Summary Of Have Smartphones Destroyed A Generation

Psychologist Jean Twenge argues in her article “Have Smartphones Destroyed a Generation?” that the daily and alarming presence of smartphones in a generation she calls the “iGen” has lead to higher rates of depression and loneliness. Twenge is concerned; she is worried that the overabundant use of smartphones in today’s youth will lead to problems not only in the present, but also in the future. I, likewise, share a similar concern — I believe that social media (not necessarily smartphone use as a whole, however) has created mental and social complications that will have far-reaching consequences. Social interaction has changed; it’s undeniable that the ways people communicate in modern times are quite different from that of merely fifteen

Three out of four teens now own an iPhone, a statistic that doesn’t even consider the Android market. [1] Given smartphones have had such a broad adaptation, it’s time to seriously consider the repercussions of what is happening. Among people who experience depression at some point within their lives, about half experience it again. [1] A concern that Twenge also raises is that adolescence is a key time to develop social skills. I’d suggest that this is because having poor social skills during middle school is much less harmful than having poor social skills during a job interview. It may become more difficult for teeangers to merge into the adult world, and given teenagers are already more prone to depression, this piles onto the list of difficulties. I’d imagine that a chronic decrease in concentration would also lead to more cases of obsessive compulsive disorder or limited attention and hyperactivity in the future. It is evident that we need to change the way we think about and use our

First, smartphone users should remove all color from their display; this is possible in the display settings of almost all phones. Black and white images are less attention-pulling than images full of color — especially red. Secondarily, users should remove notification badges on app icons completely, and always keep their phone on “do not disturb.” Third, users should prevent almost every app from even silently notifying them. Fourth, users can go back to the basics for some items: a phone is not a watch, nor an alarm clock, nor a place to take notes. Finally, smartphone users should only bring their phone when it is necessary; a phone in another location will be not only of sight, but out of