Digital tech is pervasive among the youth of today, and recent studies have investigated how this affects their mood. Duke University researchers have found out that the youths’ digital life may somehow trigger attention, self-regulation, and behavioral problems.
Madeleine J. George, a Ph.D. candidate at Duke University, said that “on days at-risk adolescents use technology, the more they experience conduct problems and higher ADHD symptoms compared to the days they use technology less.”
“higher ADHD symptoms compared to the days they use technology less”
Teenagers who used their devices often were more likely to undergo problems like fighting and lying. Furthermore, increased digital use makes them distracted resulting in attention deficit-hyperactivity disorder symptoms (ADHD) mentioned in a recent piece by Duke Today.
Gadgets have become not just a medium of connection but also a method of entertainment. Digital technology has been growing rapidly to the point where it can affect people in daily life from mood changes to sleep deprivation.
According to Science Illustrated, in the United States, teenagers have been spending 8.5 hours using mobiles, computers, and other devices in order to play, learn, and interact. Australia’s teenagers were discovered to have been spending an average of 7 hours, 38 minutes in using their gadgets.
Researchers from Duke University have learned that using technology had some good effects too. Some days, teens were less likely to report symptoms of depression and anxiety when they spend greater time using digital technologies. Because of this, researchers boldly concluded that gadgets can also allow youths to make more social connections and feel stronger ties to their peers.
When it comes to society, digital technology has a lot of positive and negative implications. For example, World Economic Forum stated that digital technology negatively affects health, and someone’s ability to look for a partner.
According to Gene Block, a Chancellor at University of California, “Perhaps, the most dramatic impact of digital technology is the reduction in the amount of sleep.”
Teenagers who suffer from mental health problems are relying on different mediums to help them go through life. The rapid development of digital technology clearly has advantages and disadvantages but bold innovations in technology will mean that perhaps a solution for these side effects will also be developed.
