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According to Common Sense Media: 

• • 50% of teenagers feel addicted to their mobile phones

  • 80% of teenagers check their phones hourly

• According to the "Mobile Mindset Study", conducted by Lookout (2012):

  • 30% of the participants say they check their phones while at a meal with someone else

  • 54% of people check their phone "while lying in bed" (in the middle of the night, before going to bed, or right after waking up)

• In Nancy Sale's book American Girls: Social Media and the Secret Lives of Teenagers, teenagers spend up to 11 hours a day staring at a screen

And our lack of control is impacting current and future generations in a major way. Here are just a few of the many examples.

• "Reclaiming Conversation: The Power of Talk in a Digital Age" by Sherry Turkle speaks about the superficial relationships of younger generations, and the lack of empathy and emotional development that exist.

• The mother of a 1-year-old from New York City wrote: “I see myself reaching for my phone out of habit anytime I'm the least bit bored or have a moment to spare. I hate this and yet can't seem to stop myself. I figure at least my brain patterns were formed without this influence and am terrified of what growing up with smartphones and tech will do to my daughter.”

• 19 young men diagnosed as addicted to technology were compared to 19 young men who were not: the men addicted to technology had increased neurotransmitter activity in the area of the brain connected to rewards, mood regulation and control of inhibition, while also rating higher for depression, anxiety and impulsivity.

We don't want to blame technology for our problems. However, we do want to change how we misuse technology.

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