It’s a paradox: there are more opportunities to connect and communicate with one another than ever before, and yet in many ways, people are more isolated, disconnected, and lonely than ever. This is especially true during a year that has been filled with lockdowns and canceled events, but the loneliness and isolation of a tech-driven culture were already prevalent before 2020. In many ways, technology has overpromised and underdelivered, and America’s teenagers are increasingly feeling this. Drawing off of research from Amy and Andy Crouch in their new book My Tech-Wise Life, Barna Group recently reported on this trend, writing,
Despite the promises of social media to help connect people, teens worry that technology is coming between individuals. In fact, data show that nearly seven in 10 teens (68%) agree that devices keep them from having real conversations, and a third (32%) says devices sometimes separate them from other people. Younger generations see a paradox in which tech simultaneously connects and disconnects them from their peers.
Barna also found that teens and young adults are aware of the way that technology is affecting their attention span and work ethic.
When Barna asked how technology makes 13–21-year olds’ lives harder, top answers related to productivity, with over half of teens stating issues like wasting time (54%), procrastinating on work (53%) and being generally distracted (50%). Nearly two in five respondents (37%) admit they get bored easily when they are not online.
In 2018, 95% of America’s teenagers owned or had access to a smartphone. At the same time, screen time and social media use have been linked to an alarming uptick in depression rates among teens within the past decade. The overwhelming ubiquity of digital technology is practically inescapable, but that does not mean that it has to rule our lives.
Technology can be a useful tool, but as Joshua Gibbs recently pointed out regarding TikTok, the argument that tools are neutral overlooks the fact that tools have an intended purpose. When evaluating whether an app or a piece of technology is a valuable tool, we have to ask ourselves, “a tool for what?” If digital technology is a tool for communication and connection, then it is good and useful insofar as it is used for that purpose. But all too often, especially among young people, technology can become a tool for mindless scrolling, comparing oneself with others, or bullying.
When considering the value of technology, it’s important to think about how its design shapes the way that we use it, and then ask ourselves if that use is good or harmful. Many apps and devices are made for entertainment, but when entertainment is designed to be delivered to the handheld, 5.5-inch screen of a smartphone or to the user’s noise-canceling headphones, we should keep in mind that this technology is designed in a way that actually inhibits connection with others and encourages isolation. It’s hardly surprising, then, that using this technology for hours every day makes us feel lonely.
Many teens recognize that when they choose to spend time in the digital world rather than the real world, they’re selling themselves short. Barna notes, “Though teens largely prefer in-person to online activities, they admit to often spending more time in the digital realm than in the real world. While they wish they could engage with the real world, their devices usually win.” Teenagers are not adults, and while it’s important they learn personal responsibility, they also need guidance and discipline as they grow in maturity.
Teens certainly aren’t the only ones who struggle with the overuse of technology and the ways that it undermines human connection, which is why entire families need to be intentional about wisely approaching digital technology. Because kids and teens have brains that are still developing, it is especially important that parents set limits on what technology they are using and how often. According to Barna’s research, the majority of teens whose parents had put restrictions on their tech use believed that those restrictions were “about right,” and roughly half of the teens whose parents had not set limits had made an effort to limit their own screen time.
The effects of too much technological exposure are serious, especially to young people, damaging attention spans and mental health, and robbing them of real human connection. But this is not a hopeless situation. Families can make the intentional decision to be “tech-wise”—adopting a disciplined approach to technology by recognizing how it can shape us and choosing not to allow it to distort our lives and cut us off from one another. According to Barna, “It may seem improbable, but both Amy Crouch and her father Andy Crouch believe Gen Z has the potential to be the first tech-wise generation.” Given guidance and discipleship from the adults in their lives, the “digital natives” of Generation Z have the potential to become a generation that pursues an intentionally tech-wise lifestyle.
