Table of ContentsConsequences of Prolonged Screen Time for Young PeopleUndeniable Benefits of Digital MediaConclusionWorks CitedIt seems strange to think that there was once a world unoccupied by technology. Older generations remember spending time entertaining themselves with projects, crafts, and hanging out with friends. Today, it seems that those days are over. Children ages 0-18 have changed dramatically in response to today's modern world. The use of phones and digital media has decreased face-to-face contact, making this generation more interested in their artificial world than in what is happening now. Exposure to everything digital has replaced what makes us human. In the book Fahrenheit 451, written by Ray Bradbury, he talks about a futuristic technological world where everyone is "tuned" to a screen and has no time for anything else. It’s already happening: Across the world, teenagers and young children are becoming increasingly addicted to their screens. Information comes to them at a rapid pace, they don't have time to process this information and it changes the way their brain develops. Although technology has benefited humanity, it has detrimental effects on today's youth. Young people should use technology in moderation and it should not be introduced to young children. Say no to plagiarism. Get a tailor-made essay on “Why Violent Video Games Should Not Be Banned”? Get the original essay Consequences of Extended Screen Time for Young People Some teens and young children spend three to nine hours playing games or checking social media. You might be wondering, what else are these kids doing? The use of technology has turned into something similar to an addiction, children today can't seem to focus on anything else. They prefer to stay indoors all day and stay on their phones. Staying indoors more due to screen use and not getting adequate exercise is detrimental to the health and development of children and adolescents. This obsession and addiction is comparable to drug use, everything that should be important and focused on in life becomes boring and unimportant. According to the information source “The Economist”. he indicates in his article published in early January 2018 that research indicates that adolescents' habits on social networks are a reason for exposing them to a risk of suicide and depression. Even parents are starting to hear this warning sign. A 2011 study, "Teenagers, Kindness and Cruelty on Social Networking Sites," explored parents' attitudes and concerns about the effects of the phone. “Parents responding to the survey noted that the Internet and mobile devices help children connect with information, as well as with friends and family, and allow them to become more independent. On the negative side, parents said it exposes children to inappropriate content, can provide a platform for bad online behavior, and wastes time from important face-to-face interactions. There are benefits to screen time, but the opposite effects will leave a much deeper mark and impact than the positive effects. “School surveys conducted by the OECD, a club made up mainly of rich countries, suggest that 15-year-olds have a harder time making friends. In the US – though, phone haters should note, not globallyrich as a whole – youth suicides are on the rise” (The Economist). This is shocking information. Young children and adolescents live in a wonderful time, full of opportunity and hope, but technology is rearing its ugly head. Teenagers are more unhappy and anxious than in previous generations. Screens are to blame. Britain and the United States have conducted several studies and found that there is a link between excessive use of technology and unhappiness, according to "The Economist." Technology and screen time have been proven to have negative implications on the well-being, social lives and health of young children and adolescents. Smartphones have become part of everyday life, you can't go out in big cities without seeing a person looking at their small screen. Phones are very addictive, but that's not their only drawback. The introduction of technology to young children and its constant use by children and adolescents affects their thinking skills and motor skills. The effects of screen time do not harm or change the brain in negative ways in adults. Youth should be censored because of these harmful effects. Canadian researchers studied 4,520 questionnaires from American children aged 8 to 11 based on their lifestyle. The subjects also took cognitive tests. At the Children's Hospital of Eastern Ontario Research Institute in Ottawa, Canada, have discovered the optimal time for screen exposure, exercise and sleep. They suggest limiting screen time to two hours a day, sleeping between 9 and 11 hours, and getting an hour of exercise. “More than a third – 1,655 children – met guidelines for limiting screen time, and their average performance on cognitive tests was 4.5 percent higher than the 1,330 children who met none guidelines. The gain was even higher, at 5.2%, for those who met both screen time and sleep recommendations (Coghlan). Limiting screen time is essential to children's academic success. Time spent on digital media reduces cognitive abilities. Digital media is essentially turning this younger generation into zombies. The CBS 60 Minutes episode discusses interesting findings about the effects of technology on young people of all ages. The results are surprising and the documentary shows the negative and threatening impacts on society. The study was launched by the federal government through the National Institute of Health to study the brain development of adolescents exposed to technology. Twenty-one sites across the country are participating in this study, tracking 11,000 9- and 10-year-old brains for a decade as they are exposed to digital media. Funding the study cost $300 million. While these children's brains were scanned by an MRI machine, researchers discovered premature thinning of the cortex. The cortex is the part of the brain where it processes information from the five senses. Who knows what problems might arise for these children. Screen time harms the brains of young children. Seattle Children's Hospital found that when babies play on their iPads, they don't transfer what they've learned into the real world, slowing and inhibiting their development. A child who spends hours on digital will be at a serious disadvantage compared to a child limited by technological devices. Teenagers have also had their minds distorted by their small screens, 14(4), 183-186.