How does technology affect Teenage Mental Health?

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Technology is quite dangerous and helpful. It generally depends on the use of modern technology.

Technology has decreased social interaction and caused major addictions, it has changed the way people live out their lives. Technology is a growing addiction for teens and can have many negative effects on their mental health. The use of social media can cause a rapid decrease in mental and physical health. Technology is one of the major causes of the lack of face-to-face interactions in today’s society. Technology addictions can lead to distracted driving and thus cause death.

A study indicates that teenagers experienced poor mental health effects, including feelings of social isolation, depression, and anxiety as a result of increased technology usage.

Sometimes it is difficult for parents to find out the benefits of technology for teens. Technology allows teenagers to keep in contact with their family, and their friends. Secondly, an impressive arrangement of digital learning tools available now allows teens to take the classroom home and continue to learn, regardless of their environment.

In this article, we will discuss how technology affects teenage mental health? Which includes the negative and positive effects of technology on teenage mental health.

The risks of technology for teenagers

It’s important to remember that, just as teenagers need to have good boundaries and rules for behavior, and guidance to make good decisions, they also need these things to protect them when they are online.

Some risks associated with technology are:

Cyberbullying:

This is when people use technology to embarrass, harass or bully another person. Cyberbullying can include posting mean statements, making fake online profiles intended to embarrass people, sharing embarrassing photos, and more.

Trolling:

This is when people try to start arguments or to upset people on the internet, often causing considerable distress.

Isolation:

A lot of time spent online and using technology is time not spent with friends and family, which can create hurdles and contribute to a sense of isolation.

Inappropriate material:

Teenagers publish unsuitable content online with their friends or family members. This can humiliate themselves.

Inappropriate relationships:

Strangers may try to form inappropriate relationships with teenagers.

The negative effects of technology on teenage mental health

Screen time and social media use among teens have been linked with an increased prevalence of mental health concerns. The effects of technology on children and teens can have an impact on social skills, and their development and can be linked to several other factors. Research has indicated that internet addiction, particularly among teenagers, is becoming a widespread issue.

Research finds that 1 in every 5 children between the ages of 13-18 have a serious mental illness before they reach adulthood. Within this group of teenage:

11%have mood disorders
10%have behavior or conduct disorders
8%have anxiety disorders

A few negative effects of technology on teenage mental health are the following:

Sleep Problems:

A study explains that artificial blue light given by smartphones generates arousing neurons in the brain. Hence, these chemicals disrupt the ability of the body to produce melatonin, a sleep-inducing hormone.

Insomnia and other sleep problems can increase the risk of developing depression.

Use of smartphones not only prevents teens from getting quality sleep they need but also makes them feel less sleepy. And, when they do finally close their eyes, technology hurts their quality of sleep. The lack of sleep for a long time has the potential to negative impact:

Emotional regulation in teens
Teen depression
Risk-taking behaviors in teenagers
Teen substance abuse.

Increased aggression

The prolonged and excessive use of video games (especially those with violent content) leads to increased aggression. Some studies have correlated gaming abuse and the tendency to lie more and more often.

Increased Stress

While teenagers have always felt the need to belong, technology causes peer pressure, exacerbating stress levels. Avoidant behavior and an inability to read social cues are just some of the problems associated with teenage screen dependence. In the last 10 years, there’s been a notable rise in sleeplessness, loneliness, worry, and dependence among teenagers.

Positive effects of technology on teenage

Teenager love going online, for very good reason. By using the internet, they can:

easily access information to educate themselves
maintain and develop supportive relationships with others
form their identity through self-expression, learning, and talking
promote a sense of self-esteem and belonging through staying connected with friends and family and involved in various communities

A study shows that the things that help teenage have a positive experience online are:

having a better understanding of the internet and knowing how online media work including the things such as privacy settings
having the skills tounderstand, analyze and create content that increase value for themselves

If teenagers understand what it means to be a good digital citizen, you have every reason to trust them with managing their internet usage, just as you trust them to act in a responsible way when they’re at school and out with friends.

Teenagers and technology: what should you do?

Ensure real interactions

Make sure your child can hang out with their peers and interact in various social settings. There is more than just school: help them build contacts in real life, not just on the Internet.

Help him use technology the right way

It’s not just about how much time your child spends on the computer or with the smartphone in their hand, but also what they do in that time: educate him about the risks and proper use of devices and technologies.

Supervise your use of technologies

Make sure they make healthy use of the Internet, social media, and smartphones. Share useful information and experiences with them, seek an atmosphere of collaboration, and have an opportunity to supervise their activity without being intrusive.

Summary:

Young people need to know how to exercise balance in the things we spend time on. Technology for teens is fun and allows them to stay linked with their friends, which is important. Some teenagers spend a lot of time connecting with their friends on social media, or hanging out with other ‘gamers’ when playing multiplayer games online. That’s okay!

But it’s important to support them to balance that with physical exercise, and learning, and to make sure they leave enough time in their week for face-to-face time with people. Your teen is never very aged to go for a screen-free walk with you, or have technology-free dinners around a table.