Technology. We use it to call people or search up random topics such as the history behind bread. However, the digital age has been unhealthy for the new generation. They face problems such as cyberbullying, technology addiction, and trouble with in-person socializing. 

Technology is also causing kids to feel insecure. For example, in the book Irresistible by Adam Alter. Nancy Jo Sales, a journalist, interviewed teenage girls from age 13-19 to better comprehend their social media experience, she noted that, “...many of these girls were addicted to social media because they did not want to be left out of the social circles, but social media led them to feel “heartache” and introduced them to “...cruelty, over-sexualization, and social turmoil.” 

Many say it’s social media’s fault, but one big issue is that many parents do not put rules on their kid’s screen time to help them balance their life, causing teens to get sucked into the screen world and believe that social media=real life; leading them to feel real-life emotions of heartache and social turmoil because they are not “cool” on social media.

Yes, the kids should also be held accountable for their technology use, but parents enforcing strict limits is critical because they are the influential role models that the youth will listen to, so they must lead them in the right direction. 

Furthermore, technology is a gateway to technology addiction. According to the NYT Article, “Hooked on Our Smartphones,” the Academy of Pediatrics argues, “kids who use online media or video games are more likely to have technology disorders/ addictions.” Kids use online media or video games to have fun, but over time it creates an addiction similar to drugs, where they can not go a day without it. This addiction could lead to many long-term issues: such as a decrease in grades, less positive relationships in the child’s life, and a decline in social activity and going outside.  

According to Markham Heid, author of “There’s Worrying New Research About Kids’ Screen Time and Their Mental Health,” “​​Young people who spend seven hours or more a day on screens are more than twice as likely to be diagnosed with depression or anxiety than those who use screens for an hour a day...” The youth are so captivated by their social media life that they can not balance it with their real lives, so every bad experience on social media feels like a real-life punch in the face. 

Until parents require the youth to balance their online and real lives, then technology will always be the frenemy of the new generation. 

So let us all come together to help the new generation defeat their frenemy.