Kids Growing Up Too Fast

According to Twenge, the number of teens that go out with their friends has decreased by 40 percent compared to earlier generations. Twenge compares iGens to different generations such as Gen X (born between 1965 and early 1984), baby boomers (1946-1964) and Millennials (born around 1982-2002). Twenge emphasizes on the time teenagers spend on their phones. Social media plays a huge role in this. In accordance to Twenge, different forms of social media like Facebook, Instagram, and Snapchat are what teenagers spend more time on. According to Twenge, the more time teens spend on smartphones the greater they are at risk for suicide, depression, and loneliness. Twenge also explains how teens are not receiving an adequate amount of sleep, many teens now sleep less than seven hours. Twenge concludes the article by sharing her own experience with her children and technology, she recommends parents to limit the time their children spend on phones. (59-65)

Now, it’s easy to point to kids and teenagers and say, “you kids and those smartphones!” However, if you go back you’ll notice that I didn’t specify an age group. While kids and teens ages 8 to 18 spend 6-9 hours a day in front of some kind of screen, “… just over an hour of that time (1:11) is spent on social media,” Jordan Shapiro of Forbes said. What’s interesting is that 18 to 34 year olds spend 3.8 hours per

Is social media ruining children’s lives? Without the internet, I would be healthier and more active. I can’t imagine life without the internet however if we didn’t have the internet we would be outside more and we wouldn’t even think about phones because they wouldn’t be as fun as they are now. I would be upset if I got my phone taken away for a year, but that would force me to be more active. I would go outside more and be more adventurous. I would be healthier and happier and the world would be more social, face to face.

Why are kids growing up too fast? Well, when I did a little outside research the most frequent related topics that popped up were parenting, tablets, computers, adolescence, family, and school. Needless to say, there’s a lot around us that can influence how a child grows up, Poverty, education, health practices, parenting styles and more. But I remember a time when kids enjoyed being kids, for me it was the 90s. Perhaps it was because I was a child myself then, seeing the world through innocent eyes. Now, even at the earliest of ages, children are partaking in adult activities with some pretty serious repercussions.

I believe kids are growing up too fast because of what they are going through in life. They have lots of stress from exams or tests from school and stress from their family or friends maybe. They might have depression and that can cause them to do some things and give them stress. They could have anxiety from all the stress. All of the stress can give you a lot disorders. According to Unger, Brown, and Sheer when they did a test on a few kids the kids with higher levels of self esteem perceived earlier ages of adult

Kids back then were pretty laid back, but full of so many adventures as well. When I was 11 in years old in 2011 I remember spending most of my life outdoors, playing hide and seek, bike riding, going to the park, walking through woods to discover new places with my cousins and neighbors or just doing crazy dumb things but they were always worth it because now once I think back they were mini adventures and great stories to tell. There was nothing better than being outdoors and enjoying the fresh air and freedom. Wherever you turned kids were always there despite the weather. During the summer they'd be scattered everywhere while in the fall, they’ll be jumping in the leaves. Then in the winter, making a snowman and angels. Later coming home to just simply watching the best shows on nickelodeon like Victorious, Shake it Up, Wizards Of a Waverly Place ext. The shows back then were the bomb! Nothing could ever compare to them. But that's all it was to the

Growing up in the 1970’s through the 1990’s kid’s rode their bikes all over their neighborhoods, exploring, played in tree houses with fellow club members, and ultimately spent the majority of their time playing outside. Venturing outdoors, fishing, hunting, and camping with family and friends was something almost every kid anticipated at the close of a drooling week of school. Looking up at the moon, the thrill of cooking and eating what was caught off the land, roasting marshmallows over the campfire, and scaring each other with terrifying ghost stories made some of the best memories.

In today’s society, parents are challenged with the ability of children to grow faster than ever before. Tweens are moving closer and closer to teens, and fulfill these adult-like roles. The media plays a major part in this dilemma, along with the need to fulfill major responsibilities, and the lack of family presence.

Studies have shown that the average person now spends more time each day on their phone and computer than they do sleeping according to Nick McGillivray (“What are the Effects of Social Media on Youth?). Social has become part of our social society, especially for the many youths. There are positives to being on social media and also equal amounts of danger that come with using social networking sites, including Facebook, Instagram, Twitter, etc. These social networking sites also have effects on today’s youth by altering the way they behave, the way they learn, in not only a classroom setting but also in the real world setting, and the way that they socialize with their peers and others.

Technology caused various of changes in this world. In the article, “Have Smartphones Destroyed a Generation?” the author Jean M. Twenge discuss how technology has caused a different effect on teen. “I called them iGen. Born between 1995 and 2012, members of this generation are growing up with smartphones...” Many teens now are dependent on texting then having a group conversation as compared to generations we can see the differences. The generation after 2012, which Twenge calls iGen, rely more on smartphones than earlier generation. iGen use of social media, like Instagram, Snapchat and Facebook, began before they even started going to school. These kinds of uses have caused health issues, and teens are going out less to parks and using less outside resources. While it be safer that kids stay inside, they are more likely to go into depression. Smartphones have made teens less able to communicate, caused a higher risk to their health, and become too much in a iGens life.

Technology varies widely from one decade to the next. The invention of the television increased the usage technology during the 80s. While the invention of computers rose the use of technology in the 90s. Once seen as an improvement to the society, technology has now become a problem. Numerous versions of technology now exist to create technological distractions. Computers, cell phones, and video games stand the leading distractions in today’s society. Technology began small but, with great advancements technology has gone too far. Youth remain greatly affected by technology. Since technology has become a normal routine for youth, they fail to realize the problem occurring. Older individuals who grew up without as much technology, can point out the issue easily. Technology affects today’s youth negatively because it distracts, promotes violence, and lowers independence.

Empirical Studies based out of Sweden took a special interest in this particular study in mid-2012. Their main focus was to speak on the drop of health and life span in each generation. This can be attributed to many things, but at the core Empirical stated that, “students expressed a need to use their mobile phones, but they also said that Facebook was a very important part of their lives.” Students of today need their phones. This is causing then to stay indoors and this is causing serious problems in today’s health practices. Kids are aware of healthy choices, such as sleeping and eating well and how to exercise properly, they often just simply choose not to do these. They were, “more inclined to it in front of the computer.” Information is readily available yet is at an all-time low for action.

The ways of today’s society are a trap to the common child. One cannot go out in public without seeing at least one child using some form of technology. When most are used to seeing children playing in their front yards or on a playground as they once did, they have a sudden awakening when they realize, most children are not like that anymore. Modern culture is a corruption to one’s childhood and causes a child to be unsocial, unhealthy, and constantly pressured to follow the newest trends in social media, however, certain TV shows and websites have been known to try and educate children.

A study by Harvard Business Review found that team performance went up 50% when teams socialized more and limited email and eventually, anyone or “operational-only” issues. Clearly, there’s a theme here. We don’t just “become lonelier” as a human race over time. It seems that with the advent of social media, laptops, and apps, we’re choosing screens over personal interactions. According to Time, most Americans from age 18 to 24 check their phone 74 times a day on average. Use of internet has certainly increased the quantity of our mental stimulation, but we lack the quality. According to Forbes, The American Academy of Pediatrics aware the possibility of negative effects of social media in young kids and teens, including cyber-bullying and Facebook depression. Using social media disturbs make deep relationship with others. When they are using social-media we do not need to move a lot. It is okay just to stay. We do not need to active a lot. As a result, it leads naturally mental and physical disabilities. Although social media can connect teens to the world and friends and family around them, it is actually one of the highest-ranking cause of suicide among teenagers in 21st century. People sometimes talks about how social media is becoming part of their world, it is becoming their world. They are unaware of the fact that social media encourages the false images of how everything should be in a perfect world. This not only increases stresses and changes in a normal human life but, it leads to depression and some mental diseases. When it comes to study, a study conducted by Liberty Voice shows that, children have become more dumb, lazier, rude and depressed due to the use of social media. They have been spending

Over the years, child upbringing has changed drastically due to the introduction of new legislations protecting children more and more. The debate as to whether the behaviour of the children of the 1990’s has gotten worse as opposed to the children of the 1980’s is ongoing and in my opinion the answer is clear. The difference on technology, education, music & fashion trends are just very few things which make a big influence on a teen’s life.