly 8 hours of daily screen time was reported.
9. 45% of teenagers report “they are online ‘almost constantly’.”
10. The top three most used social media platforms among teenagers are Snapchat, TikTok, and Instagram. These are the same top three platforms that most worry parents.
11. Only 31% of U.S. teenagers say: “social media has had a mostly positive effect on people their own age.”
12. “57% of all teens [in the U.S.] agree that using social media often distracts them when they should be doing homework.”
13. “54% of teen social media users [in the U.S.] agree that it often distracts them when they should be paying attention to the people they’re with.”
14. 54% of U.S. teenagers said “if parents knew what actually happens on social media, they’d be a lot more worried about it.”
15. In 2018, texting surpassed talking in-person as the preferred method of communication.
What can we do to prevent today’s youth from becoming technology dependent?
There are many things we can do, and I will list a few of them for you to ponder.
1. Talk with Your Adolescents
Sit down with kids and ask them their opinions on social media and technology. Ask them what they think a fair amount of screen time would be. If you think an hour and they think four, compromise by allowing them to have two and a half hours of screen time a day. You may be surprised to see what your kid agrees with. At the end of the day, if you pay their phone bill, you have ultimate control over how often they get it, but try to compromise and reason with them first.
2. Remind Them Where Self-Worth Comes From
When you are sitting down for dinner, take a few minutes to remind your adolescent that self-worth comes from them, not a finite number of likes or comments.
3. Host Game Nights or Dinner Parties
Encourage quality face-to-face time by hosting a weekly family game night without phones. Or you can encourage your children to invite friends over for a Taco Tuesday night or to try out a new multiplayer board game. You can even ask them to put their phones in the center of the table and turn it into a competition to see who stays off their phones the longest. You can give the winner(s) a prize. This will encourage face-to-face interactions while allowing your kids to create bonds while having a fun time.
4. Encourage Productivity
Technology is not always bad. Using technology to create posters for an extracurricular, turn photos of notes into digital text, and create new games are just a few ways technology can be used productively. Tell your adolescents they aren’t allowed on their phones or computers unless they are using it to further their knowledge base. Apps also exist for parents to give access to certain apps at specific times, therefore ensuring the kids are not sneaking around the rules.
5. Assign Projects or Chores
Be careful with this one. If students are already overwhelmed with a pile of homework, do not assign more tasks. However, if you notice your student is getting done with their homework early, ask them to help you wash dishes, shovel the driveway, mow the lawn, or even paint a new mural for the hallway. This will engage both of you in quality time while being productive.
6. Set a Good Example
A problem with many parent-child negotiations is double-standards. Too often do I hear and see parents setting screen time limits for their kids but not for themselves. If you are going to make your child abide by specific rules, then you should too. After all, technology addiction isn’t limited to a certain age range.
At the end of the day, in nearly every activity we engage with, there are benefits and downfalls. It is up to us, every individual in the entire human species, to combat the negatives and question the social norms.
Regardless of what you believe in,, humans are social creatures, and we thrive best through collaboration. If you are worried about your children and the future of technology, then teach them right from wrong and set a good example because that’s all we can do.