Nowadays, phones have outgrown their status as simply technological tools as society entered a new era of electronic communication. Young people use their smartphones to socialize, which is why the majority of interactions between adolescents occur online. Washington Post reports that teenagers’ tech habits are a source of concern for parents. Since 2015, the amount of time kids spend watching videos on the Internet has doubled (Siegel). Young people manage to integrate their mobile devices into every part of their life, which explains why so many teenagers use smartphones to organize and maintain their social networks. Despite the phones’ helpfulness, they can lead various negative effects in terms of young people’s peer relationships. These often include social exclusion and cyber bullying, as well as changed family dynamics. It is crucial to acknowledge the threats of cellphone use related to socializing and maintaining relationships at a young age. Despite that, there is no denial that smartphones can be a vital instrument of easy and convenient communication with family and friends, which is why this paper aims to develop a reasonable compromise.
Firstly, phones are an excellent opportunity for adolescents to micro-coordinate their relationships and generate extensive networks with peers. By allowing kids to maintain contact with their peers without worrying about physical proximity or social immobility, smartphones have revolutionized the culture of social interaction (Campbell). Phones enable young adults to form meaningful relationships with peers, and, therefore, bring a sense of belonging into a kid’s life. However, smartphones also provide children with an opportunity to hide behind a screen, voluntarily ostracize, and become a participant in cyber bullying as a result (Rather and Ratner). Young people’s collective tendency to avoid awkward interactions by texting leads to them failing to develop a full capacity to interact with each other.
Without much experience of socializing, adolescents have trouble with not falling victim to peer exclusion. The popularization of texting transformed the nature of communication by making it brief and lacking in social niceties (Campbell). Social media networks have also contributed to the rise of cyber bullying, which implies harassment via messages, video chats, and other tools of online communication. Bullying inadvertently leads to depression, anxiety, and suicidal thoughts, according to recent studies (Campbell). Phones have enabled young people to message something nasty without any real-life repercussions for their words or actions.
Apart from peers, family is one of the most important social institutions that young people rely on as they are growing up. Although people’s attitudes towards phones have been reported to be largely positive, it remains apparent that children experience numerous negative effects of smartphone use in terms of their family life (Gupta and Kumar). Parents often cite safety as the reason for purchasing their kid a phone. However, the issue of security and protection is a part of the double-edged sword since phones often become a source of children’s alienation and ostracism (Silver). On the one hand, a cellphone enables young people to call their parents when they are in trouble and need help. On the other hand, excessive use of smartphones, which is common among teenagers, serves as a threat to existing family dynamics as kids become more inclined to spend their time online instead of socializing with their parents and siblings.
In conclusion, it is evident that young people can benefit greatly from using cellphones as a tool to build and maintain relationships with peers. Additionally, they can use their devices to get immediate help or urgently call their family. However, it is important for parents to monitor their children’s online activities, preferably without intruding their privacy too much. Adults have to encourage young people to socialize in real life and engage in offline communication.
Works Cited
Campbell, Marilyn. “The Impact of the Mobile Phone on Young People’s Social Life.” Social Change in the 21st Century Conference, 2005. Web.
Gupta, Sunil, and Navin Kumar. “Impact of Mobile Phone on Youth: A Psycho-Social Study.”International Journal for Research in Education, vol. 5, no. 4, pp. 50-56, 2016. Web.
Rather, Mudasir, and Shabir Ratner. “Impact of Smartphones on Young Generation.”Library Philosophy and Practice, no. 2384, 2019, Web.
Siegel, Rachel. “Tweens, Teens and Screens: The Average Time Kids Spend Watching Online Videos Has Doubled in 4 Years.” Washington Post. 2019, Web.
Silver, Laura, et al. “Majorities Say Mobile Phones Are Good for Society, Even Amid Concerns about Their Impact on Children.”Pew Research Center, 2019, Web.