Children are steadily influenced and encouraged to stay on their phones constantly. When a group of high school freshmen were asked what they would do in a room together without their phones, each of them looked astonished and said, “I have no idea.” If they were to choose between a vacation without their phones and staying at home with their phones, ⅕ of kids chose to stay home with their phones.
Not all teens are mindless to the effects of technology. Nashville high school senior Grace Gilbert said she tries spend less time on her phone. “I set time limits on different apps and try to only be on my phone two or three hours out of the day,” she said.
However, even one’s best efforts do not leave them immune to all the effects of social media and technology. Even without being addicted, one’s use of technology can cause health issues. Time magazine identifies “Computer Vision Syndrome” as the complex of problems associated with excessive screen time, including eyestrain, blurred vision, and dry eyes. Furthermore, earbud use can cause hearing loss and tinnitus (ringing in the ears). The sensitive hair cells in your inner ear never grow back once they have been damaged.
Harvard research student Liz Sultan said technology can cause health issues. “When you bend your head down, the head is no longer supported by the whole system of the vertebrae, but only by the neck,” she said. “This puts unnecessary strain on the neck muscles and can lead to pain, including tension headaches. Laptops create especially poor posture for the neck, as users tend to hunch down to look at them. Holding your cell phone between your neck and your shoulder may be a cheap hands-free option, but it also puts your neck in an unhealthy position. Even texting usually involves a lot of hanging your head over your phone.”
Instant gratification is also a rising issue among society, as apps and instant communication influences people to want things quickly. As our technology moves faster, our patience grows thinner. A study from UMass Amherst, which surveyed 6.7 million users, showed that viewers tend to abandon online videos if they take more than two seconds to load. Most users stay on a single web page long enough to read only 20% of the text on that page, according to a survey by the Nielsen Norman Group.
Lastly, depression has risen in the past 20 years, as technology has increased the feelings of isolation and loneliness. Social media presents a false sense of being known among society, as online connectedness does not replicate in-person connectedness. As people are spending more time on their screens, they are losing sight of the people next to them, reducing connecting hormones in their brains: serotonin and oxytocin, the happiness hormones.
Famous head of the group, Time Well Spent, which advocates for healthy technology use, Tristan Harris, said, “We have to transform our self awareness, transform the designs of our smartphones, and transform our business and accountability,” he said. “There is hope, but it starts with us asking and demanding for better from ourselves and the companies we allow to have so much access to our lives.”