Youth & Tech

Remind yourself…at any point today did you feel your heart drop because you didn’t feel your phone anywhere near you? Technology has become part of our daily lives whether we realize it or not.

There are many ways technology has greatly improved society such as having accessibility to the internet that helps students with school. But there are also various problems that can occur with an excessive use of technology such as psychological and mental effects. We are surrounded by phones, computers, tablets and many other devices. This issue is not only affecting adults, but also teens.

Technology has become a huge part of youth’s lives. It is not a bad thing for youth to associate with technology, but how is it affecting them? It has undoubtedly become very useful but it also holds many vices. For example, communication, social status, self esteem, and image may be deterred as a result of social media. While it’s certainly alright to hand kids these devices, the problem arises when it’s used excessively.

Technology has essentially become like a drug addiction. Like drugs, technology has its many negative factors. Many people see an addiction as only having to do with horrible things like drugs and alcohol, but they don’t see that addiction is in their pocket. Being overly connected can cause psychological issues such as distraction, narcissism, expectation of instant gratification, and even depression.

Besides affecting users’ mental health, use of technology can also have negative repercussions on physical health causing vision problems, hearing loss, and neck strain. In a recent book, Larry Rosen of Cal State Dominguez Hills expresses how many people today can be diagnosed with what he calls an iDisorder.

“An iDisorder is where you exhibit signs and symptoms of a psychiatric disorder such as OCD, narcissism, addiction or even ADHD, which are manifested through your use or overuse-of technology,” Rosen said.

This has a lot to do with an obsessive need to check for text messages, and constantly stay updated through social media.

But while there are negative aspects to technology there are also very positive ones. Technology has opened a new world for us to become aware of world issues, better communicate with people who are far from us and learn various skills online. Technology is a universal experience. Although technology has a variety of negative factors, it also comes with many positive qualities.