In daily life the average American can look around any classroom, office, or even grocery store and be unable to count on two hands alone the amount of people clutching onto a smartphone. While many smartphone users overzealously rely on them for information and communication, teenagers appear to be the biggest culprits. Since the release of the iPhone 6 on September 14, 2014, 88% percent of teenagers, ages 13 to 17, have come into possession of a smartphone (Lenhart). 56% of an even more shocking audience- elementary school children, have smartphones of their own, as well (Lenhart). It is impossible to deny that the digital age is ever-prominently dominating everyday life. The introduction of iPhones allows for around the clock communication, a way to keep in touch and stay updated on the lives of people from the past and present, a place to capture and store memories, and access to any given information at the fingertips of the user. The possibilities are endless as companies like Apple take digital technology to new heights on the daily, but at what expense? Teenagers are in a world much different than their parents once were and the increased use of technology is inhibiting their social skills, neurological development, individuality. Catching these issues early on can allow adjustments from the current path technology is on. Seeing as these teenagers will eventually grow up, have children of their own, and become leaders of society, the urgency to alter such harmful impacts and prevent further damage is high. iPhones come equipped with a sense of independence and opportunity, but also have a tendency to lead to addiction and depression. As teenagers drain their phone battery life on applications including Instagram, Snapchat, Facebook, and Twitter, they are constantly linked into the digital world. Smartphones in pairing with social networking sites are more harmful than beneficial in current standings as they contribute to damage to social communication and relationships outside of the screen, cognitive development, and formation of personal identity.

Socially, 2017 is at an all-time high for getting connected with peers, family, colleagues, and friends. With popular social media sites such as Instagram, Facebook, Twitter, and Snapchat, teenagers have a multitude of outlets with which to stay in touch with those around them at any and all hours of the day. More time is logged into being on technology than any other daily activity other than sleeping (Zweig). While online interactions have gained popularity, this may contribute to a downfall in how teenagers today are capable of developing relationships face-to-face. Dr. Catherine Steiner-Adair believes that being unable to read social cues through real-time conversation creates a “nonverbal learning disability” in which everything from facial expressions to body language is disregarded behind a phone screen (Ehmke). Furthermore, according to Daniel Fitton, adolescents are most influenced by “peer-related social cues” rather than those of family, school, or work groups (202). Without these cues during such critical developmental periods, important social skills needed to conduct normal conversation in professional and personal settings later in life are not formed. At the very least, communication style is certainly altered as social networking sites become the most common way to interact. Due to the fact that conversations are not occurring in “real time”, teenagers have more time to develop a typed-out response (Ehmke). There is an upside and downside to this however. While the social compensation hypothesis suspects that technology allows teenagers that are too shy to interact in person with a chance to develop social skills online, it makes the idea of face-to-face conversation appear intense and daunting when there has been no communication involving social cues (Shapiro and Margolin). This absence of immediate response also leads to what today’s generation calls “ghosting”. Online relationships provide teenagers with a way out of responding to a comment or event they do not want to participate in. Rachel Ehmke calls this a “strategic insult” in which the lack of a response in a timely manner causes the person on the other end to have to assume that they are not interested in speaking to them or pursuing a relationship with them any further. Even if unintentional, a delayed response can make a developing teenager feel inadequate or unimportant as their peers influence them the most at this stage of life. “Our very human need to communicate is effectively delegated there, too,” Ehmke remarks about how technology is destroying even the right to deserve a response in conversation. 

Aside from texting alone, social media applications play a huge role in how teenagers develop and maintain relationships. 80% of adolescents report using at least one social networking site and such sites allow for outreach very different than past generations (Zweig). The effort it takes to court someone today is downplayed when something as simple as a like, comment, or personal message is considered romantic (Anderson). Nearly every aspect of a romantic and peer relationship contrasts those of the past; most specifically communication and privacy. All of teenagers’ social lives are encouraged to be shared with the world but that can lead to oversharing and unauthenticity. Getting to know someone is not necessary when the person can simply search for their social account and find out anything they want to know (Anderson). While 83% of teenagers believe that social media keeps them in the loops of what is happening in their friends’ lives, it is unsure whether the things they are seeing online are really authentic to that person’s journey in life- as most people tend to post only the most eventful things going on for them (Lenhart et. al). Social technology provides an opportunity that teenagers of past decades were not equipped with- the ability to have 24/7 communication in their hands. For dating teens, they can hold conversations even while not in the same area and every single detail of their day can be shared. Ending a relationship can happen over a simple text or social media post without having to face them in person and smartphones provide an outlet to unfriend or block their former partner if it ended badly (Anderson).  Howard Gardner calls this introduction of smartphones an “epochal change” because of how it has altered the way people connect, share information, and interact (Clinton and Steyer). Because of its extraordinary impact, it is undeniable that the way relationships in the virtual and real world are handled have been altered permanently.

Teenagers are certainly feeling the connection to social media, so much so that their brains are wired to receiving online feedback. Along with the likes and comments teens receive on their posts comes depression, anxiety, and many other cognitive impairments. These likes are not just desired, but downright addicting to teenagers as a study at the University of California, Los Angeles showed that reward system in the human brain has begun to send out dopamine as a response to the popularity a post receives (Rabin). This study recruited teenagers ages 13 to 18 to be analyzed with magnetic resonance imaging to see how their brains responded to pictures the 32 subjects had contributed (Rabin). Regions of the brain dealing with reward and attention were activated during this study and a correlation between social media feedback and dopamine release was linked. This was proven in another study done by Albert Steinberg that not only found a trigger in the reward center of the brain, but also noted that the brain had had a “heightened sensitivity” towards such pleasure (Fitton and Bell). Lauren Sherman who helped conduct the study at UCLA made a statement that the likes are “potentially serving as social cues” and have become important today to help adolescents learning about the social world in this way (Rabin). Nobody denies that in today’s society, this is one of the few ways teenagers are able to gather those social cues as real life cues are cast off; however, for the brain to be wired to receiving likes in order to receive pleasure, this may be more dangerous than beneficial to growth in the social world. When the opposite occurs, not receiving many likes on a post, there is a response linked to symptoms of depression and leads to social isolation (Shapiro and Margolin). While it is advantageous for teenagers to receive positive feedback on their posts, not all teenagers fall into this category of popularity and it can be extremely harmful to others’ wellbeing who are not as lucky and have a lowered self-esteem as a result of not receiving dopamine as often.

Along with a retrained reward system in the brain comes more detrimental effects that are a result of having the world at your fingertips. Being able to access any given information within nanoseconds, as Google boasts its ability for, results in a limited attention span when things are not instantly gratified, reduction in long term memory, and lower comprehension (Clinton and Steyer). While it can be argued that smartphones are not proven to reduce physical capabilities or wellness, the cognitive effects at hand appear to be too harmful to ignore as teenagers require medication for the mental illnesses that tag along with the rerouted hormones from smartphone use.

The negative impacts social technology has on teenage brains can contribute to a defect in individuality and formation of identity. The pressure is on for these young teens to establish themselves in the world while also remaining in popular favor of their peers. It is hard to be oneself when social media gives teenagers actual data on what their peers like and if they're on that list (Ehmke). This results in two contrasting elements that must somehow mesh together in order to present the perfect image of oneself to the world- standing out and fitting in (Shapiro and Margolin). Adolescence is a trying time in terms of making friends and figuring out who one wants to be. There are five major developments that teenagers go through during this period including autonomy, intimacy, sexuality, identity, and achievement (Fitton and Bell). Developing in each characteristic while somehow managing to combine them is difficult enough for teenagers to handle without the addition of technology and the opinions of their peers around the clock added to it. While autonomy is important, even more important for teens is trying to find their group and develop strong ties (Shapiro and Margolin). As a result, the social media outlet that is built to let people express themselves is resulting in teenagers who alter their account to present the best self they can be. This can create what Amanda Lenhart calls a “highlight reel” of social life rather than the actual events- the good, the bad, the ugly- that actually occur daily. Dr. Steiner-Adair links this to a phenomenon called “imposter syndrome” which is a result of needing to fill a gap where one does not feel they are adequate and putting in their best efforts to appear to excel (Ehmke). 

It can be argued that smartphones allow teenagers to explore new interests and ideas online and connect with others with similar involvements across the globe. Furthermore, social media demands “self-disclosure” which is key to development of identity through feedback and comparison (Shapiro and Margolin). On the other hand, while that opportunity exists, more often than not those comparisons between one’s own account and the accounts of their peers will lead to self-deprecating views of themselves. Sometimes the immediacy of wanting to compete leads to teenagers “self-revealing” before they reflect on, and later regret, their decision (Clinton and Steyer). Formation of identity involves a lot of trial and error and when those errors are cast out for the entire social world to see on record, it is hard to move forward. The presence of social media allows for teenagers to find their voice and become empowered, yet it publicizes and dramatizes each of their flaws along the way.

Teenagers today are hyper-connected to their phones and all that goes on within it, but are they able to participate in the things going on around them at the same time? Technology is beneficial to society, and marking it off as 100% detrimental would be harmful to the growth society has already made connected to these smart devices. Technology has paved the way for Millennials to engage themselves financially as they have gone through the recession of 2008 and understand what is means to be savvy (Consumer). If education is molded into more positive outlets, it can improve educational opportunities and expand engagement in society (Clinton and Steyer). Smartphones provide convenience such as online shopping and easier research, as well. But, until the neurological and social barriers can be conquered, smartphones are destined to lead to more chaos than calm. Rachel Ehmke advises that in order to prevent such disconnection from the real world, parents can lead the way so that family relationships are not diluted, especially during a time of teenage rebellion and isolation from their parents. Getting any tasks completed in advance so that parents can fully focus on interacting with their children after work or school is one way to do so. Setting limits such as technology curfews at night, when smartphones should not be used (i.e. during meals), and making sure that teenagers still feel comfortable coming to their parents for advice that reflects their values rather than Googling information are ways to conquer this, as well. The current route smartphone and social networking use is heading on will surely lead to long term damage to neurological systems and social comprehension, but it can be altered to promote a healthy use of technology that benefits society in the future. By drawing awareness to such cognitive impairments, communication disruptions, and inabilities to develop independent identities, scientists and psychologists can better understand what it is that makes teenagers tick and find ways to adjust social media applications and the next iPhone releases to better the population at hand. 
