Technology can be frequently seen as a third parent in the lives of children from an increasingly young age, and the numbers are growing.
More than ever the rates of young children growing up hooked on the addicting devices that captured their parents, siblings and friends, show no signs of stopping, and have quickly become an integral and all consuming part of these young adults’ lives.
Forty percent of children aged 10 years old are documented as having a phone, a period where a child’s mind is most vulnerable and adapting. The moldable minds of the next generation are being fed content laden with stereotypes, demanding social norms, and most of all, the desensitization of violence and other important issues.
In a society with very little regulations, a child with limited knowledge of the outside world is suddenly promised everything with the touch of a button. Children clutch these pacifiers that offer little empathy in a moment in their lives where emotions are in most need of being expressed.
In an era in a child’s life where development of their mind is most crucial, children are taught that the unforgiving nature of social media is the new normal. Comment sections, ridden with a blatant lack of humanity, shield instigators with a screen barrier. The lack of consequences demonstrates lessons to viewers that this behavior is acceptable.
A new generation is shaped with the idea that not caring about much of anything (human behavior, cruelty, and demanding political issues in our modern world) is common and that nothing can be done to stop senseless hate.Unfortunately, for these reasons, many adolescents suffer from lower self esteem that can lead to serious mental health concerns.
Where is the empathy or motivation to act?
The lack of empathy or motivation to do anything about the current crises in modern day America is astounding.
Although these devices may seem harmless, the addictive nature in the hands of teenagers may actually have a long, lasting impact. These children will be the ones leading the country and trying to put an end to deadly global issues we are facing today, especially climate change.
The climate clock, widespread through the internet, is ticking down to zero in the upcoming four years and it marks the carbon budget being depleted and the likelihood of devastating consequences is increasingly high. Though there are hundreds of comments and likes on posts depicting the ominous clock, the more the clock is viewed, the more desensitized viewers become to global warming and begin accepting it as a way of life.
Our generation needs to take a stand and stop being codependent on these electronic distractions.
Instead, we need to take back control of our futures by showing one another empathy, compassion and more importantly, working together to problem solve to help ourselves and our planet thrive.
Editor’s note: This article was written by Grossmont High School student Natalia Cortes.
Top photo credit: Pixabay.com
