TECHNOLOGY IS DESTROYING THE MINDS OF TEENAGERS

Sara Almond & Gillian Hall

Structural-Functionalist Perspective & Three Main Points

Technology is destroying the minds of teenagers through there physical health, mental health, and the quality of human interaction.

The Structural-Functionalist Perspective is concerned about how illness, health, and health care affect and are affected by changes in other aspects of social life.

Physical Health

Teenagers today use different types of digital devices, such as ipods, iphones, computers, etc. It can damage their physical health. For example, listening to music with headphones in can be very damaging to ones ears.

The Structural-Functionalist Perspective relates to destroying teens physical health because society has created digital devices that when used can lead to accidents and disasters, such as traffic accidents and cancer.

Physical Health - Examples

Heavy users of cell phones have twice the accident risk of drivers who who the phone infrequently or not at all.

Today, teenagers would rather sit and play video games and talk online with their friends. Rather than to go out involved in a sport; such as hockey, soccer or basketball.

It is now easier to sit and watch videos on youtube about nature than it is to go outside and experience what nature has to offer.

Physical Health - Examples

In a study found on Prevention.com they asked “Would you rather give up your toothbrush or your smartphone for one week? That’s the question that was posed to 514 Americans, and a whopping 22 percent of them would pitch their brush in favor of keeping their phone for seven days. For iPhone users, the percentage who would keep their beloved high tech phone instead of their toothbrush ups to a shocking 40 percent.” 

Physical Health – Video Example

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=KmxaY_OVvWA

This video is the song “Highway Don’t Care” By: Tim McGraw, Taylor Swift and Keith Urban.

We felt that it was a great example of distracted teen driving and causing a car accident without being too graphic of a video. The meaning in the song fits perfectly to how technology is causing teenagers to now put their life in harms way over technology.

Mental Health

In today’s society, the mental health of using technology combined with social media has negatively affected teenagers self-confidence levels, and how it can lead to illness.

The Structural-Functionalist Perspective relates to destroying teens mental health because the social media devices teenagers use today are now leading to cyber-bulling which can cause mental illness such as depression and anxiety.

Mental Health - Examples

A recent Stanford University study found that girls as young as 8 that spend a lot of time mulit-tasking on digital devices tend to have a lower self-confidence and social skills.

According to a recent article in The Atlantic, a new trend (particularly among teenage girls, four times more likely than boys) is to set up a Tumblr blogs glorifying everything from self-harm, to anorexia to suicide. There are hundreds of results, mostly in black and white, many showing arms and legs with hundreds of cuts from self-cutting.

Mental Health - Examples

One study tested whether high exposure to video games increased aggression over time. It was found that playing violent video games is a significant risk factor for later physical aggression in both Japan and the United States—for boys and girls (Anderson et al., 2008)

Mental health treatment experts at the Birmingham Maple Clinic reported that the overuse of computers and cell phones has a negative impact on teen’s mental health. According to a study conducted by the Sahlgrenska Academy of the University of Gothenburg, young people who are heavy users of cell phones and computers face a significantly higher risk of sleeping problems, stress disorders and other mental health issues, the clinic announced.

Mental Health – Examples

The addiction has even been given a name – Nomophobia is the term created by British researchers in 2008 to identify people who experience anxiety when they have no access to mobile technology. A previous study showed that young people are now so addicted to their mobile phones it feels like they have lost a limb when they are without them.

Human Interaction

In today’s society, the human interaction is decreasing and there is less and less interaction between people. People would rather talk on phones and text because it is portrayed as being easier.

The Structural-Functionalist Perspective relates to destroying teens by their communication skills. They hide behind phones, computers and the social media that surrounds them.

Human Interaction - Examples Although electronic and wireless communications have

made it possible for us to handle emergencies, having this convenience comes at a great price. Technology such as smart phones and Blackberries rip into the relationships that we have and makes it less personal, as they can now hide behind their screens.

Teens today now find it harder to keep eye contact longer as now teens are more and more shy. They also have a harder time carrying a conversation and when uncomfortable usually look for their phone for a distraction.

Teens also have a difficult time talking on the phone as they would rather send a text, than leave a voicemail.

Human Interaction - Examples Today’s teens spend more than 71/2 hours a day

consuming media — watching TV, listening to music, surfing the Web, social networking, and playing video games, according to a 2010 study of 8- to 18-year-olds conducted by the Kaiser Family Foundation. The study also found a particular rise in time spent on mobile devices and an overall increase of about an hour and 20 minutes since 1999.

With the amount that teens now spend consuming media this leads less time spent being active and spending time with family.

Human Interaction – Video Example

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=rRtXAKQrTGk The video is off the show The Doctors with guest

star Jillian Michaels. The doctors video explains how teenagers are

addicted to social media devices.

Negative Aspects of Cell Phone Use

Conclusion

In conclusion, technology is slowly destroying the minds of teenagers through there physical and mental health. Also their quality of human interaction is slowly fading.

The Structural-Functionalist Perspective main is how illness, health, and health care affect and are affected by changes in other aspects of social life. This theory is shown throughout out presentation and how it deals with technology and the minds of teenagers.

References

Ahuja, M. (n.d.). Retrieved from http://articles.washingtonpost.com/2013-03-13/news/37675597_1_teens-cellphones-video-games

Ebben, P. (n.d.). Retrieved from http://boston.cbslocal.com/2012/02/07/how-technology-impacts-physical-and-emotional-health/

Human Kinetics (n.d.). Retrieved from http://www.humankinetics.com/excerpts/excerpts/technology-can-have-positive-and-negative-impact-on-social-interactions

Alleyne, R. (n.d.). Retrieved from http://www.telegraph.co.uk/technology/news/9714616/Mobile-phone-addiction-ruining-relationships.html

References

Human Kinetics (n.d.). Retrieved from http://www.humankinetics.com/excerpts/excerpts/technology-can-have-positive-and-negative-impact-on-social-interactions

Mooney, L., Holmes, M., Know, D., & Schacht, C. (2013). Understanding Social Problems. Toronto: Nelson Education Ltd.