Youth and technology are two ideas that have been co-occuring themes in the media over the past several years. Often, they have been linked together in tragedy in heartbreaking cases of cyber bullying. The instances of this new form of behavior are newsworthy because of the unprecedented level of intimidation behind the guise of anonymity. If you throw in "sexting," well then you have enough material to discuss that it may not be able to be exhausted in the length of a class. These are extreme consequences in the increased prevalence of technology that are easy to identify and develop a critique. This post is concerned with that very idea, not the extreme behavior, but the increased prevalence of technology in the younger generations.
http://www.preventtogether.org/Resources/Documents/Impact%20of%20Media%20and%20Technology%20on%20Youth%202013.pdf
http://www.preventtogether.org/Resources/Documents/Impact%20of%20Media%20and%20Technology%20on%20Youth%202013.pdf
https://www.psychologytoday.com/blog/the-moment-youth/201211/generation-tech-the-good-bad-and-scary
These articles simply establish that amount of technology that is consumed by individuals under the age of 18 is close to 8 hours a day. This number has jumped up two hours in the previous two years and doesn't even quantify the usage of cell phones or the utilization of computers for classwork. "Psychology Today" touches on the fact that no one can quite agree if this a good or bad thing. The views are different and this is such an unprecedented consumption of media and "connectedness" that it's unclear what the long term outcomes will be. It's important to note that nearly 1/3 of teenagers days are spent in front of a screen of some sort and there will be implications.
These articles simply establish that amount of technology that is consumed by individuals under the age of 18 is close to 8 hours a day. This number has jumped up two hours in the previous two years and doesn't even quantify the usage of cell phones or the utilization of computers for classwork. "Psychology Today" touches on the fact that no one can quite agree if this a good or bad thing. The views are different and this is such an unprecedented consumption of media and "connectedness" that it's unclear what the long term outcomes will be. It's important to note that nearly 1/3 of teenagers days are spent in front of a screen of some sort and there will be implications.
The Atlantic discusses a study where young adults were asked to describe where they felt most comfortable. The higher the usage of technology, the greater the correlation there appeared to be in noticeable discomfort in the body language of the individuals. While the results of this study are inconclusive, on a anecdotal level, working with high school students for four years tended to confirm this conclusion. On a personal level, I recognize after long sessions with technology, it can be difficult for me to relate at a high level to other people. There appears to be indicators that the tech generation may experience hardships that are no worse than other generations, it may just take on a new form. It'll be important as social workers who desire to work with children/adolescents to pay attention to trends in the consumption of technology.
-Kevin
-Kevin
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