Are Phones Too Addicting?

Heath 1

Are Phones Too Addicting For Teenagers?

Gabriel D. Heath

Northwest Career and Technical Academy

Ms. Acosta

7th March, 2021

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Abstract

Teenagers are seen on their phone just about anywhere they go. This includes places

like school, work, home, and basically anywhere they go. Teenagers tend to check their phones

just about once every ten minutes. Depending on technology too much can lead to anxiety or

depression. This technology dependence causes teenagers to be more lazy and less

appreciative of the things they have. This essay will go in depth of why teenagers seem to be

surgically attached to their phones.

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Are Phones Too Addicting For Teenagers?

About 50% of teenagers feel addicted to their phones, while 59% of parents believe that

their child is addicted to their devices, from a study made by CNN in 2016. Going around

anywhere you see someone on a phone, whether that be a kid to a teenager to an adult or

even the elderly. However the group on their phones the most seem to be teenagers, the

average teenager tends to check their phone every 10 minutes according to a study by the

phone company Asurion. Although some may say that teenagers are addicted to their phones,

but it can help them to focus, most teenagers are extremely lazy, and become attached to their

phones, teenagers check their phones every 20 minutes, every teenager has a phone and will

get distracted by it during school hours, and technology dependence can lead to anxiety or

depression.

The broader question of technology might be, is technology taking over our lives? The

answer to this question is undoubtedly yes, technology is now a part of our daily lives, for the

most part just about every human being wakes up and checks their phones before even

greeting family members. Teenagers are the group that are affected most by technology and as

the University of the People states “Technology dependence has been linked to anxiety and

depression. Whether this comes from the fact that we are withdrawn from others, the

pressures from social media, the rise of cyber bullying, or the bright phone screen that is

detrimental to our sleep, all of this is taking a toll on our mental health.” This correlates to my

claim that too much technology for teenagers can be extremely detrimental to their health.

With increased technology access and dependence this tends to lead everyone but particularly

teenagers become more impatient and angry how long it takes others to respond to a text or
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email. In some teenagers’ cases they could be waiting for a response to an email related to

their first employment opportunities which if they dont get an answer quick enough to their

satisfaction it could lead to extreme anxiety. As the University of the People put it “Technology

has made us much more impatient than ever before. Because people can be available and

accessible at all times, this has led us to believe that people should be accessible and available

at all times. Most of us may get frustrated when someone does not answer their phone right

away, or if we see that someone has seen a message but has not yet responded.” This

correlates to my previous claim because if someone doesn’t respond in a timely matter, to most

teenagers this may mean that person either doesn’t like them anymore or has lost interest. This

could lead some teenagers to depression or even suicide in mos severe cases. Technology is

indeed a good thing but for teenagers it could be a deadly thing if used too much and too often.

With the introduction and evolution of technology almost every day, all age groups see

a steady uprise in their daily technology usage. The group’s affected the most by these

technological advancements are the age groups ranging from as young as eight to as old as

sixteen. A study done by Harvard university stated “While there is nothing inherently addictive

about smartphones themselves, the true drivers of our attachments to these devices are the

hyper-social environments they provide. Thanks to the likes of Facebook, Snapchat, Instagram,

and others, smartphones allow us to carry immense social environments in our pockets through

every waking moment of our lives.” With all the apps and social media platforms on our

phones, our brain actually send emergency signals to our muscles in our arms to pick up our

phone and take a look. This makes our bodies extremely dependent on our phones and it

doesn’t help that if we pick up our phones and look at them after that signal is sent a dopamine
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driven feedback loop is created and sustained. This means long-lasting dopamine receptors are

triggered every time you pick up your phone in response to a notification, these pathways will

never go away once they are made. Another study from Harvard University found that “Every

time a response to a stimulus results in a reward, these associations become stronger through a

process called long-term potentiation. This process strengthens frequently used connections

between brain cells called neurons by increasing the intensity at which they respond to

particular stimuli.” This means that everytime teenagers look at their phones it's almost like

they have a biological need to or else they will subsequently feel not as joyful as if they

would’ve looked at their phones. This reinforcing stimuli can be reduced by disabling

notifications and changing the output of screen colors to all black and white, but if you have

grown up around technology this might not help. If you have been given a phone at a young age

of even eight years old you would still have those dopamine reinforcement stimuli pathways

needing to be activated regardless of any precautions you might’ve put in place.

Technology has made information gathering leaps and bounds easier than it was 30

years ago. Instead of having to sift through many different library books for upwards of three

hours or more to find the answers to questions you have, you can just type a few words on a

keyboard and click enter and you have millions of results in mere seconds. This ease of access

can make teenagers very susceptible to misinformation or information that isn't as strong. Most

teenagers when looking up an answer on Google or some other browser will nine times out of

ten click on the first link that pops up. As the Oxbridge Essays states “But with the internet’s

ease of access come disadvantages too false and inaccurate information is easily disseminated

and it can be difficult to accurately trace sources or corroborate information. Meanwhile, the
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sheer volume of research materials online can make it ‘too easy’ for students to find the

information they need, allowing them to compile an entire roster of facts by copying and

pasting without actually having to understand or analyse the information they are sifting

through at all.” This means that teenagers are very lazy and will just most of the time copy and

paste something into an essay and not bother to even put it in quotes or change the font.

Plagiarism leads to disciplinary action from the school then from the parents helping to further

stress that teenagers might already have. Due to the extreme amounts of social media

platforms and text messaging services, teenagers literacy and writing skills are suffering. The

Oxbridge essays says “Children write less and less longhand and text message expressions take

precedence over traditional grammar. Simple communication skills and vital understanding of

personal interaction are also said to be suffering, as young people spend increasing amounts of

time online and communicate using their keyboards rather than face-to-face.” This means that

teenagers are using phrases like “thx” and “brb” to shorten the amount of time it takes to text

something to someone.

Many believe that teenagers being on their phones can help with stress and sort of

escape reality while they are on their phones. Dr. Dennis Buttmier of Piedmont says this about

being on your phone “Less anxiety and stress. With less stimulation from calls, texts, social

media updates and urgent emails, you may have less chronic stress and anxiety. More clarity.

Implementing healthy boundaries with your phone use will help you think more clearly all day

long because you aren’t bombarded with communication and overstimulation,” To explain this

means that yes phones are addictive but they can give you benefits you have never even

thought of. Critics have a valid point of the legitimate health benefits of being on your phone.
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Nevertheless phones are extremely addictive and continue to strengthen those dopamine

pathways every time you log in to your phone.

In conclusion, using your phone is extremely addicting but it can provide legitimate

health benefits such as decreased stress and anxiety levels, however this leads to checking your

phone about once every 20 minutes. Being able to just google a question has made modern day

students' lives much easier. It also comes with a price of students getting distracted with social

media or other game apps instead of schoolwork. When you can't find your phone in your

pocket you become very anxious and need to find out where you left it, and if you can’t find it

then you become depressed and even more anxious. What I urge you the reader to do after

reading this essay is to put a limit on your screen time, set a timer for 40 minutes and after that

time is up go read a book for at least five minutes before any more screen time.
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References

WVEA, www.wvea.org/content/teens-spend-astounding-nine-hours-day-front-screens-

researchers.

“Are Students Becoming Too Reliant on Technology?” Oxbridge Essays, 28 Aug. 2018,

www.oxbridgeessays.com/blog/students-becoming-reliant-technology/.

Lewison, Kiera. “Is Society Too Dependent On Technology? 10 Shocking Facts.” University of the

People, 10 Feb. 2021, www.uopeople.edu/blog/society-too-dependent-on-technology/.

Pyatt, Carson. “Teenagers Becoming Too Dependent on Technology.” CdS Sunrise,

cdssunrise.com/19343/opinions/teenagers-becoming-too-dependent-on-technology/.

says:, Stephen Hartley, et al. “Dopamine, Smartphones & You: A Battle for Your Time.”

Science in the News, 4 Feb. 2021, sitn.hms.harvard.edu/flash/2018/dopamine-

smartphones-battle-time/.