Dr Twenge draws a strong correlation between these feelings of unhappiness and the rapid increase in the number of people using smartphones in recent years.
In 2017, the average 17/18 year old spent more than six hours a day using the internet, on social media and texting. By 2018, 95 per cent of US teenagers had access to a smartphone while 45 per cent said they were “almost constantly” online. Girls who spend five or more hours a day on social media were found to be three times more likely to be depressed than non-social media users while heavy internet users were twice as likely to be unhappy.
“In short, adolescents who spend more time on electronic devices are less happy, and adolescents who spend more time on most other activities are happier,” she writes, adding that digital media use displaces time that could otherwise be spent on “more beneficial activities”.
Let's be clear here, it's not technology that's causing a massive increase in depression in teens, it's the way they are being manipulated by various different platforms and influencers. Don't blame technology, blame the people, and more importantly, hold them accountable.
Agreed👍👍. Not just teenagers either!
There is no substitute for face-to-face social interaction with REAL friends !