What do you see in the black mirror?
This is Sandra Tsing Loh with the Loh Down on Science.
It’s tough being a teen? No one understands you! And teens today report feeling even lonelier than past generations!
“WHY?” asked Jean Twengea and team from San Diego State University.
Over two decades, they surveyed a million teenagers worldwide. They asked about school life: whether kids felt like they fit in, and how often they were on their phones.
And? Teen loneliness DOUBLED globally through the 2010’s!
Except in South Korea, where smartphone access didn’t change much.
More research is needed, but it looks like too much phone time is unhealthy.
That’s no way to grow up!
So put down the black mirror, and seat yourself in front of the idiot box!
Reference: Twenge, J. M., Haidt, J., Blake, A. B., McAllister, C., Lemon, H., & le Roy, A. (2021). Worldwide increases in adolescent loneliness. Journal of Adolescence. Published. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.adolescence.2021.06.006