Technology: Good or Bad for Today’s Youth? | Teen Ink

Technology: Good or Bad for Today’s Youth?

January 14, 2010
By Amie54321 SILVER, Houston, Texas
Amie54321 SILVER, Houston, Texas
5 articles 0 photos 9 comments

“Don’t text my heart,” these word of wisdom were spoken to me by the Christian writer Chad Estham, but what do these words mean? The youth today are becoming more and more attached to their technology. Relationships are being built online or through phones. Keyboards and keypads are becoming the keys to our heart. Technology provides a way of communication but is becoming the only way to communicate with today’s youth because it has made one on one interaction less frequent and has made a negative effect on the social abilities of the youth.
Technology is a great way to stay entertained but it is disconnecting people. Today’s Internet users have many ways to be occupied online. These days we have the ability to communicate on websites like facebook, ways to watch TV shows and clips mostly on YouTube, and play entertaining games like on addictinggames, all while on the computer. And we wonder why we have no in person friendships and dysfunctional families. Non-internet users spend 12.6 more minutes on average doing social activities, such as parties, sporting events, and person-to-person conversations (Nie and Hillygus). Internet users spend 34.3 minutes less than non-internet users with family and friends (Nie and Hilygus). Those who don’t switch off the computer, switches off all personal relationships with family and friends.
Technology like iPods and cell phones make a personal bubble and make it portable. Cell phones create a distraction from real life experiences and because of their ability to be taken anywhere, I see teens texting anywhere they can. Teens text while talking to someone else, at the dinner table, in the car if driving or not,at he movies, and worst of all in church. This tiny piece of plastic is distracting teens from the most important message of all. The message of God. iPods also create the distraction but it also sends a signal “visible from a good distance away, white earphones signal one thing to most people: don’t bother trying to talk to me” (Song). This action irritates people. I have a friend and whenever we get in the car she sticks her headphones in and I endure the rest of the car ride in silence. I find it rude. These bubbles are growing around so many people and someone just needs to pop them.
As you can tell, I am very much against technology but there are ways that is helps. It helps many people stay in touch with friends that might have moved away, “the internet can make it easier to keep in touch with old friends” (Coget and Ytaka). In my life, I will move on from all my friends and I will still want to stay in touch with them all, but it can be just as easy to look them up and ask if they would like to do something in person. Staying in touch can be done in person as much as over technology.
Some people have trouble making new friends and the internet provides ways to meet new people through chat rooms. I believe relationships built online can be a little eccentric but, “one study suggests that online relationships simply take longer to develop than those face-to-face and eventually can become as rich” (Coget and Yutaka). Online relationships can be dangerous because you never know who’s on the other side of the chat.
You can become more open over the internet if you don’t have a chance to meet others in real life. Meeting people online can give you confidence in who you are, but I believe it also tears you down. Knowing that you din’t have real frinds and resorting to making them online can make you feel worthless. Online relationships will either build you up or break you down.
“Data showed that as people in this sample used the internet more, theyreported keeping up with fewer friends,” so keep your friends (Affonso). Don’t be sucked into the internet and leave others behind. Most importantly, don’t let keypads and keyboards be the key to your heart.

The author's comments:
My final piece of writing is my favorite. “Technology: Good or Bad for Youth?” is the paper I felt the most confident in turning in. I spent tons of time researching for this topic. Since this topic really relates to me I had a great time doing the research. I did not enjoy finding the truth that technology is not good for our youth, because I’m a technology lover myself. I really like the way I was able to support my ideas clearly throughout the paper. The thing I could do better on is making sure it flows. If I could redo this paper I would make sure that all the information connects clearly. I would give myself a 90 on this essay because I was able to give ideas and support them.

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This article has 38 comments.


Gggg said...
on May. 25 2016 at 8:23 am
Good but it is not like debate and it is too short

on Nov. 27 2015 at 6:53 pm
yozelincasillas,
0 articles 0 photos 1 comment
I agree that Advancing Technology is a bad thing although at our time in this generation it might not seem a bad thing, leading up to the future that could change. There are many negative factors that help support this claim like the lack of social skills the future’s generation will experience all because they have spent all their lives looking behind a screen. It was also proven in the Proceeding of the National Academy of Sciences that social isolations could increase the chances of early death. Source Cited: Mohan, Geoffrey. ""Social Isolations Increases Risk of Early Death, Study Finds"" Los Angeles Times. Los Angeles Times, 26 Mar. 2013. Web. 27 Nov. 2015. .

steph said...
on Jun. 9 2015 at 8:02 am
rebecxa, what a wonderful idea and extremely well written piece! You have the talent and the drive to do anything you want to in this life. Don't ever forget that!!!

user8332 said...
on May. 4 2015 at 10:55 pm
not a well supported or well substantiated argument. Very subjective, and a grammar check would have been appreciated.

3666 said...
on Feb. 8 2015 at 5:27 am
nice article and it can aware people who use continuously Internets and facebooks

waruni said...
on Nov. 19 2014 at 8:51 pm
yeaa,,this essay give us more knwldg about relationships,,,,,nice...i like this

abcde said...
on Jul. 4 2014 at 9:36 am
thanks  i  do  agree

on Jun. 21 2014 at 2:13 am
JesusandHisLawyers SILVER, Austin, Texas
7 articles 0 photos 99 comments

Favorite Quote:
"who the fuck has a favorite personal quote what does that even mean" - me, just now.

Handy Dandy Translation: "I am much better than you, let me write an article (which I will publish on line) explaining exactly why. God bless."

awebb4661 said...
on Apr. 1 2014 at 8:46 am
thankyou!we all know he comes first

Paul said...
on Feb. 19 2014 at 1:30 pm
Clearly you didn't read the article.  When you witnessed cavemen moving from stone to paper, did you also witness them socially isolate themselves?  This is an epidemic. Go to your local university and try speaking with our youth. Good luck. Maybe you should look into a topic before you blabber on.  Technology is amazing. Yet has made it difficult for the technologically reliant to have regular interpersonal communication.  Good or bad? It's like a form of autism, allowin us to excape real situations by means of a technological mechanism.  Good, yes, because it allows us to connect at a rate previously impossible.

tara s said...
on Dec. 22 2013 at 11:28 am
everybody were happy to change their style of writing, reading and learning in the early ages.. nobody complained about moving from carving on stones,used as a medium of sharing information in the early ages, to writing on papers...then whats the big deal in moving from papers to internet???? why do many seem to be complaining about this change? from-stones-to-paper was termed as an improvement and development of human race then why isnt from-paper-to-internet being accepted as a good thing??

Rorschach said...
on Dec. 1 2013 at 9:49 pm
When searching for the disadvantages of technology, the opposing side often hyperbolically targets the youth as a generation of hopeless and technology-fueled zombies. I would respect this argument if it had the least bit of substantial support, but it does not, so I will refer to it as it is; hogwash. I mostly use this word for humor, but in this case I use it to describe an article aimed at the retrogression of humanity through its budding intellectuals. We are not a generation leaning on technology- technology leans on us. We are the ones to improve it. We are the ones who will drag the race through naivety and pseudotheories and, in time, spark the flame for a new generation that will continue the same path. I am a Christian- let that be known- but I am a Christian who firmly believes in the wonders of technology to bring great changes in society. This is our revolution, and just like in the Agricultural and Industrial, there will be setbacks. It is our responsibility to fight through them.

sndstn said...
on Aug. 23 2013 at 1:19 pm
isnt it biased that you think something shouldn't be mentioned? while someone else does. Think about it. its hipocracy. Just saying.

nicklo said...
on Aug. 3 2013 at 5:38 am
oh, and addition to what i comment before, it is all depends on how youth use the technology. whether it is for the good or bad. 

nicklo said...
on Aug. 3 2013 at 5:36 am
i somehow agree with this article, but technology is wide. its not only about the communication nowadays. you can use technology to cure diseases or even for sports benefit. there is this organization called Youth for Technology Foundation. based on their website, technology and computers are being introduced to enhance teaching and learning and prepare students for the new world in which they live. to make a good essay, you must state both of the disadvantages and advantages  to make it objective.  for the examples, it is unreliable because you didn't say based on what reliable sources  well, thats only my feedback :) as in this world, there always be the disadvantages and advantages

KLo22 said...
on May. 1 2013 at 12:37 pm
Love the support behind the topic. I was going to use this essay as a backup plan for my research but the grammars and spellings changed my mind. Overall it was an inspirational essay.

on Feb. 14 2013 at 12:54 am
I was searching for some information on technology, because I am writing a paper on it about the negative or positive opinions of technology; and I came across your essay.   I am very impressed by the quote you included in your introduction and very satisfied with your conclusion.  However, you must know that in academic writing; you should never use  "I" or "My."  When I saw that I was very dissapointed because your essay was so good until I came across that.  Just my two cents.  Still pretty good though, maybe just take that part out.  =)

on Oct. 18 2012 at 10:27 am
u da baus steph!!

Yengster31 said...
on Oct. 18 2012 at 5:26 am
really great insights :) can i include this in my research paper? i will definitely have credits from you. When was this posted? (reply needed ASAP)

Sarah03 said...
on Oct. 15 2012 at 12:08 am
This is amazing! Totally an inspiration for my essay on 's the technological revolution affecting mankind in a positive or negative way' and  I am just thrilled someone has the same ideas as me. I hope it is okay with you if I cite this (bibilography) for it? :)