Half of Teens Are Addicted To Technology, Survey Says
Half of US teens admit that they spend too much time with their smartphones and other mobile internet devices with more than half of them confessing that they're addicted to it. Nearly 60% of the parents say their teenage children have become so adversely pre-occupied with technology in a recently published study on smartphone use.
The study was carried out by non-profit group Common Sense Media which involved a survey of 1,200 teens alongside their parents in an attempt to uncover how media and technology impact parent-child relationships.
"Technological addiction can happen to anyone. If your teens would prefer gaming indoors, alone, as opposed to going out to the movies, meeting friends for burgers or any of the other ways that teens build camaraderie, you may have a problem," remarked digital detox expert Holland Haiis and author of the book 'Consciously Connecting: A Simple Process to Reconnect in a Disconnected World' as quoted by CNN.
In a related study back in 2011, a review of 18 research studies on internet addiction revealed that the internet-addicted adolescents in the US could affect as much as 26% of the population and has now been viewed as a public health threat not just in the US but not in many parts of the world as well.
How does this emerging technology-induced threat affect family dynamics and relationships?
"Digital devices have transformed people's lives. They are changing everything from parent-child relationships, to human interaction, to our ability to focus on the task at hand," said Commonsense Media CEO James Steyer as quoted by the Washington Post.
To get a bird's eye view, below are some of Common Sense Media's findings as summarized by NBC News.
* 59% of parents feel their teens are addicted to their mobile phones and tablets
* 50% of teens say they are
* 27% of parents admit they're addicted to their mobile devices
* 28% of teens say their parents are addicted
* 66% of parents say their teens spend too much time on mobile devices
* 66% of parents ban the devices at dinner
* 48% of parents feel the need to immediately respond to texts and other communications and 78% of teens feel the same way
* 69% of parents check their devices hourly or more often and 78% of teens are doing the same thing
* 56% of parents admit they look at mobile devices when driving
* 51% of teens see them do it
* 85% of parents say use of mobile devices does not hurt or even helped their relationships with their teens
* 89% of teens feel the same about their parents' use of mobile devices
The study concluded that multitasking with mobile devices seemingly inhibit children's learning skills including memorization and their ability to develop effective work habits. Furthermore, technological addiction also impairs children's capacity to develop empathy.
"We need to devote more time and research to understanding the impact of media use on our kids and then adjust our behavior accordingly," said Ellen Wartella, director of Northwestern University's Center on Media and Human Development, as mentioned in a Boston Globe report.
