Topic > The Effects of Technology on American Youth: Rewarding or Risky

IndexAbstractIntroductionOveruse of Technology in Modern YouthMental Health of YouthIncreased Anger in YouthIncreased Learning for ChildrenIncreased Academic ProblemsConclusionReferencesAbstractIn today's world, Young people are increasingly attached to their cellular devices. This attachment often leads to dangerous consequences. The world's youth have lost a huge amount of social skills because every type of communication can be done through the phone, whether through text or email. Children today have significantly higher rates of depression, self-esteem issues, decreased social skills, and anger issues. While technology can have numerous positive effects that allow children to study and learn at an early age and work electronically, the cons end up outweighing the pros. As rates of violence rise and children's mental health worsens, children still continue to excessively use phones, computers and tablets. Children are being bullied on and off the web and there is almost nothing that can be done to stop this rapidly growing epidemic. While technology is good for children in many ways, young people still struggle with its many negative effects. Children are held back because they are so attached to talking through devices that they don't know how to behave in society. The act of speaking between two or more people is becoming a lost art. There are many advantages to using technology, but also a myriad of disadvantages, and children don't pay enough attention to them. Are the advantages really worth the disadvantages? Say no to plagiarism. Get a tailor-made essay on "Why Violent Video Games Shouldn't Be Banned"? Get an Original Essay Introduction In today's society, young people have become increasingly dependent on technology and social media. Every behavior is made to live up to someone they admire, often who they follow through social media. This form of communication is an extremely easy way to socialize with people, but the more you socialize on social media platforms, the less of it there is in the real world. Children have lost the ability to carry on a conversation without having the phone in their hand. It has become so important to post "good" things so you look as good as your friends, but this causes self-esteem issues and even anxiety. Body image issues, anxiety, depression and more are rapidly growing problems with the help of social media. These losses due to technology in schools have begun to outweigh the positives, largely attributed to the excessive overuse of these media. The excessive use of technology in modern youth The use of technology is causing a decrease in face-to-face interaction and is causing forms of depression and a need for instant gratification. This is because children aged 10 and up spend up to 7 hours a day using technology. This typically leads to a loss of social skills. Technology usage rates have increased because: “A report from Common Sense Media shows that in 2011, 10% of children under 2 years old used a mobile device and now, in 2017, 38% of children under 2 years old used a mobile device." Rates are increasing because children are receiving tablets and phones very early in life. As children continue to grow with electronic devices, they begin to lose the ability to interact with the people around them. The youth of society are losing socialization skills because they can just pick up the phone forcommunicate; “There is a significant problem, not so much for younger kids, but for teenagers. Kids pick up the phone to text or Snapchat instead of picking up the phone and talking to someone.” (French, 2017). Due to the excessive use of technology and mobile devices, today's youth are at a disadvantage due to their lack of communication skills. They spend so much time on electronic devices and talking to people electronically that they don't get to talk to someone in person. Talking through Technology creates a barrier to communication. Children are becoming increasingly antisocial because they are losing social skills, allowing for the loss of clear communication skills. Because so many young people are attached to technology, they can become lonely and sad: “Teens who spend more time than average on screen activities are more likely to be unhappy.” Teens these days are so attached to their phones that they are losing valuable skills, which can cause depression. Even more children suffer from depression due to phone use. Teenagers have become too dependent on technology and do not know how to communicate without its help, because everything can be done with phones, tablets, computers and more. The world itself is not based on technology and texting, so without the ability to communicate verbally without a phone, it will be more difficult to live in the real world. Communication skills are disastrous for a functional society. Youth Mental Health The increasing amount of technology is proving to be more harmful to the mental health of teenagers, leading to a widespread mental health crisis. Kids today are starting to develop self-esteem issues, eating disorders, and anxiety due to the need to please their "followers." Children in today's society are affected by anxiety and depression due to the negativity they see in the world around them on all social media platforms. In between shootings, black lives matter, and more importantly this leads them to feel like the world is falling apart and, in a way, becoming evil. But social media platforms, although they show all the negativity happening in the world, allow for new friendships between new people. Thanks to technological advances, many children have found friends all over the world and have become closer to the friends they already have. According to Price-Mitchell (2012), “Young people report feeling closer to friends through technology and being able to connect with a wide variety of people with common interests.” With access to social media, young people today have a greater opportunity to find more people their age who have similar interests. By being constantly present on media platforms, children expose themselves not only to their friends and family, but also to predators and bullies, because it is now easier to hide behind a screen. This makes it easier for bullies and predators to find personal information about young people. By being exposed to people on the Internet, they are exposed to negativity and possible harm. The Monitoring the Future study states: “Teens who spend more time than average on screen activities are more likely to be unhappy, and those who spend more time than average doing non-screen activities are more likely to be happy . Eighth graders who spend 10 or more hours a week on social media are 56% more likely to report being unhappy than those who spend less time on social media” (Orem, 2017). without abusing it, in the end they are happier than other children who use technology excessively.As the rate of technology has increased, the rate of suicide has also increased. For the first time in many years, it has even surpassed the number of teen homicides, meaning more teens choose to kill themselves and fewer are killed by others, or choose to kill others. The rise of anger in youth technology, such as video games, has brought out aggression in today's youth. As children play more aggressive and murderous games, their aggression may also worsen. For example, the Sandy Hook Elementary School shooter was an avid video game player: "The shooter, 20-year-old Adam Lanza, spent most of his time playing both violent and non-violent video games alone in his home." (Puiu, 2018) People suspect that this may have been the reason he attacked the school. Because of statistics like these, California has enacted a law that places a limit of eighteen years or more on violent games. Children who are younger and in a more sensitive phase of socialization are affected differently and perhaps more negatively than older children. This can also lead them to become violent and reckless. Violent video games can also lead to antisocial behavior in children, leading them to avoid social interactions that damage social skills. This could lead to the child becoming a target of bullying. These violent games could also lead to children becoming bullies, which is the opposite for some children. While not all children become extremely violent or antisocial after playing violent video games, this could lead to negative behaviors no matter what age group they are in. Increasing Learning for Children Although technology has many negative effects on teenagers, it actually has many positive effects on very young children thanks to learning tools and websites geared towards preschool ages. Studies have shown that when young children watch educational television programs and play educational games, they are positively influenced and are better prepared for the start of their education in school. An example of a television program would be the well-known program Sesame Street: “The show is famous for its catchy songs and clever plots embedded with educational messages, teaching children the alphabet, the importance of sharing, how to deal with grief and countless other social messages." This show prepares children for kindergarten, before they begin their school career. By starting to learn by watching a television show that engages children, everyone has an advantage and an advantage in school. Because Sesame Street is important to young people, they started the Sesame Workshop which allows the viewer, through media, to listen to the radio, read books, watch the TV show, and go to live shows to show the importance of educational messages. They provide viewers with educational goals that have a positive impact. Technology can also be a useful educational tool for teenagers. In the past, schools lacked the technological advancements society offered academics. Information was found primarily in library books, written media, and encyclopedias. Today, schools routinely incorporate iPads, Chromebooks, smart boards, televisions and more into their curriculum. Kids buy books online, write essays on mobile devices, and find information more quickly and efficiently. In schools, technology can be used effectively, intelligently and proactively: “With smart gadgets such as iPad, iPhone, Galaxy tablets, etc., users can easily have access to a large