Kids, teens, and even young adults are being affected greatly by the introduction of technology and social media. And these people spend their free time online and in their bedrooms more than outside in the fresh air.

With this recent normality, constantly interacting with technology affects how students perform in classes and their testing results. Most schools have a rule that students must put away or even shut off their phones before entering the classroom, with Westhampton Beach HS being one of those school districts. If students are caught on their laptop the wrong way or with their phone out, the phone is taken away until the end of the day. “Students are more concerned with their friends’ status updates then the chemistry test that will go down in 5 minutes.” said Annika Gloade. We rely on social media  to the extent that we can’t put our phones down and out of our hands for even a day.

“Work is done in a click of a button rather than through the strenuous effort of the student’s brain. These changes make students believe using technology in the learning environment is normal and perfectly OK.” Also said by Gloade. A lot of parents and grandparents were grown up doing everything, such as math, by hand. These fancy calculators do most of the work for us. Just like how a lot of teachers prefer students writing notes by hand, it’s because “When you write with your hand, it’s only with one hand. When you write with one hand, all of the information you’re writing down goes to one side of the brain. With typing, both hands are being put into action, which causes the words to be broken up and scattered, sending to both sides of the brain”. Says Mrs. Bufalo.

Being constantly on electronics can cause mental and physical health issues. If teens and young adults never go outside due to being distracted by the computer or phone, they can get caught up in it and make no time for the thirty minutes of exercise the average person needs once a day. This causes the weight gain we’ve seen more recently than ever within this generation.

Another risk people take when signing up for these media sites is the chance of being attacked by anonymous people seeking attention from you by saying harmful things towards a person. Gloade explained, ““Sticks and stones may break my bones but words will never hurt me.” Whoever came up with that may have been the strongest person on this planet, because words do hurt. People get so hurt by what people say on these social media accounts they become depressed, they self-harm, and they consider suicide.” Even though we don’t know who most of these people are that are sending this hate, it still hurts a lot and some people don’t have enough confidence to just say “you’re wrong.”

This hate being sent usually has something to do with how someone looks. They go for these kind of comments as a come back because it’s the easiest way to get someone to feel bad about themselves. Heather Hillert stated, “Through social media, teenagers have become much more [concerned] with image, which can be a good thing, until this concern borders on a complex or obsession.” Teens can get obsessed with other people’s opinions on them. “Fat” or “ugly” are words used to hurt the one being attacked. While taking these opinions made by hurtful people, they start to change their mindset to actually believe what they’re saying. This causes disorders such as anorexia if this person is really vulnerable to other people’s opinions.

Along with the risks people have to take, there is also an aspect of responsibility too. For example, when students are applying to college, schools now look at social media more than ever and if they see photos or videos of high school students drinking or doing illegal activities, there is a less of a chance of getting into a dream school.

Teenagers and young adults are spending way too much time online and it is consuming precious time. It is impossible to turn back time and relive periods in life that us as a society is wasting on technology, instead of going outside and getting at least a breath of fresh air or a chat with friends. We need to teach ourselves to live our lives to the fullest before we teach the upcoming generation the same thing.

Sources used:

http://kernelmag.dailydot.com/issue-sections/staff-editorials/10040/a-high-school-without-social-media/

http://www.huffingtonpost.com/tennie-mccarty/bullying-and-body-image_b_2812718.html