Technology

59095 readers

3505 users here now

This is a most excellent place for technology news and articles.

Our Rules

Follow the lemmy.world rules.
Only tech related content.
Be excellent to each another!
Mod approved content bots can post up to 10 articles per day.
Threads asking for personal tech support may be deleted.
Politics threads may be removed.
No memes allowed as posts, OK to post as comments.
Only approved bots from the list below, to ask if your bot can be added please contact us.
Check for duplicates before posting, duplicates may be removed

Approved Bots

founded 1 year ago

MODERATORS

[email protected]

204

The Terrible Costs of a Phone-Based Childhood (www.theatlantic.com)

submitted 7 months ago by [email protected] to c/[email protected]

97 comments fedilink hide all child comments

By a variety of measures and in a variety of countries, the members of Generation Z (born in and after 1996) are suffering from anxiety, depression, self-harm, and related disorders at levels higher than any other generation for which we have data.

you are viewing a single comment's thread
view the rest of the comments

[–] [email protected] 6 points 7 months ago* (last edited 7 months ago)

Unethical twin studies are illegal for very good reasons, but I'd be curious about the results of the following hypothetical (albeit flawed) study:

Twin 1: raised in a small village fishing/farming community that disallows internet access, but allows full unfettered access to a vast library.
Twin 2: raised in a heavily populated coastal city with a smartphone from age 6.

A constant, instant stream of knowledge of horrific things happening hundreds or thousands of miles from you, and the barrage of social media toxicity, must come a negative mindset about the world. I don't see any way it doesn't. Sure there is wholesome and humble content on every platform, but the vast majority is either neutral or negative, and negativity generally spreads much faster than neutral or positive; it's the human condition.

It affects everyone, but your reality will be much different if it's been affecting you since you could, quite literally, remember.

I've seen multiple grassroots efforts of insightful teens who recognize this and are going dumbphone-only. Those kids are the future I'd place my bet on.