19 votes

Taking away the phones won’t solve our teenagers’ problems

13 comments

  1. [3]
    Lazarus
    Link
    I agree to a point- Weren’t books considered an addiction way back when? And TV? And music? The critical difference that I think this article downplays is that there has been substantial effort...

    I agree to a point- Weren’t books considered an addiction way back when? And TV? And music?

    The critical difference that I think this article downplays is that there has been substantial effort into getting a users attention in very intrusive and interruptive ways, and then keeping it with anxiety and stress-inducing psychological attacks. For example: “Quick! Someone is attacking you!” “Hey someone just shared your profile and made a comment to your followers!” “Someone posted your picture- you won’t believe where!”

    It’s no wonder people are run ragged into the ground when they’re bombarded all day and night by these messages. Many don’t know HOW to turn them off either! In this day in age you really can’t be without the phone either, and to not have certain apps is to exclude yourself from a lot of social interaction. And to be excluded from anything as a teenager searching for inclusion and acceptance, that’s the worst.

    14 votes
    1. [2]
      39hp
      Link Parent
      At one point newspapers were the death knell of social interaction and I'm sure someone opined that the crossword puzzle was a nefarious way to keep people glued to their hot sheets. That said, I...

      At one point newspapers were the death knell of social interaction and I'm sure someone opined that the crossword puzzle was a nefarious way to keep people glued to their hot sheets.

      That said, I don't think newspapers ever interacted with people to the degree our phones interact with us. Maybe students back in the day did crosswords instead of paying attention in class, so maybe this isn't really new, but watching students blatantly playing Fortnite (and before that Minecraft) while I'm trying to teach them something is the most infuriating shit in the world.

      7 votes
      1. Gyrfalcon
        Link Parent
        I agree that other new (at the time) forms of media have received a similar treatment to phones and computers today. However, I think in this case it is both a difference in scale and a difference...

        I agree that other new (at the time) forms of media have received a similar treatment to phones and computers today. However, I think in this case it is both a difference in scale and a difference in kind. Never before has a medium been so immediate and interactive as the social media you can get right on your phone. And, never before has a medium had the opportunity to bring this interactivity to you at all hours of the day in a very personal way.

        I don't think this is an inherently bad thing at all, but it can and is being abused.

        6 votes
  2. [3]
    Fires
    Link
    As a teenager I obviously have no issue with phones. I don't think I'm addicted to anything, but when my entire social life is located in my phone you can expect me to pay attention to it. I think...

    As a teenager I obviously have no issue with phones. I don't think I'm addicted to anything, but when my entire social life is located in my phone you can expect me to pay attention to it. I think on a larger scale within bullying and the anxiety that can come from social media and things like that is just the stuff people are willing to share. I've been taught I should go find an adult if someone is making rude comments towards me, well, what if my parents don't have any experience with technology. What makes them capable of taking care of it?

    The big thing of all is utilizing the block button, it's not hard and generally isn't focused on much when talking about cyberbullying. It's the most useful tool to avoid other people's bullshit. Teach kids and teenagers to block and not try to defend themselves.

    also, stop giving us stupid names like "screenagers" or "igeneration".

    9 votes
    1. Gyrfalcon
      Link Parent
      Parents not knowing how to deal with their children's issues is a big problem. I think in that case it might be good if schools could include media literacy in general, and social media literacy...

      Parents not knowing how to deal with their children's issues is a big problem. I think in that case it might be good if schools could include media literacy in general, and social media literacy specifically. Using the blocking and privacy tools available would be included in such a program.

      However, I do think it is important to balance shaping your feed to your liking against creating an echo chamber for yourself. Encountering challenging new ideas is important, and I hope spaces like ~ can become more suited for it than traditional social media.

      3 votes
    2. Askme_about_penguins
      Link Parent
      But that doesn't stop the spreading of false negative rumors nor people cyberbullying the absent person.

      The big thing of all is utilizing the block button, it's not hard and generally isn't focused on much when talking about cyberbullying. It's the most useful tool to avoid other people's bullshit. Teach kids and teenagers to block and not try to defend themselves.

      But that doesn't stop the spreading of false negative rumors nor people cyberbullying the absent person.

      1 vote
  3. [2]
    JustABanana
    Link
    My problem is people using phones do a lot of things with them like watching movies, chatting with friends, reading books, reading news, browsing reddit/tildes, talking with strangers yet all...

    My problem is people using phones do a lot of things with them like watching movies, chatting with friends, reading books, reading news, browsing reddit/tildes, talking with strangers yet all those things are treated as one-using your phone. It's annoing

    8 votes
    1. Askme_about_penguins
      Link Parent
      It's like when they used to say TV was bad. I think it's relative. It's not the same to watch gossip TV shows than to watch Discovery Channel documentaries (RIP).

      It's like when they used to say TV was bad. I think it's relative. It's not the same to watch gossip TV shows than to watch Discovery Channel documentaries (RIP).

      2 votes
  4. Gyrfalcon
    Link
    Though this is an opinion piece, I think it hits on something most people ignore when talking about phone addiction and even addiction in general: addiction is very often symptomatic. I'm...

    Though this is an opinion piece, I think it hits on something most people ignore when talking about phone addiction and even addiction in general: addiction is very often symptomatic.

    I'm interested to hear other perspectives on this!

    1 vote
  5. [3]
    AwesomeGullotines
    Link
    Here come the "phones are bad" people trying to defend people taking away the teenagers phones.

    Here come the "phones are bad" people trying to defend people taking away the teenagers phones.

    1 vote
    1. [2]
      Archimedes
      Link Parent
      It's not the phone that bad. That's just a tool. It's the apps or sites that are consciously designed to grab your attention and keep you addicted and engaged that are the more troubling part.

      It's not the phone that bad. That's just a tool. It's the apps or sites that are consciously designed to grab your attention and keep you addicted and engaged that are the more troubling part.

      11 votes
      1. Gyrfalcon
        Link Parent
        I agree. My comment above on difference in scale and kind touches on this as well.

        I agree. My comment above on difference in scale and kind touches on this as well.

        3 votes
  6. DonQuixote
    Link
    Personally, many of my generation were addicted to cars.

    Personally, many of my generation were addicted to cars.