a cell phone to make it easier to contact them when they weren ’ t together . Now parents buy them smart phones . Why does a twelve year old need such constant contact with the internet ?
There are many issues wrapped around teens having smart phones and too much access to the internet . One I ’ d like to address is the disconnection teens experience with themselves , others and nature because of their obsession with social media .
When we are absorbed in a compulsive relationship with an object that serves as a way to connect us with others , an unhealthy social disconnection seems to arise . Communication becomes fragmented , and the use of the five senses is watered down . The body perceives external stimuli through the faculties of sight , smell , hearing , taste and touch . When young people spend a large amount of time with a piece of technology , such as a phone , what senses are being activated ? Sight is limited to what is on the screen . The sense of smell isn ’ t activated by the environment . Hearing is reduced to listening for the pinging noise that lets one know there ’ s another message . Taste becomes stale — the mouth hasn ’ t opened for hours because they aren ’ t talking . And touch is no more than the handling of a hard piece of material that has no warmth or feeling .
Before the internet and social media were a part of daily life , we found different ways to entertain ourselves . We were engaging all of our senses throughout the day . When I was young , sitting outside in the grass talking with a friend engaged all five senses .
I think we all want a connection with the earth and each other .
When we aren ’ t connected , we feel alone and isolated , leaving us with an unnameable sadness . Even though teens say they are feeling connected because they are communicating with their friends 24 / 7 , what are the some of the downsides of not connecting face to face ? One is the current rise of teen depression . More and more teens are complaining of being unhappy and depressed . I believe this is associated with a false sense of connection through social media that has replaced real opportunities to be with each other , especially in nature .
Scientific research has shown the benefits of being outdoors . A study conducted by the University of Essex and published by the metal health organization Mind , found that taking a walk in nature can reduce depression by as much as 71 percent . The medical community also recognized that too much screen time can make it difficult to sleep at night due to eyestrain and other side effects . Additionally , damage to the retina has been associated with prolonged exposure to the blue light that emanates from screens .
A study published by Computers in Human Behavior noted the differences exhibited by sixth graders after a five-day period during which some were allowed access to phones , television and computers and others were sent to the Pali Institute , an outdoor education camp in Running Springs , California . Those who went to the Pali Institute did not have access to technology and showed significantly better perception at reading human emotions and other non-verbal cues than those who continued to use their devices .
In my practice I have definitely noticed a difference between youth who are dependent on technology and those who are not . The teens that are limited in their use of technology tend to engage more in personal interaction , seem more passionate about their environment , and tend to participate more in retreats and mentoring . The high-use social media teens seem to have less passion for life and energized by posting selfies .
I created a little exercise recently with a few of my mentees asking them to alter their technology usage . My first mentee was a 17 year old who is studying to finish high school early and begin college sooner . She has a lot of stress in her life , not only because of school but also because her family life is very difficult . She said it was taking longer to finish her homework because of the frequent interruptions on her phone . I asked her to try putting her phone in another room for a week and turning it off during her study time . At first , she was very resistant to this idea because she felt like she might miss something . But she did it anyway , and she said that her stress diminished dramatically and was much more productive , getting her homework done in half the time . But the biggest shift for her was she felt less anxious and happier . She said she was going to start limiting her cell phone use and turning it off on a much more frequent basis .
Another teen came to one of my mother / daughter three-day retreats . In this retreat , I ask for a commitment to not use cell phones or other devices . I noticed on the first day , this teen had her phone close by , and she would look at it quiet often . I reminded her of the commitment to not use her phone , and she said she had not personally committed to that . However , after I discussed this with her , she seemed to
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