We
live in a high-tech world. People today use technology for almost everything.
Your alarm clock wakes you up; you start a pot of Keurig coffee and turn on the
T.V. Currently, we more often than not
rely on technology for simple life tasks such as these. People also use
technology to keep up with the news, to keep in communication with others, for
educational purposes, to schedule their day accordingly, and the list just
keeps on going. There is a problem though since we use mass amounts of
technology consistently on a daily basis, we are now starting to become too dependent
on technology to live and manage our everyday lives. With our continuous
dependency and overuse of technology, it is starting to affect our overall
health. According to Nielsen’s Total
Audience Report, “Americans aged 18 and older spend more that 11 hours a
day using electronic devices." Due to people relying too much on
technology, there are both physical and mental health issues that cause a
detriment to people.” We’re starting to let technology run our lives.
People’s
dependency of technology has numerous negative physical effects. With more use
of technology, people are starting spend more time using electronic devices and
technology than being active outside. This is causing an increase in obesity. The Centers for Disease Control and
Prevention states, “The percentage of children aged 6-11 years in the United States
who were obese increased from 7% in 1980 to nearly 18% in 2012. Similarly, the
percentage of adolescents aged 12-19 years who were obese increased from 5% to nearly
21% over the same period”. As technology continues to advance, so does the
population of obese people. In this article, Obesity Rates & Trends Overview by the Robert Wood Johnson
Foundation, they indicate that obesity rates have more than double in the last
35 years and that the average American is more than 24 pounds heavier today
than in 1960.
As
society starts to become more and more dependent on technology, this generation
of adolescents have grown up always having technology around them to be
dependent on. This causes this generation of kids to become addicted to
technology and start to use it excessively. The excessive use of technology causes
many negative mental conditions. Overuse of technology can change a child’s
brain. An article in Psychology Today
states that the use of technology can alter the wiring of the brain. However,
people may argue that adults today do not have any harsh long-term effects from
becoming dependent on technology, this current generation of children and
teenagers are the first generation of a community that has been born and raised
by technology. A summary of an article in Psychology
Today, they stated that more than a third of children under the age of two
use some form of mobile media. According to a report from Common Sense Media released a specific study that found 38% of kids
under the age of two have used tablets or smart phones. The usage of mobile
media only grows with the child’s age, with 97% of teens spending 12-17 hours
online. Technology trains the brain to pay attention to multiple stimuli, which
leads to distraction or decreased memory. Technology also can affect a child’s
brain by affecting their ability to empathize, which can also affect the
general public by having unsafe and non-proper functioning people in society. A
study was conducted and later published in the journal Computers in Human Behavior. They took two groups of 6th
graders, one was sent to Pali Institute- an outdoor education camp with no
electronic devices, for the second group, their life was normal as usual to
simulate the control group. Researchers found that kids who went to camp
without any electronics scored significantly higher to reading facial emotions
or non-verbal clues.
People
can argue that technology has made the economy better and safer. Small
businesses can now used advanced internet marketing tools for a small budget in
order to compete with big companies. However, technology has put our privacy
and safety at risk. Today, children who are using technology are way younger
than they have been before and therefore they typically do not know what
information is safe to share online and what is not. According to Enough-Is-Enough, 82% of online sex
crimes against children, the sex offenders have used technology and social
media to get information about their victim. The overdependence of technology
has lead to an increase in online bullying. This is because technology is often
not face-to-face; it is easier for the bully to attack someone online than in
person. Statistics from NVEEE (National Voice for Equality Education and
Enlightenment) explains that “One million children were harassed, threatened,
or subjected to other forms of cyber bullying on Facebook in 2011”.
People
have pointed out that we use technology for communication. I agree that
technology has its positive affects, such as being able to communicate with
family or friends or to stay updated with current events. But us as people need
to understand when it’s going too far. When we start becoming too dependant on
technology, we become isolated. It is easy to be tempted to isolate yourself
from others, especially when technology is causing an illusion that you are
communicating with people on sites like Facebook, Twitter and Instagram, when
you’re really not. In an article by Sheri Hosale in RooGirl Magazine website, Sheri Hosale states, “Technology creates
the perfect recipe for depression with lack of human contact, overeating and
lack of exercise. There is a reason the use of antidepressants are on the rise
and the blame can’t be completely dumped on the pharmaceutical companies.”
Technology
has advanced us as a race and will continue to do so. However, it is our
responsibility to not abuse technology to the point where we are unable to
function without it. According to Bruce
D. Perry, MD, PhD, senior fellow of CMTAS Initiative, “Modern technologies are
very powerful because they rely on one of the most powerful genetic biases [us]
have- the preference for visual presented information”. In his book, How Nurture Becomes Nature: The Influence of
Social Structures on the Development of the Brain and Maltreated Children, Perry
tells us, “Children need real-life experiences with real people to truly
benefit from available technologies. Technologies should be used to enhance
curriculum and experiences”. We need to learn and actively participate in
social functions and outdoor physical activity. This would not only start to
diminish our obesity rate but would insure that children would not be on
devices as much, which will improve their mental health. Lastly, we need to properly educate everyone
on the proper and safe way to use technology. If people can use technology
sparingly and properly, that would decrease the unsafe affects of technology.
It’s all about being knowledgeable and aware of how you are using technology.
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