Devices are having negative effect

To the editor:

I am deeply concerned about the mental and physical impact of technology on our brains.

Our brains’ physical makeup is changing. Young children and teens are experiencing the effects of this.

HuffPost writes about the fact that longtime technology use is linked to fatigue, stress and depression. This phenomenon is present in kids, especially teens.

According to Common Sense Media, teens spend up to nine hours a day on technology.

I am concerned. I have been in several situations where people have become so addicted to their phones that they will completely ignore eye contact, as they stare ignorantly at their phones.

We are now using these technologies in our school systems, encouraging further use of these items. I believe that technology also alters social life, making people more aggressive and incompetent. You can see this in teens today; many don’t know how to communicate feelings to one another.

Technology is a drug, similar to meth. High levels of dopamine are released when you receive a text message. As we all know dopamine is an addictive substance. I also know that children as young as 5 own a phone. This is saying a lot about the current state of our society.

Just like one wouldn’t subject their child to a cigarette or a pot of coffee, why should we let them have such a corrosive item such as a phone? 

Liberty Keller

Redkey