Have Smartphones Destroyed a Generation?

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rgMekanic

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Professor of psychology Jean M. Twenge, has written an incredible article on how the Smartphone and social media has been shaping a generation, and it does not look good. In it she goes into the sharp swings in characteristics including fleeting desire for independence and dating, as well as increased rates of depression, suicide, and delayed adolescence.

While this article is quite lengthy, it is full of amazing information. We reported a similar story last month, but this one is much more substantial. The small portion about childhood is stretching longer was quite interesting, and I could not even imagine not having a desire to drive. These massive swings in behavior, mental health, and attitude are quite worrying. The author has also written a book on the iGen for those who want to know more on the subject.

Around 2012, I noticed abrupt shifts in teen behaviors and emotional states. The gentle slopes of the line graphs became steep mountains and sheer cliffs, and many of the distinctive characteristics of the Millennial generation began to disappear. In all my analyses of generational data - some reaching back to the 1930s -I had never seen anything like it.
 
Azphira said:
I seen some kid riding a bicycle today with one hand on the bars the other holding a phone...

They should have a movie like They Live, but with cell phones being smacked out of hands instead of sunglasses being put on.
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You are right on point. It just would not be the same with out Roddy Piper.

TheyLive.gif
 
Azphira said:
I seen some kid riding a bicycle today with one hand on the bars the other holding a phone...

They should have a movie like They Live, but with cell phones being smacked out of hands instead of sunglasses being put on.
Click to expand...
Seeing this often now, it is pathetic.
 
I know teenagers that have had nude photos leaked (they were dumb enough to share) - the one person ended up dropping out of school and getting home schooled because of this. Lots of people have had wrecks/killed people using phones. A teenager recently was electrocuted taking a bath with her phone (WTF?). Just think - 8 years ago hardly anyone owned a smart phone. Now hardly anyone doesn't own one.
I have a tween daughter that just got access to a phone - we wanted her to be able to call/text us. She wanted Snapchat, Facebook, etc - nope. No way. She doesn't really understand why I won't let her when all of her friends have these apps. I read too much and have seen first hand what can happen. I know I can't always protect her, but I'll do what I can.
 
Azphira said:
I seen some kid riding a bicycle today with one hand on the bars the other holding a phone...
Click to expand...
Back in the 80's people would bitch endlessly about the kids of the times penchant for chewing gum constantly, watching too much MTV, listening to rock n' roll, watching too much TV, and going everywhere with headphones and a tape player on.

These ginned up generational wars BS is ridiculous pop psychology crap designed to sell books and get the author's on TV. That is it.

There have been plenty of other psychologists who've been saying for years that Twenge is full of it when it comes to her previous books if you to care to look but that doesn't sell books or get much air time in RW/Alt-Right Media so you don't hear so much about them.

“I think she is vastly misinterpreting or over-interpreting the data, and I think it’s destructive,” said Jeffrey Jensen Arnett, a research professor in psychology at Clark University. “She is inviting ridicule for a group of people about which there are already negative stereotypes.”

Critics like Dr. Arnett see a number of problems with Dr. Twenge’s work. They say the test on which much of her research is based, the Narcissistic Personality Inventory, is inherently flawed — better designed to measure feelings of confidence and self-worth than actual narcissism. They also accuse her of focusing too much of her work on students at research universities, who they say are not representative of their generation.

And some critics are even more emphatic: they say the data, if collected and read correctly, simply show no generational difference in narcissism. “We calculated self-esteem scores from 1976 all the way up to 2006,” said Brent Donnellan, a psychologist at Michigan State University, referring to his and colleagues’ 2010 study using data from an annual national survey of high school students called Monitoring the Future, “and we didn’t see much difference at all.”
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bbs lm-r said:
tldr?
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Some ol' BS as always.

Socrates talkin' BS about them kids today thousands of years ago said:
The children now love luxury; they have bad manners, contempt for
authority; they show disrespect for elders and love chatter in place
of exercise. Children are now tyrants, not the servants of their
households. They no longer rise when elders enter the room. They
contradict their parents, chatter before company, gobble up dainties
at the table, cross their legs, and tyrannize their teachers.
Click to expand...
 
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Articles like this hold a lot more weight with me when the author isn't also pitching a book.

Also as much as I do think Millennials are a bunch of skinny jean wearing safe space having crybabies.... Every single generation thinks that the generation that follows is morally bankrupt/weak/lazy.

My parents thought their kids were all going to be a bunch of drug addicted serial murderers trained to kill because video game are "murder simulators" their parents thought that they were all a bunch of jobless losers and that Satan would use the evil of Rock & Roll to corrupt their minds...

The whole (insert new tech/Cultural trend) is ruing our kids things has been being touted by various experts for longer than anyone here has been alive.
 
Just one generation? No. Smartphones and social media have collectively destroyed any inkling of intelligence, awareness and unselfishness that the human species may have possessed.

In the words of the principal from Billy Madison, "Mr. Madison, what you've just said is one of the most insanely idiotic things I have ever heard. At no point in your rambling, incoherent response were you even close to anything that could be considered a rational thought. Everyone in this room is now dumber for having listened to it. I award you no points, and may God have mercy on your soul."

I attribute that to any and every moron with a selfie stick, every douchebag that can name the Kardashians, and slack-jawed, thick-brow, single brain cell organisms that thrive on reality television, celebrities or whatever the fuck the goddamn English royalty are doing.

Having said that, I'm going to have another glass of cheap wine like the peasant I am.
 
kinjo said:
Also as much as I do think Millennials are a bunch of skinny jean wearing safe space having crybabies...
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Nah, it's really only a minority of loud mouthed brats in this generation that act like this. None of my siblings act like this. I only wear shorts, I like to argue points, and I could cram most people's heads here up their own ass with how much weight I lift. I've met numerous others with similar thoughts in the Millennial group who aren't fans of the loud mouths, but also really just don't care enough to say anything. They usually have their own issues to deal with. You never really hear from these people though.

kinjo said:
Every single generation thinks that the generation that follows is morally bankrupt/weak/lazy.
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I personally think the generation following the Millennials is actually going to be better than them because they see all of the issues of their parents and won't want to be anything like them. They're also growing up with science and technology being a respected thing again.
 
Azphira said:
I seen some kid riding a bicycle today with one hand on the bars the other holding a phone...

They should have a movie like They Live, but with cell phones being smacked out of hands instead of sunglasses being put on.
Click to expand...
we all do it (and i do mean we as i know i do it constantly and i did it multiple times in this single sentence) - improper grammar and not actually fixing it when you can or even checking for it when talking to kids is part of the problem- if no one cares to show them the right way, what chances do they have? like i said, i do it also and im not pickin on azphira.... but it is a perfect example of what im talking about (as well as the probably 25 mistakes ive made here too)


steakman1971 said:
I know teenagers that have had nude photos leaked (they were dumb enough to share) - the one person ended up dropping out of school and getting home schooled because of this. Lots of people have had wrecks/killed people using phones. A teenager recently was electrocuted taking a bath with her phone (WTF?). Just think - 8 years ago hardly anyone owned a smart phone. Now hardly anyone doesn't own one.
I have a tween daughter that just got access to a phone - we wanted her to be able to call/text us. She wanted Snapchat, Facebook, etc - nope. No way. She doesn't really understand why I won't let her when all of her friends have these apps. I read too much and have seen first hand what can happen. I know I can't always protect her, but I'll do what I can.
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and in the 80s it was VHS tapes. in the 70s it was polaroids.... and in the 60s it was free love and hippies... there has always been something, there will always be something. dont blame the tech- blame the user and their use. (this does not mean, by the way, that i feel every kid should have a cell phone).

Master_shake_ said:
smart phones? no.

social media? an emphatic yes. yes yes yes.
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Much like the previous line of thought i expressed, dont blame the tech, blame the user and their use. Its a personal opinion of course, but I see the problem starting with parenting (or a severe lack thereof)

mesyn191 said:
The children now love luxury; they have bad manners, contempt for authority; they show disrespect for elders and love chatter in place of exercise. Children are now tyrants, not the servants of their households. They no longer rise when elders enter he room. They contradict their parents, chatter before company, gobble up dainties at the table, cross their legs, and tyrannize their teachers.
Click to expand...
whats the common thing between Socrates time and now? rebellious kids and lack of parenting. the rest of it (including all the technology) is simply differing scenery along the same exact path.


now if you'll excuse me, there are kids on my lawn that i must yell at.
 
Azphira said:
I seen some kid riding a bicycle today with one hand on the bars the other holding a phone...

They should have a movie like They Live, but with cell phones being smacked out of hands instead of sunglasses being put on.
Click to expand...

I've seen kids do this while playing Pokemon Go on bikes in busy parking lots. Crazy..

steakman1971 said:
I have a tween daughter that just got access to a phone - we wanted her to be able to call/text us. She wanted Snapchat, Facebook, etc - nope. No way. She doesn't really understand why I won't let her when all of her friends have these apps. I read too much and have seen first hand what can happen. I know I can't always protect her, but I'll do what I can.
Click to expand...

I'm in exactly that spot right now, with twins. In fact the wife is insisting that they have phones before school starts in a couple of weeks. I don't get it. Millions of kids survived for generations and suddenly it's a necessity before middle school? The fight isn't over but it's not looking good.
 
And TV rots your brain... oh wait that generation is the one who basically made the internet what it is today.

While yeah I'm an "old" fart curmudgeony "Get off my lawn" type of person now and looks down at the generation of cell phone people because I remember a day when you would... er COULD have conversations with people standing in line or something instead of of what you have now. But whatever smart phones are the new TV, I'm sure people when they get older will "cut the cord" (or whatever the equivalent to that is) and create something to "destroy" the next generation.
 
brentsg said:
I've seen kids do this while playing Pokemon Go on bikes in busy parking lots. Crazy..



I'm in exactly that spot right now, with twins. In fact the wife is insisting that they have phones before school starts in a couple of weeks. I don't get it. Millions of kids survived for generations and suddenly it's a necessity before middle school? The fight isn't over but it's not looking good.
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We have a situation in which there is going to be a short time window when both the wife and I were not home from work and my daughter is going to be home by herself a bit. She's too old for baby sitters and I don't think her school has an after school program. This at least gives us some peace of mind.
Back in my day, I would be gone for hours. My parents had no clue where we were at. We'd ride our bikes miles away. There were creeps around back then - maybe it just wasn't as publicized? Anyway, I look back at my experiences and this helps shape how I am raising my kids. We lived. I sometimes wonder how we didn't get in more trouble...guess we just didn't get caught.
 
Having said that, I'm going to have another glass of cheap wine like the peasant I am.[/QUOTE]

Box wine right.:D
 
mesyn191 said:
These ginned up generational wars BS is ridiculous pop psychology crap designed to sell books and get the author's on TV. That is it.

Some ol' BS as always.
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Funny you quote Socretes and his disdain for the youth, who then grew up to lose Athens in multiple wars. Or you could look at the Fall of Rome, where tradition and history was ignored by the youth, which in part led to its fall. History is full of the youth not learning from their elders, massive instability, then rebuilding of things differently than before. You can argue whether it gets better when we rebuild or not, but you can't deny that there is a change and periods of downfall.

The kids of today will grow to have a massive disconnect between their actual emotions, what a screen tells them their emotions should be, what fabricated life they claim to be on social media. "zombies in front of the tv" taken to a whole new level.

All that said psychology is trash science that draws terrible conclusions way too often.
 
sfsuphysics said:
And TV rots your brain... oh wait that generation is the one who basically made the internet what it is today.

While yeah I'm an "old" fart curmudgeony "Get off my lawn" type of person now and looks down at the generation of cell phone people because I remember a day when you would... er COULD have conversations with people standing in line or something instead of of what you have now. But whatever smart phones are the new TV, I'm sure people when they get older will "cut the cord" (or whatever the equivalent to that is) and create something to "destroy" the next generation.
Click to expand...

You could still have a convo with someone in line, I do it all the time....I smack the phone out of their hands and ask them about the weather.....strange people these smartphone folk....
 
mesyn191 said:
Back in the 80's people would bitch endlessly about the kids of the times penchant for chewing gum constantly, watching too much MTV, listening to rock n' roll, watching too much TV, and going everywhere with headphones and a tape player on.

These ginned up generational wars BS is ridiculous pop psychology crap designed to sell books and get the author's on TV. That is it.

There have been plenty of other psychologists who've been saying for years that Twenge is full of it when it comes to her previous books if you to care to look but that doesn't sell books or get much air time in RW/Alt-Right Media so you don't hear so much about them.




Some ol' BS as always.
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Dude, you nailed it right there. When I was a kid I was lucky enough to have a walkman and enjoyed listening to cassette tapes of all kinds of music, etc. Got lots of flak from rarely seen relatives, etc. All saying that I was anti-social, disrespectful, etc. I was a straight A student, college graduate, have friends and a great relationship with my family. It all boils down to seeing someone doing something different from them or "the way we did it back then" and basically barking about it like a dog that's riled up.

I worry about my kids being a bit too dependent on devices, etc. On the other hand, if I raise them the "good old fashioned way" then they'll be obsolete by the time they enter the workforce when compared to the norm. Hopefully, my time spent with them outdoors and various activities will keep them healthy, and stop them from becoming content absorbing sloths. XD
 
steakman1971 said:
We have a situation in which there is going to be a short time window when both the wife and I were not home from work and my daughter is going to be home by herself a bit. She's too old for baby sitters and I don't think her school has an after school program. This at least gives us some peace of mind.
Back in my day, I would be gone for hours. My parents had no clue where we were at. We'd ride our bikes miles away. There were creeps around back then - maybe it just wasn't as publicized? Anyway, I look back at my experiences and this helps shape how I am raising my kids. We lived. I sometimes wonder how we didn't get in more trouble...guess we just didn't get caught.
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It's an antiquated suggestion, but my sister added landline phone service to their cable plan just so the kids do have a way to contact someone from home. (8-12 year olds). Her and her husband are both fully in agreement no cellphones until they're paying for them themselves.
 
mesyn191 said:
Back in the 80's people would bitch endlessly about the kids of the times penchant for chewing gum constantly, watching too much MTV, listening to rock n' roll, watching too much TV, and going everywhere with headphones and a tape player on.

These ginned up generational wars BS is ridiculous pop psychology crap designed to sell books and get the author's on TV. That is it.

There have been plenty of other psychologists who've been saying for years that Twenge is full of it when it comes to her previous books if you to care to look but that doesn't sell books or get much air time in RW/Alt-Right Media so you don't hear so much about them.




Some ol' BS as always.
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Her premise was that this all changed in 2007.


You post a study that ends in 2006.



Logic????????
 
well, it's no surprise that more people are getting depressed or want to stay as children longer, with the greater the access they now have to how the world works. (ignorance is indeed bliss)

the world is one shitty place. from meaningless wars, to media manipulation, to leaders whom only care about how to manage perception in order to continue with their cushy jobs, to slimball tactics that big corps use

but worse of all, is that young ones now are saddled with the knowledge that achieving any of their dreams is nigh high impossible . Having no chance of a path to achieve your dreams is the no1. motivation killer, while they wallow in envy of those born with a silver spoon whom mass media loves to parade and celebrate. from facebook, twitter, youtube, and even cable news.
 
lilbabycat said:
Funny you quote Socretes and his disdain for the youth, who then grew up to lose Athens in multiple wars.
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The reasons Athens lost in multiple wars had nothing to do with the youth though. That was their leadership (which were generally the elders for Athens, though elder for that time period would be someone who was like in their late 30's or 40's) being complete idiots and/or incompetent.

Same thing goes for Rome.
lilbabycat said:
The kids of today will grow to have a massive disconnect between their actual emotions, what a screen tells them their emotions should be, what fabricated life they claim to be on social media. "zombies in front of the tv" taken to a whole new level.
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If you really believe this then you're as out of touch as the people who TV would brainwash the youth into mindless drones back in the 70's and 80's.

"Kids" today are very well aware that much of what is on the internet is BS. Yeah there are a fair number who will slavishly repeat whatever BS they happen to fall for but the same happens among the older generations with the way they have Fox on 24/7 and do nothing but look at Breitbart or Infowars and repeat all the talking points verbatim like they're chat bots.

That isn't a age or generational issue at all. Historically there has always been a significant minority of the population who wanted to be told to think a particular way because they didn't want to do it themselves.

Verge said:
Her premise was that this all changed in 2007. You post a study that ends in 2006. Logic????????
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I didn't post a study. I posted a article which links to several studies and information about her books. Which if you'd read you'd know that Twenge has been talking about narcissism and Millenials prior to 2006 Generation Me book.

If you're not going to actually read the links I give don't post about them or reply to me.

harbingerofdoom said:
whats the common thing between Socrates time and now?
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Old people bitching about the youth going to crap.

It always happens. There are articles from the 20's, 30's, 40's, 50's, etc. saying essentially the same thing for slightly different reasons.

Its all BS.
 
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brentsg said:
I've seen kids do this while playing Pokemon Go on bikes in busy parking lots. Crazy..



I'm in exactly that spot right now, with twins. In fact the wife is insisting that they have phones before school starts in a couple of weeks. I don't get it. Millions of kids survived for generations and suddenly it's a necessity before middle school? The fight isn't over but it's not looking good.
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Make your wife pay the cell phone bills for the children she will come around to your line of thinking real quick.
 
brentsg said:
I'm in exactly that spot right now, with twins. In fact the wife is insisting that they have phones before school starts in a couple of weeks. I don't get it. Millions of kids survived for generations and suddenly it's a necessity before middle school? The fight isn't over but it's not looking good.
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Millions of kids (and people) have survived for not just generations but for thousands of years without a great deal of the things we have today. Doesn't mean we should hold things back. I'm not going to tell my niece and nephew that I survived without internet when I was kid and went to the library so they shouldn't have internet at all either.
 
Get off my lawn.

Seriously... so kids don't want to jump in a car as early. They don't want to drive be free sneak out and get drunk and do all the stupid shit I did as a kid. Stupid children. Stupid internet.

Sure their are downsides to social media as others have pointed out. Still when I was a kid (teen) one of my friends died in a car wreck after deciding he was sober enough. A few others simply got lucky they never killed anyone including themselves. I guess all I am saying is it seems to me most kids are simply finding "connection" in a new way. Is it strange noticing your teens aren't the little bastards you where... and instead have their faces in screens more often. Ya its odd as hell... I'm just not sure its any worse really.
 
I think previous generations saw getting a license and driving a car as liberating. A way to get away from their parents, connect with their peers, and see the world. This generation sees getting on the internet the same way. The internet is actually superior to a car for those things. You can connect to lots of your peers at once, interact with people from all over the world, and have pretty much anything you would want to see or know about the world at your fingertips. For teenagers, laptops and smartphones are the new cars. And going out in a car probably seems dull compared to all the stuff they can do online.
 
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Cmdrmonkey said:
I think previous generations saw getting a license and driving a car as liberating.....This generation sees getting on the internet the same way.
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No.

The infrastructure hasn't changed at all (ie. stores and work places are still far away from most places where people live) and so having a car or a similar degree of range in transportation is a necessity and not a option. Its a matter of economics.

Avg. price of a car is over $33K now and your avg. Millennial makes around 20% less (~$35K/yr) than the previous generation did at that same age while also having much more debt and higher cost of living expenses.

When the cost of a car is about the same as much as you make in a year, and the used car market is a friggin' joke, then you flat out can't afford one and so you have to try and learn to make do with much less (ie. bumming rides, walking/riding bus or bike, etc.).

The semi-good news is that there is currently a fairly nasty bubble in car loans that is looking like it is reaching its popping point and maybe you'll see that effect prices in a good way. 84 month+ loans with typical car debt interest rates effectively mean you end up paying for the car twice or more after you consider the principal + interest payments and that just doesn't make any financial sense at all on something like a car.
 
Cmdrmonkey said:
I think previous generations saw getting a license and driving a car as liberating. A way to get away from their parents, connect with their peers, and see the world. This generation sees getting on the internet the same way. The internet is actually superior to a car for those things. You can connect to lots of your peers at once, interact with people from all over the world, and have pretty much anything you would want to see or know about the world at your fingertips. For teenagers, laptops and smartphones are the new cars. And going out in a car probably seems dull compared to all the stuff they can do online.
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I don't know if you have kids / teenagers or not, but anecdotally my teenage daughter still wants a car and sees it as her path to freedom (She sees us as footing the bill though.... which I'm not sure how she came to that conclusion). She has regular social media access and a smartphone but still prefers to meet her friend in person when she can.

Also anecdotally: I grew up with the internet starting with prodigy/compuserve/aol/etc got my first cellphone in my 20s and got a smartphone just about as soon as it was available. I resisted social media for years but you'd still find my with the phone in my face scrolling through news, reading random articles, etc. I personally didn't even get a car until 2 years into my first job after college.

I'm approaching 36 years old and my daughter will be 17. That's a small generational span, but it is there and as a teenager I never looked at a car as a liberating device, for me it was the internet.
 
It isn't just the price of a car. Before cars became rolling computer networks, you could fix a low cost used car with a few dollars of tools, a Haynes how to book for your car and a few dollars worth of parts. Something well within the financial and mechanical abilities of most teenagers. Now, you can find a low cost used car but figuring out the maze of sensors, connectors, computers codes and such requires specialized code readers and often special tools unique to each model of car. Plus many diagnostic paths require buying a none returnable part, trying it, and repeating until the problem is fixed. With many parts costing over a $100, self fixing a used car becomes a money pit beyond the financial ability of unemployeed teens more worried about their data plan and the next great game.
 
Dead Parrot said:
It isn't just the price of a car.
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Nah, price is paramount. Fixing newer cars is indeed a problem but you've got to be able to afford the car first before you can worry about fixing it. Younger people just flat out don't have the income to make that happen like previous generations did.

Even for used cars. You used to be able to get a beater than ran OK for ~$500-$1K without much hassle. Now engineless rusted out shells go for that much and anything that will actually run without major repairs, even if it looks and drives like crap, for a year or 2 is going to be pushing ~$2K+. ~$4K+ easy if the car was well maintained and in good condition even if its ~10yr old. It never used to be like that. The used car maket has been a mess ever since Cash for Clunkers.

Dead Parrot said:
Before cars became rolling computer networks, you could fix a low cost used car with a few dollars of tools, a Haynes how to book for your car and a few dollars worth of parts.
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The electrical part, while indeed a nightmare to fix, isn't the bigger problem with newer cars. The electrical side usually works fairly well.

The problem with fixing newer cars is they're all designed in a computer and meant to be fixed while up on a lift.

Everything is shoe horned in just so to cram it into the smaller engine bays of newer cars and to keep costs down. Specialized tools are often frequently needed too if you want to get the job done over the weekend. Go look at a Mini engine bay if you don't believe me. Even the "cheap" domestics like the Chevy HHR suck dirty stank balls to fix. Add in to that the commonly rust welded in bolts that are almost always in difficult to reach spots and fixing new cars just plain friggin' sucks ass.
 
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