Smart Phones as a Mental Health Crisis

[robj144]

Originally Posted by Davis Webb

The author is an expert in this field and is quoting dozens of peer reviewed journals.

Ok, but if someone is going to do this sort of analysis properly, the data must be exhaustive.

This might be happening, but it's not remotely in the league of a peer reviewed journal. It's basically an opinion piece and therefore is still opinion.

[Tahitijack]

We just returned from an extended ski trip to Deer Valley/Park City. Almost every night we had dinner in a restaurant. And almost every night we saw the same thing. Families have dinner while parents talked and enjoyed the evening, children of all ages sat with cellphones plugging away, texting, games, watching videos...and all the rest. At one point I wanted to take a photo of this using my cellphone (ironic) but Mrs. TJ said don't you dare. OK

[KevWind]

Here we go again
Appears as if Silurian may have sunk the nail in one stroke and dead center (This is a single article in The Atlantic. If it was a peer reviewed paper in an academic journal I would give it more credence.)

Interestingly here is a counter article from Psychology Today
https://www.psychologytoday.com/us/b...ing-generation

Excerpt :


No, Smartphones are Not Destroying a Generation
The kids are gonna be all right


"A recent article by psychologist Jean Twenge in the Atlantic warns that "the twin rise of the smartphone and social media has caused an earthquake of a magnitude we’ve not seen in a very long time, if ever" and that "it’s not an exaggeration to describe iGen as being on the brink of the worst mental-health crisis in decades. Much of this deterioration can be traced to their phones."

The problem with both the article and the resulting attention is three-fold:

1) the data the author chooses to present are cherry-picked, by which I mean she reviews only those studies that support her idea and ignores studies that suggest that screen use is NOT associated with outcomes like depression and loneliness or that suggest that active social media use is actually associated with positive outcomes like resilience.

2) the studies she reviews are all correlational, meaning that the researchers merely observed associations between certain variables (e.g., smartphone use and depression).

3) the studies she reviews largely ignore social contexts and how people differ,

[frankmcr]

Originally Posted by KevWind

[/B]

"A recent article by psychologist Jean Twenge in the Atlantic warns that "the twin rise of the smartphone and social media has caused an earthquake of a magnitude we’ve not seen in a very long time, if ever" and that "it’s not an exaggeration to describe iGen as being on the brink of the worst mental-health crisis in decades. Much of this deterioration can be traced to their phones."

The problem with both the article and the resulting attention is three-fold:

Gee I wish the apparently never-ending quest to generate clicks via SHOCK HORROR CRISIS TRAGEDY DISCOVERED type headlines would go away.

Still, it works, as the last bit that I highlighted shows. Hurray.

[rokdog49]

All I know is I have two eyes and I see what I see.
What I see is lots of kids with their noses in cellphones, tablets and so on instead of doing other things. What effect that will have on them as people and our society as a whole, time will tell.

[Davis Webb]

The counter points here are weak and more anecdotal than the original article!

There is a slew of neurophysiological evidence that there are hard wired brain changes with digital technology. Under the age of 5 the effects are the most dramatic, causing developmental delays. After that, in the maturing brain, up to the age of 25, there are tons of studies on digital tech induced changes.

I would say that clinging to the notion that smartphones are just like television was, misses the entire point. The dismissive "nothing to see here folks" is precisely was tech marketers want you to believe as they load your phone with ads, games, promotions mail lists, insider scoops, social media and worse.

[guitar george]

We now get instant reporting of a lot of bad news from around the world available through smart phones and other devices. Just trying to figure out what is real and what is fake and processing copious amounts of bad news in our brain cannot be mentally healthy for anyone.

[Kerbie]

We need to keep this thread out of the ditch.

[chistrummer]

Originally Posted by Davis Webb

Following up on what was a very active thread, this is a great piece on smartphones and teens, so well researched that it really needs its own spot here. Its evident that smartphones are a risk factor now for all kinds of pathology, its not just opinion any more.

I would ask, respectfully, that if you comment on this post, that you READ the article first. Just skim it if you wish. It is not enough here to see the post title and have a good conversation. If you post, please do it in response to the article and the scientific data in it, that can elevate this to more of a call to action. It presents real data, not opinions. But how do you interpret the data?

In short, if you have a smart phone, stop using it. If your grandkids or kids have them, take them away or admonish them to dump them. That is where this data set is going...

https://www.theatlantic.com/magazine...ration/534198/

Man that is a long read. Will need to reserve comment till I can read it.

[dhalbert]

Various things have been described as destroying the younger generation of the day, including jazz, television, paperback books, comic books, rock and roll, drugs, etc. Whether smartphones and the internet are qualitatively different I am not sure. Taking the restaurant example, a few decades ago, kids might be bored, or just be reading. In each generation something is taken too far, and then there's often some compensation later. I am often more concerned with the misbehavior of the older generation, who are in positions of power.

In a similar vein, I have also heard professors complain that the incoming students are not as studious, prepared, diligent or whatever as when they were in school. It was my generation 45 years ago that was criticized, then it was then next one, and the next, etc. I also think this may also be going down an illusory Escher staircase. The students seem OK to me, they're just different.

[DCCougar]

Originally Posted by KevWind

Interestingly here is a counter article from Psychology Today ....

Ah, thanks, Kev.

[Paddy1951]

Originally Posted by Tahitijack

We just returned from an extended ski trip to Deer Valley/Park City. Almost every night we had dinner in a restaurant. And almost every night we saw the same thing. Families have dinner while parents talked and enjoyed the evening, children of all ages sat with cellphones plugging away, texting, games, watching videos...and all the rest. At one point I wanted to take a photo of this using my cellphone (ironic) but Mrs. TJ said don't you dare. OK

I would suggest that this kind of situation can be remedied by parents.

1.) Make it a point to have dinner TOGETHER. Maybe it 's not easy, but worth having as a goal.

2.) NO devices allowed at dinner. This may seem like a quaint idea but it may help to counter some of the negative effects associated with said devices.

3.) Real conversations encouraged. Lead by example.

[rokdog49]

For me the bottom line is "do these devices and technology have a negative effect on many of our young children?" My response is "Yes".
No amount of back and forth and articles by this noted psychologist and that one will change that. It's an opinion based on my observations.

[Otterhound]

Silly simple me .
I know what I see/observe and don't need a peer reviewed paper telling me that what I see/observe isn't real .
Out here in the real world , one only needs to open their mind to the obvious .
Over time , I believe that the smartphone will rival substance abuse as the dominant form of slavery .

[jpd]

Originally Posted by Davis Webb

The counter points here are weak and more anecdotal than the original article!

...I would say that clinging to the notion that smartphones are just like television was, misses the entire point. The dismissive "nothing to see here folks" is precisely was tech marketers want you to believe as they load your phone with ads, games, promotions mail lists, insider scoops, social media and worse.

It's all bad for any mind. The meat of the matter is simple...over stimulation of the developing brain...a.k.a mind control. And yes, cell phones are huge in this problem. But don't be dismissive about older techs control issues...it's all there too.