Problems Teenagers Have with Technology

Technology is a wonderful thing. It has increased societal efficiency, saved lives, made communication easier, and has provided greater access to information than ever before. However, not everyone views technology as being entirely beneficial. Teenagers are a group that particularly feel a lot of negative effects from it. Sure, they are used to technology more than any previous generation. However, that doesn’t make them experts. Here are some of the problems that teenagers face today.

Problems in School

The main problem teenagers have today in the classroom is keeping off their phone. The Pew Research Center even states that as many as 71% of teenagers text during class time. This number has expanded greatly these last few years as kids are getting their phones at a younger age (about 10 on average). Before phones were invented, teens used to distract each other in the classroom. The tide has vastly changed now. Another interesting stat comes from CNN, saying that teenagers spend an average of 9 hours a day on their devices. Much of that is on their phone, and a lot of phone time is spent in the classroom. It doesn’t stop with phones distracting teens, as laptop usage is also prevalent as a distraction. A USA Today study showed that students that used laptops in class scored 11% worse than students without laptops. Some teens may think technology is very helpful in the classroom, but statistics can say otherwise.

Problems Out of School

Problems out of school are similar to those in school. Phones are very critical to a teenager’s life, and teens do not want to miss anything socially on them. Unfortunately, this mindset comes is a negative to many teenagers. Up to 87% of them don’t get the recommended amount of sleep, and it is because of gaming, watching tv, scrolling on the iPad, using phones, and social media. This lack of sleep can directly affect their test scores, and students who are sleep deprived are consistently outperformed by those with adequate sleep. This sleep cycle puts teenagers in a compromised position that can also ironically affect the social lives they were trying to build. Teenagers are also expected to know much about technology because they are younger. Since their parents and grandparents expect them to have a great knowledge of it, many of them ask teens how to use it, which can really irritate teenagers if done repeatedly.

Problems on Social Media

It seems that teenagers are always on their social media accounts. 71% of them have multiple accounts; and Facebook, Snapchat, and Twitter are the most popular platforms. Unfortunately, these sites have provided a considerable amount of emotional damage to teenagers. 88% of them have admitted to being mean or cruel to others on social media, which has led to 41% of teenagers revealing that they have had a negative experience on such websites. This number may even be a little low because some of them are embarrassed about their experiences. However, this does not take away from the very real problem that is cyberbullying.

Technology is very distracting and tempting, and it is up to teenagers to decide how they use it. Over half of teens (CNN says 59%) are addicted to their phones. For others, it may not be a problem. Overall, technology is a great tool for teenagers, but it can just as easily be a detriment to them.