The Golden Trident

By Hailey Bland

Gen Z and Gen Alpha are commonly referred to as “screenagers” or “iPad kids,” stereotyped as always buried in their phones, and never finishing simple tasks because they’re “too busy” on some form of technology. But don’t adults do the same thing? Why does it seem that when teens don’t get tasks done, technology is always blamed, but when adults don’t get tasks done, everything but technology is the problem? Why is the growing mind blamed for an issue that adults created?

Landlines were invented in 1876, and at the time, adults primarily used them to communicate with neighbors, as well as the occasional telemarketer, but as technology progressed, so did phones. The first handheld phone was made in 1973 and called the DynaTAC, but it was more commonly referred to as “the brick” according to EBSCO. The DynaTAC still lacked popularity due to its cost and bulky size, so it was only used by wealthy individuals. However, the DynaTAC’s predecessor didn’t fare much better. The IBM was released in 1994, and despite being more portable than the DynaTAC, it remained pricey, and the average citizen could not afford it. Only 2 years later, the first flip phone was released, and it took off, gaining popularity with young adults and middle-aged people. The phone offered easy and portable communication, and people loved it. But how did we advance to the age of  “screenagers?” Well, in 2007, the first iPhone was released. It was at first more commonly bought by those over 18, but teenagers’ interest in the phone grew as it advanced. It was used to play games, easily talk to friends, and much more; the options were endless. It was no shock that as iPhones progressed, so did the appeal towards them. Why shouldn’t kids have a way to reach out to their parents and friends? But the addictions didn’t arise until phones were used for much more than communication, and when we reached that point, there was no going back.

Today, the average screentime of children ranging from 8 to 18 is 7 hours, and unsurprisingly, adults’ screentime is the same. So, once again, this raises the question of why children are seen as addicted to their screens and not adults. Is it because they are unashamed about their use of technology, and often use it as a resource? Or is it because adults refuse to be seen on the same level as those younger than them? According to The Journal: Technological Horizons in Education, 95% of schools provide their students with some form of technology to complete their schoolwork. Jeffco is included in this issue, with every school under Jeffco’s control using technology. By doing this, schools encourage students to be on their devices even more, without any other options. Much like kids, adults are in a similar predicament. Before COVID-19, only 5% of workers were online, and by the peak of COVID, 61.5% of workers were online, according to PubMed Central. The number of online workers has since gone down since the pandemic ended, but technology has already done its damage. COVID-19 transformed workers into tech-dependent people, and by transforming adults, it also transformed children. The choice is simple: either use technology or fail. 

Not all technology use is forced or used for productive activities. Peer pressure has increased drastically since the development of social media, causing people to be more susceptible to internet scams and the lies that people post. Though why is it that the lies are what keep us addicted? Much like people’s appeal towards movies and the fantasy world, it puts them in a utopian type world, seeing all these people with ideal lives and thinking that they one day could have that life. Typically, in the media, social media influencing people is often portrayed as only happening to children, yet it also affects adults. When’s the last time your parents bought something from companies like Temu or Amazon because they saw it on Facebook and it ended up looking nothing like the product? A whopping 73% of adults have fallen for an internet scam, according to Pew Research Center. Much like when teens look at their phones and see all these model-like individuals, living lives of luxury, they perceive these beauty standards and lifestyles as realistic, and parents see these awesome products as realistic as well. Though human addictions can not fully be blamed on technology, for existing as humans refuse to take the blame for any of their actions because, as the “superior species,” human beings, they can do no wrong. But the only way to reverse this issue is to take accountability and stop shying away from the cruel truth of the addiction we have not just welcomed but embraced. Overall, it is unfair to put technology addiction on one generation or person. Addiction is a global and age-wide problem because it is a drug, and just like drugs, technology gives you the same dopamine release, which keeps people coming back. No one person can be blamed for the rise in dependence on technology. As a society, people need to accept that how much we trust and use technology has gotten out of hand, and stop projecting the blame on a generation that is adapting to their environment.