Have Smartphones Destroyed a Generation Research Paper Example

The article “Have Smartphones Destroyed a Generation” was written by Jean M. Twenge who has researched generation differences for 25 years. Previously she studied millennials and boomers but she noticed a radical change when she started looking at newer generations. This behavior change occurred in those born between 1995 and 2012 which is the same time when the number of Americans who owned smartphones was over 50%. The author names this generation iGen and goes on to explain how smartphones changed teen's mental health and social interactions. Today's teens don’t go out as much but depression and suicide rates have increased significantly since 2011. Depression and overall unhappiness can be directly connected back to smartphones. Not only that, but teens are less likely to go out, crave freedom, date, and work. They rather stay home instead of getting a job and in turn, they put off the responsibilities of adulthood. Spending less time on their homework and becoming increasingly concerned about the social life they have on their phone. They have the time to socialize in person but reduce their in-person conversations with everyone, including their families. With no need to see people in person, teenagers who used to hang out with their friends daily dropped over 40% from 2000 to 2015. 

Smartphones causing teenagers to be unhappy. The Monitoring the Future survey asked teens how happy they are and how they spend their time. Those who spent more time on their phones were unhappy compared to those who spent more time outside and participating in other activities. Teenagers who spent over 10 hours on social media a week were 56% more frequently unhappy. On the other hand, teens who spend more time hanging out with their friends in person were 20% less likely to be unhappy. The risk of depression for eighth-graders rose by 27% for those who used social media often while the risk decreased for those who did other activities in their spare time. Similarly for suicide, the risk rises by 35% for those who spend over three hours on electronic devices a day. Using social media and seeing their friends hang out without them caused many teens to feel left out and increasingly lonely. This was especially true in girls who typically also experience more cyberbullying compared to boys who bully one another physically. 

The author conducted a poll of her own and found almost every teenager she asked kept their phone at arm's length as they slept. Not only that but it was also the last thing they looked at before bed and the first thing they checked when they woke up. Some describe the need to be close to their phone as an addiction and others as a comfort. However, smartphones are also negatively affecting teenagers sleeping patterns as well. In 2015 57% more teenagers were sleep-deprived than in 1991. Smartphones are affecting kids early on and those negative effects are following them into adulthood and inhibiting their ability to socialize face to face.