Negative Effects of Technology



Teenagers all over the world have been more involved in technology in the past four years. Tasks have been a lot easier to get done. Teenagers would rather not do their tasks, instead go on the computer and their phones. Yes, technology has advanced and has become more beneficial. Although, this generation of teens are technology bred and it has a negative influence on teenage health issues such as distraction, lack of street smart, and abusers.


Some people say that technology has advanced in so many ways that it only helps us with getting things done easier and faster. But as a teenager myself experiencing these things, I use technology daily. Advancing every minute everyday, teens are obsessing over having the newest and best phone. Yes technology has given so many opportunities, but what about other opportunities other than dealing with technology? Teenagers are so connected on playing games, the internet, cell phones, and texting. This limits the teenagers' ability to focus, affecting their performance in school. Many teenagers spend as much as 21 hours a week in front of the television. Also, research done by Stanford University states that children tend to eat more food while watching television. This contributes to child obesity, which can cause very serious health problems later in life. The most people are to be on technology is 3-4 hours daily. But studies show that teenagers exceed to 8 to 10 hours on technology daily. Teens becoming addicted to technology isolates them from family, friends, and the real world. We rather be on our phone texting at the table instead of communicating with our family. We’re still kids, we should be going out with friends rather than be staying home all day in our computers. In addition to technology, too much technology can lead to change in behavior. Teenagers are often discovering themselves and establishing their identity around this age. The images teenagers see on the internet and in television and films, has a strong effect on them. Images on television and in film distribute ideas for body image and behavior,


We don’t need to look in books anymore to find the answer or information on something we need. Yes that is true! But tell me, are you really learning or are you just copying and pasting? This is also called plagiarism especially if you're not going to give credit to it's resource. When teenagers think that the Internet is the only resource they could turn to, this process decreases enhancement of the use of their thinking skills and imagination.You’re not really learning if you’re not 100% sure what you copied. Some of the things that you even copy may not even be true. But going through a book gets you looking and reading into what you really need. You may even learn more than you expected. It’s better to get it right the first time than having to go back again. Take spark notes compared to reading the novel as an example. Spark notes only gives you the general idea of the story. But there’s a lot of subtletly and nuance that can only be picked up by reading the book. You’ll realize how much information is left out. The constant drive that comes from the internet has also taken away the ability of students to completely focus in the classroom. Teenagers who text each other for answers make them dependent on each other. This process results in not being knowledgeable on their information as well as academic dishonesty.





Technology can lead to bullying as well. Schools can’t do anything about because it’s out of their jurisdiction. But that does not mean there is nothing you can’t really do about it. There is always a way. Cyber bullying causes more suicide than physical bullying does. Technology has allowed teenagers to mock others, telling them to commit suicide, and make physical threats. With cyber bullying, it makes it very easy for the bully to stay anonymous so many of the victims are completely unaware of the identity of the cyber bully or bullies. Things like these can spread and cause rumors and gossip. They take advantage of fake profiles to taunt on other students. When something is posted on the computer and Internet, it is usually accessible to anyone. So this makes the person being bullied humiliated because everyone can see it. It’s sad to see someone live through the joy of making fun of someone else anonymously. News media have reported extensively on the dangers of "sexting." A number of teenagers are sending sexual images and videos of themselves over their cell phones.


Those are the negative effects of technology on teenagers; distraction, street smart, and abusers. I’m not saying that technology is bad, it has upsides. But we shouldn’t take advantage of it.