In any public area, it is disheartening to see the unbelievable amount of adolescents with their necks craned over a phone. Whether it be kids playing games or teens texting people other than the ones they are currently with, the devices that were intended to connect people are only dragging them apart. In any fleeting moment of boredom or awkwardness, people reach for their phones and hide behind a screen filled with a never ending feed of mindless information. Ten or twenty years ago, kids would entertain themselves by playing outdoors, socializing with other kids or doing hands on activities that benefitted their overall development. Technology has advanced so rapidly that it has not given humans the chance to adapt to function properly with the changes brought on by such advances. Phones, computers, televisions and other forms of technology are causing people to stray from fulfilling the necessities of life. The overuse of technology in adolescents is causing detrimental effects to their health and well-being by impairing the development of socialization skills, disturbing sleep cycles, and weakening attention spans and work ethics. This negative impact causes adolescents to be underdeveloped in many areas, leading to a more difficult adult life. Parents, teachers and adults should be aware of the negative outcomes of technology overuse on child and teen development, because it is these underdeveloped adolescents who will grow up to take their place in society.

Instead of looking for ways to connect and communicate with each other, people tend to turn to their phones for entertainment. They don’t know how to budget the time spent on their phone, and reach for it so easily in social situations. Kids and young adults are growing up in a time where hiding behind a screen is considered normal, causing them to develop weak social skills. In his publication, Generation Text, Dr. Michael Osit explains that technology has changed the nature of how adolescents communicate, and that it is crucial that they learn the social graces, “like making eye contact, shaking hands, being conscious of allowing appropriate physical space between people when they talk, reading nonverbal behavior, detecting hidden or additional messages in someone’s tone of voice, volume, or emphasis on specific words to convey specific messages,” (110). Since the use of face-to-face communication has drastically decreased, the quality of human connection has also decreased. Not only are social skills important for life, but physical and face-to-face interaction is important for the developing brain. The brain grows most rapidly during childhood and James Ernest explains in his scholarly article that, “children need a strong foundation in the early years, and early brain development research shows a need for direct interaction with caring adults,” (185). Human connection is essential and technology is taking away from interaction, as well at other activities that promote healthy growth and development in children. The minimal socialization that kids are receiving is hindering their social development, which is an extremely important aspect of adult life. Without proper socialization skills, these kids will struggle to full connect with others, a necessary component of life.

Psychologists study and research the ways that phones and computers hinder the development of proper socialization skills, but there are some who attempt to argue that technology can improve socialization. Many claim that since the internet can connect people to others, it is actually allowing people to be more social. Albert Bardi and Michael Brady write in their article, “Why Shy People Use Instant Messaging: Loneliness and Other Motives,” that shy people can use online chatting as a way to conquer their fear of communication. The authors explain that technologies, “allow for social interaction while offering protection from the stresses of face-to-face interactions,” (Bardi). The ease with which shy people can communicate over text can help them relieve some feelings of loneliness, and feel as though they are connected to others. However, according to Sherry Turkle in her TedTalk, “Connected, But Alone,” face-to-face interaction is essential to the development of proper socialization skills and cannot be replaced completely by online forms of communication. Turkle explains that texting allows a person to create, edit and revise a version of themselves that would not be demonstrated in real life without practice. When kids, and even adults, are then placed into a real life conversation, they don’t know how to properly conduct one. Face-to-face conversations are essential because they allow self-reflection and growth (Turkle). While technology can allow for communication with others, it takes away from the crucial human connection needed for development. Good socialization skills are essential to life because they are needed to succeed in work, relationships and everyday activities. Even though they can communicate through them, children who spend more time on the phone or computer will not develop strong face-to-face conversation and socialization skills needed in life.

In addition to inadequate social skills, kids will not develop strong work ethics either. The addictiveness of phones, computers and TV makes it hard for kids to devote time to working, whether it be at school, at home or at a job . The internet allows them to complete tasks with minimal effort, by providing instant answers or completing work for them . Michael Osit describes the the current state of the country as, “a high tech age filled with machines and gadgets that makes it easier to get work done generally, and … a generation that is used to getting what it wants with minimal effort,” (Osit 86). The instant and easy access to everything causes adolescents to become entitled and impulsive. K want all play and no work, and technology allows for that, therefore, hindering the development of a strong work ethic. The ability to work hard for achievement is unapparent in adolescents because, “reliance on technology limits the child’s experience of putting time, effort, and even inconvenience into actually earning something he wants,” (Osit 96). Without having to work hard for something, kids miss out on the opportunity for the self-reflection and growth that comes with the success of reaching a goal, or the failure to do so. In a questionnaire completed with twenty teens between the ages of fourteen and twenty, 89% answered that they depended on their phone for everyday activities and 67% said they they would feel lost without their phone (Karram). Since kids have become accustomed to how easily accessible everything is on a phone, they have, in addition to an underdeveloped work ethic, very little self-sufficiency. Kids addiction to and dependency on technology has caused their work ethic and self-sufficiency to be severely underdeveloped. These skills are not only important for entering the workforce, but for life in general, and these kids will struggle immensely when they are unable to obtain anything they desire with ease. 

On the contrary, some argue that the accessibility of information from technology and the internet can enhance the learning of a child, and even prepare them to enter the real world. Interactive learning games can introduce children to fun methods of online learning and in Chip Donohue’s article, “Technology Can Benefit Young Children When Used Appropriately,” he addresses the fact that a lack of exposure to technology could, “limit some children’s school readiness and early success,” and justifies its importance by claiming that, “just as all children need to learn how to handle a book in early literacy, they need to be taught how to use technology, including how to open it, how it works, and how to take care of it,” (Donohue). While technology is considered an important part of life and is now used readily in both school and work, its overuse is still causing detrimental effects to the youth. Even if games are used to promote learning, kids still “have particular difficulty with [distinguishing between work time and play time] due to the vast number of distractions available to them,” (Osit 91). With a click of the mouse, kids can move from their educational use of technology to other games, social media, or to the internet to find answers. The countless distractions make it hard for kids to focus, even when using technology for education, therefore contributing to weak work ethics and an inability to complete work without the aid of the internet. 

With all of these new distractions, the human mind and attention span is developing different than it was before the era of phones, computers and TVs. There is now never-ending entertainment in an instant, causing people to have trouble focusing, and therefore, weakening attention spans. In a Time article, the author writes, “Heavy multi-screeners find it difficult to filter out irrelevant stimuli — they’re more easily distracted by multiple streams of media,” (McSpadden). This has caused the attention span of humans to drop from twelve seconds to eight seconds. An inability to pay attention will negatively affect children in school, and into life, by contributing to an underdeveloped work ethic. In an interview with a nine-year-old boy, he was asked what he thinks about doing when he gets home from and what the first thing he does when he arrives home is. He explained that he is excited to go home and play his computer, but the first thing he does when he gets home is do his homework. The boy reveals that the only reason he does his homework first is because his parents make him (Karram). If his parents were not limiting his technology use, he would play for longer. This goes to show that during the school day, computers, phones and TVs are occupying the minds of children when they should be focused on their schoolwork. Even when it is not present, technology is distracted kids and the lack of focus that technology causes creates difficulties in the classroom that will continue into the real world unless corrected. A strong work ethic and ability to focus are important for the real world whether it be in work or in something as simple as a conversation. 

With their limitless possibilities and never ending feed, phones, computers and other forms of technology allow the mind to jump from one thought to the next, providing instant answers and entertainment. Technology’s addictiveness causes people of all ages to overuse it, contributing to the underdevelopment of children in several aspects of life. Additionally, children and teens are using phones late at night and it is disturbing their sleep cycle. An experiment performed by Jeanne Duffy and Charles Czeisler, follows the sleep pattern of 12 young adults as they read paper books for five nights and then ebooks for five nights. When reading an ebook, the participants fell asleep an average of 1.5 hours later than when reading a paper book. This data demonstrates, “that evening exposure to an LE-eBook phase-delays the circadian clock, acutely suppresses melatonin, and has important implications for understanding the impact of such technologies on sleep, performance, health, and safety,” (Duffy). This lack of sleep caused by the overuse of technology not only affects the alertness of adolescents, but it negatively affects their mental health and brain development. A scholarly article by Tanja Könen explains that, “children’s sleep problems between 4 and 16 years of age had predictive value for inhibition and working memory at the age of 17,” (Könen). Sleep is crucial for the development of memory, and the lack of sleep is inhibiting proper growth. These negative outcomes on the mind will cause kids to struggle academically and in other aspects of life.

Ultimately, the overuse of technology is hindering the proper development of children. The essential skills that must be learned during childhood and young adult life are being pushed aside by the wonders of technology. In life, it is necessary to have good socialization skills, a good work ethic and ability to focus, and to maintain one’s health and well-being. Phones, computers and TVs are used excessively, because their addictiveness makes it difficult to put down. Children have a particularly hard time deciphering when to stop and focus on priorities, and that is why parents need to limit their time on gadgets. With overuse, children will find it difficult to interact face-to-face with others, to focus and work hard for something that they want rather than have it handed to them, and to know when to put the phone down and focus on more important things like their health. It is crucial that the use of technology in adolescents is monitored carefully because with these negative outcomes follows a more difficult adult life in all aspects including work, relationships and everyday tasks. The overuse of technology should be counteracted so that this generation can become molded for success as they become the future of the country and society. 
