Smartphones raising a mentally fragile generation
SAN DIEGO State University psychology professor Jean Twenge sees smartphones and social media as raising an unhappy, compliant “iGen.”
iGen refers to the generation born in 1995 and later, and they’re the first generation to spend their entire adolescence in the age of the smartphone.
Said Twenge: “So iGen’s probably the safest generation in history and they like that idea of feeling safe.
“Yet, they also have the sense that they are missing out on something. They realise that being on the phone all the time is probably not the best way to live. They don’t like it when they’re talking to a friend and their friend is looking at their phone.”
Speaking on her research on the health and behaviour of millions of teenagers, Twenge said that around 2011 and 2012, she started to see more sudden changes to teens, like big increases of teens feeling lonely or left out, or that they could not do anything right, that their life was not useful, which are classic symptoms of depression.
Added Twenge: “Depressive symptoms have climbed 60 per cent in just five years, with rates of self-harm like cutting (themselves) that have doubled or even tripled in girls. Teen suicide has doubled in a few years.
“Right at the time when smartphones became common, those mental health issues started to show up. That change in how teens spend their time is so fundamental for mental health. We know, from decades of research, that getting enough sleep and seeing friends in person is a good recipe for mental health and that staring at a screen for many hours a day is not.”
Advice for parents of teens? Twenge said the key is to reduce the amount of time spent on electronic devices.
Specified Twenge: “The research points toward limiting digital media use to about two hours a day or less. That seems to be the sweet spot for mental health and happiness. — Relaxnews