As the
world gets more interconnected through the use of portable phones, there has
been a growing trend of increased stress and anxiety reported amongst teens in
communities where the devices are common. This has led many to ask if
Smartphone’s are the cause of the anxiety these teens in question. After all,
these devices were never around beforehand, so where did the increase in stress
come from if not from these devices? Well...not entirely. While it is easy to
simply look to the advance of these small plastic devices, it is far too simple
to call them the cause of this anxiety. Many of the studies done on “anxiety
and teens” has shown there has not been a single cause of this anxiety, and
several sources have come to question if teens with Smartphone’s as a whole are
more anxious than other teens. Another theory on Smartphone’s has developed,
saying that it is not the phone itself but what it represents that causes the
apparent anxiety: the Smartphone is a portable singularity of social
interconnection, internalized cost, and point of vulnerability that would make
it the focal point of already existing anxiety.
Phones
have been, from their very beginning, a means to ensure that contact is not
lost with other people. Smartphone’s are a continuation of the idea, not
limiting itself to simple voice use but including internet use and social media
connectivity. And as social anxieties are among the most common of anxieties,
the phone itself now becomes a place for those anxieties to show themselves. On
top of that, phones of any kind are prone to what has been described as
“helicopter parenting”, where another source of stress in the life of a teen
now has near constant access to a teen when they do not always wish it. Several
companies within the United States even use this kind of feature as a selling
point. AT&T calls the program the Family Map, and ensures that users
“always know” where loved ones are, teens included. If anyone reading knew that
at any time, any place, parents knew precisely where one is, would that not be
a stressful situation that causes anxiety?
Even
with the ubiquity of cell phones and Smartphone’s with many teenage groups,
what is obvious is the apparent cost of them and what they show about the
status of the teen in question is another piece of anxiety. It's one that seems
obvious, but it needs to be iterated: much like any other aspect of teen life,
what phone is owned is as much a reflection of the resources available to the
teen. Much like clothing and brand choice with other teens, what Smartphone is
owned is just another thing to deal with in regards to this common form of
anxiety.
There
is also the physical truth of Smartphone’s: even the largest on market is still
a small piece of plastic, glass, and circuitry that can be easily misplaced and
forgotten. Much like the wallet before it, the size of the phone itself is
small and easily forgotten. And should it be forgotten, it becomes a plethora
of information that many of those who lack scruples can use. This is another
reason that the Smartphone is a focal point for anxiety. Social information,
banking, and any other number of details about one’s life can become another
reason why the already existing anxiety becomes focused on that small
unassuming thing that is a Smartphone.
Smartphone’s
can indeed seem like they add anxiety to a teens life, but in truth the
Smartphone seems to be a singular collector of teen anxieties: many of the
problems that cause anxiety in a teens life becomes concentrated into a single
electrical device. It's not a cause but a reminder of the stressors that teens
already have. It's not a thing to blame, but a place to start discovering and
unwinding the anxiety that already exists for teens.
Author bio
An educator by trade, Salomon
has worked for several years with children in a variety of settings. Technology
is a passion for him as well, and where education and technology meets is where
Salomon finds the most interesting places to talk for best AnxietyResources.
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