Smartphones for Teenagers

22 March 2016

Smartphones for Teenagers

Pro

A hotly debated subject is smartphones for teens, I take the position that parents should give Teenagers smartphones, not only does it help them at school but it can help their safety, they can communicate with friends/family all around the world and it is a form of entertainment.

My evidence for that it helps their safety, yes I know that you can get cyber bullied and texts from strangers, but it can also help them, for example their parents can put a GPS on their son/daughter. Almost every smartphone has a GPS and if not then are many apps that will allow you to do on the app store. Another reason it helps your safety is that you can phone/text your parents wherever you are so if you get lost you can phone someone. Another reason it can help your safety is that you can get taxis and the metro easier, for example before you didn’t know what metro line to get on but know you can search it up to find out, also it helps with taxis because before you would get any taxi, you have no idea who the person is and they could do terrible things to you, but now with a smartphone you can get an app with taxi drivers you can trust. Another reason that it helps your safety is that if there is a fire then you can phone the firemen and also if they are in accident and are the only one conscious then you can phone the ambulance, you would not be able to do that without a smartphone.

My evidence for that it helps academically is that if teenagers are struggling and can not ask anyone to explain they can search it up and then they know how to do it. Also it teaches them new stuff, using a personal experience that I learned how to help and do a rainbow, Healy and how to play many songs on the guitar watching videos. Yes you can do that on a computer or an iPad, but with a smartphone you normally have it with you wherever you go so that means you can watch it wherever you are, your friend’s house etc.. Another reason it helps you academically is that there are loads of free lessons on the internet, for example I learnt how to divide decimals doing this. As well if you are sick one day then you can ask your classmate/teacher what you did that day and what you can do so you can study what you were meant to be doing at school that day.

My evidence that it is good for socialising is that if you are a shy person then you can talk to people without making eye contact and things like that. For example imagine that you are super shy and you do not like making eye contact, well then with a smartphone you can message people without making eye contact. Another reason I think having a smartphone helps you socially is that you can message your family/friends wherever they are in the world, so your friends in your old school or your family in other countries. If you are struggling to make friends in your new school then you can message your friends in your old school. Another reason that having a smartphone helps you socially is that many teenagers have things, such as Snapchat, Skype, WhatsApp, Facebook etc., so then you can get in touch with your friends easier and meet up with them during the weekend.

Evidence for it is a form of entertainment is that you can use it long car rides for example on the bus to school and it takes some time and you have no friends on the bus then it is a form of entertainment as well as when you are on long flights. Also there are many games need creativity, quick thinking and problem solving, yes due to the phone you might get less face to face time with family but it can be solved with a time limit. Also there are many games on the app store which are educational that can teach you multiplication, division, stories etc..

You know how your parents are always going back in my childhood we played outside all day and roam around free. But things change, now there are more skyscrapers and more motorways and less places to roam around free, before you could get the metro at a younger age and go around the town by yourself at a younger age then. Also a really important thing to do is that you have to be careful, if you get emails from strangers, tell your parents. That is really important, a way to prevent this is that your parents have access to your email/texts and that you must tell them immediately. Also another important thing is to have a limit, if not teenager get easily distracted. For example you can not take the phone into your room after dark, no phone at the table and during family time. Also not all games are bad. Yes, even though they are quite expensive, there are many things you can do, so a solution to that is that you can get hand me downs, for example I could get my Dad’s old phone and then you do not have to pay so much money for the kids. To make kids not cheat during class is easy, when kids enter the class when they have tests they have to be checked, because sometimes it is more than just bringing in a phone, but a calculator, notes from friends who did the test already. Also you need to keep your password secret, because if not your friends can log on to your computer and post silly posts. So to prevent this you should keep your password secret. That is why I think smartphones are good for teenagers and that it can help their academics, safety, great fun and can communicate with their families and friends wherever they are.

To use, or not to use technology at breaks?

"Being able to use technology at break" is a topic that is hotly contested, because some think that technology can have some potential educational uses. However others think that technology shouldn't be allowed or even touched, as using too much technology can affect people's future's. This includes, the disturbance of eye-sight, as well as mentally and physically disturbing students, cutting connections with friends and activities (ex : football, basketball, tag, chit chat) . Not to mention, technology at break can destroy students self-management as technology at break can always leave students saying "I can do my homework at lunchtime". Below is going to be why specifically technology at break should never be allowed…

One reason why technology shouldn't be allowed at break is because of the mental damage and physical that technology can potentially do. This can be, continuously playing video games every day or checking your social media. Leaving students to sometimes have lower attention spans and memory damage in classes and outside of schools which could hugely impact students performance in schools. As well as slowly hurt students eye-sight. Here are 4(four) pieces of evidence from articles that proves the point…

"Neck pain and bad posture. Maintaining proper posture is essential for any time spent in front of technology, but the vast majority of us don’t do it. Computer desks and screens can be optimised for good posture, but try holding your phone up to eye level while composing your next email and see how long it lasts. All the neck-craning leads to neck pain, wrist problems, and bad posture, which arguably could have a lifelong negative affect on our health(10 Negative Effects Of Technology, THEHEALTHY.COM)."This article tells us how sitting for long periods of time staring at your electronic device can have a huge impact on your muscles and neck, If continued this could be a major problem.

"The use of social media has shortened our attention span from 12 minutes to 5 minutes. Constant news feeds, getting information in 140 characters and videos that are 10 minutes or less has literally rewired our brains. People who are online an average of 5 hours a day have trouble remembering people’s names, forget pots on the stove and even their own birthday(25 Negative effects of technology, roogirl.com)." This article tells us how the use of social media for a long period of time can affect students attention spans and memory.

"Constantly being “plugged in” and “connected” causes an extra layer of stress that wasn’t present before the overuse of technology(25 Negative effects of technology, roogirl.com)."This article tells us that if we are too connected to social media, for some, not checking social media can be very frustrating and that develops F.O.M.O (fear of missing out).

"Using technology can change a child’s brain. An article in Psychology Today says that the use of technology can alter the actual wiring of the brain. More than a third of children under the age of two use mobile media. That number only increases as children age, with 95% of teens 12-17 spending time online. The time spent with technology doesn’t just give kids newfangled ways of doing things, it changes the way their brains work. For example, the article says that while video games may condition the brain to pay attention to multiple stimuli, they can lead to distraction and decreased memory. Children who always use search engines may become very good at finding information—but not very good at remembering it. In addition, the article said, children who use too much technology may not have enough opportunities to use their imagination or to read and think deeply about the material." This article tells us that the over-use of technology can potentially affect our memory , students / children need more chances to use their imaginations and be outside, instead of staring at your screen(The Four Negative Sides of Technology, edudemic.com, Pamela DeLoatch)."

The second reason why technology shouldn't be allowed at break is because of the cut of connections with friends and out-door activities, or it could just be having a conversation with a group of friends. Using technology at break destroys that connection and that could leave you on your own for long periods of time, which also could lead to depression and loneliness. Exercise is also a very important aspect, even if its just walking from the cafeteria to the library. Here are 3(three) pieces of evidence that proves my point…

"Isolation. Constantly staring at a screen with earbuds in keeps you cut off from the people in the immediate, physical world around you. This unwillingness or even inability to connect to real people in front of you leads to isolation, a recurring issue for people who can’t disconnect from their technology. Relationships can certainly form and grow online, but electronic communication is a far cry from real human companionship(10 Negative Effects Of Technology, THEHEALTHY.COM)." This article tells us that relationships and bonding is very different from the "tech world" compared to reality. Meaning that students might find it difficult to communicate with friends in reality due to shyness and lost of communication.

"The use of online social media outlets causes us to meet face-to-face with much less frequency resulting in a lack of much needed social skills. We lose the ability to read body language and social cues in other people(25 Negative effects of technology, roogirl.com)." This article tells us how communication in social media can be very different compared to reality, resulting in lack of communication and social skills.

"Childhood obesity is on the rise, and technology may be to blame. Paediatricians also say that severe obesity is increasing among young people. Although one traditional focus is on the amount and type of foods kids eat, one study says that obesity is on the rise, not just because of food, but because as we use more technology, we exercise less. With technology that includes cars, television, computers and mobile devices, the amount of time we spend sedentary increased and our time in physical activity dropped(The Four Negative Sides of Technology, edudemic.com, Pamela DeLoatch)." This article tells us that over-use in technology can decrease our time with activities either after-school or at breaks and lunches. This means that technology can also be very unhealthy, and as well as keeping us away from others.

The third and final reason which is guided by experiences and thoughts of why technology shouldn't be allowed at break is because of self-management. By self-management, this means the way students think and organise their homework. Ex : "I can just do my homework tomorrow lunchtime, it will be fine". And this is often known as procrastination. This, if done multiple times can turn into a habit that is very unhealthy for students and can lead to physical and mental damage, as well as disconnecting from friends. From experiences, I have seen this process of "procrastination" happen very often with subjects such as Math, Chinese, English, etc… Even thought we already have a no-electronics at breaks and lunches rule, students are still using electronics heavily. Here is what an eye witness has saw during lunches…

"I had a music activity during lunch, sand at the back of the music room, far out in the garden. Their were a colony of gamers, about 15 (fifteen) of them, all sitting and gaming." This eye witness tells us the amount of students that are still using electronics at break even after UWC has set this rule.

In conclusion, technology allowed at break could be beneficial, but very risky as well because of the mental and physical damage, relationship problems and self-management. To avoid any further consequences from students regarding over-use of electronics during break-times and lunches, principals and heads should take this rule more seriously.




Bibliography

1.http://thehealthy.com/

2.roogirl.com

3.edudemic.com