Smart Devices and the current generation

Surveys show that kids are addicted to their smartphones and other mobile devices. So if it seems teenagers spend a lot of time connected to their screens, that’s because they are.?

?About a quarter of their day to be exact. The documentary movie named ‘Screened Out’ directed by ‘Jon Hyatt’ talks about the impact and chilling consequences of constant smartphone screen time. In today’s world, the average teen between 13 and 18 spends about nine hours a day consuming media. Kids aged 8 to 12, or tweens, are spending about 6 hours in front of the screen. They are watching shows, playing games, connecting on social media, and listening to music, sometimes simultaneously.?

Studies have proven that teens who spend too much of their time with their cell phones are more prone to stress, anxiety and depression. Research has also found that an excess of smartphone exposure may result in an increased risk of mental health problems. Sadly, more teens are starting to get addicted to their phones and other devices. The term ‘nomophobia’ describes people who can’t handle being away from their phones. One study found that 66% of the people in the United Kingdom have some form of nomophobia.??

The research team from Korea University in Seoul, South Korea recently published a study that found that being addicted to smartphones creates a chemical imbalance in the brain linked to depression and anxiety in young people.??

About 20 teens treated for smartphone on internet addiction, half boys and half of the girls with an average age of 15, were recruited to participate in the study. First, researchers evaluated the seriousness of the teens’ addiction by looking at their productivity, feelings, social life, and daily routines. They noted that teens addicted to their phones had higher rates of anxiety, depression, impulse control problems and sleep disorders than other teens of their age.?

Yes! Smartphones are a revolution in this world. Phones, nowadays have become an essential part of people’s lives and nobody can think of being away from them. There’s a tremendous feeling of loss in the absence of one. Most parents nowadays think of bringing a cell phone as a gift for their children’s birthday. From the? parents’ point of view, they may be wanting the kids explore new things which helps learning. But unfortunately, most of the teenagers are using their mobiles in ways that may be ‘counter-learning’.??

Technology has been expeditiously changing over previous generations. There is a considerable shift in attitudes of those born between 1946-1964 , classified as ‘Baby Boomers’ and from 1995-2012 , categorized as ‘Generation Z’. This attitudinal shift is also evident on how the youth have become connected to their devices and lost the real connections.?

Data cited by the author has been obtained from the public domain.

Anita Hegde is a Semester III MBA Student of the Batch 2022 - 24.

Article edited by Prof. Cdr Himanshu Joshi .