Article 1: Seven Fears and the Science of How Mobile Technologies May Be Influencing
Adolescents in the Digital Age- George.
● Large scale surveys and interviews with parents
● 90% of adolescents use internet, 67 messages per day
● Focus on adolescents 12-20: because they are a vulnerable group, and they are born in
the digital world
Fear 1: Parents Worry About Whom Adolescents Are Interacting With Online and What
Type of Information They Are Sharing With Others (most common)
➔ Spend 7.5 hours of consumption, 1.5 hours for texting
➔ They interact with the people they know, unlikely to interact with people they don’t know
(mostly friends, romantic partners and family). : MAINLY BASED ON SELF REPORTS
➔ Online versus offline networks look very similar. Most text messages sent by younger
adolescents appear to be positive or neutral. BASED ON NATURALISTIC RESEARCH
➔ However, reports of digital data sharing indicate that many older adolescents are
sharing sexually explicit materials online. Around 20%.
➔ People forward these pictures
Fear 2: Parents Fear That Their Children Will Be Victims of Cyberbullying or Will Be
Solicited by Strangers Online
➔ Between 11% to 48% and estimates vary widely depending on the definition of
cyberbullying, the age and characteristics of the study members, and the reporting time
frame
➔ There is overlap between adolescents who bully others offline and those who engage in
cyberbullying; similarly, victims of cyberbullying are often victimized offline, and
adolescents who experience cyberbullying are at increased risk for a wide range of
mental and physical health problems.
➔ Lower than traditional bullying, did not increase in the last 5y/7years and did not produce
new bullies and victims
➔ Relates more to suicide ideation than traditional bullying
➔ Exaggerates the bad effects of existing victims
➔ Anonymity= harder to know your perpetrator
➔ Mostly by close friends, being unsolicited by strangers is low= and it’s not about posting
things but rather exchange with unknown people and offline risk factors
Fear 3: Adolescents’ Constant Connectivity Prevents Them From Being Present in “Real
Life” and Interferes With Offline Socialization Experiences and Friendships
➔ Online communication= higher quality friendships= self disclosure and well being= helps
with social rejection= skill building for people with disabilities
➔ Rich get richer hypothesis= those who already have strong relationships more likely to
benefit from online communication leading to better relationships
➔ People who have mental problems and already feel lonely, and those who use it for
entertainment and for negative talking= will feel lonelier, more antisocial
➔ Little evidence that how much you text will give you emotional problems
Fear 4: Mobile Phones Are Creating a Digital Divide Between Parents and Adolescents
, ➔ Moderate technology use does not appear to predict declining parent–child relationship
quality
➔ Yes they spend less time with their parents but the quality is untouched
➔ Using technology with family=enhances relationship
➔ If the child is the one who calls parent= better relationship but not the opposite (also bad
if parent monitors child online activity)
Fear 5: Adolescents Are Experimenting With Alternative Identities Online While Leaving
a Digital Archive of Data That May Damage Their Sense of Self and Future Lives
➔ Identity offline is mirrored online
➔ Strengthens self identity through positive friendships
➔ Safe space to explore new identities
➔ Might use it to show a flawless narrative
➔ Digital data is stored and we don’t know the impact of it in the future- also relieving bad
experiences
Fear 6: Constant Multitasking on Mobile Devices Is Impairing Adolescents’ Cognitive
Performance
➔ Heavy users= academic impairment and absences
➔ Causal link is hard to establish= because it might be that people with learning difficulties
are the ones who use more technology and multitask more often
➔ Those who are easily distracted use more social media
Fear 7: Adolescents Are Losing Sleep Because of Their Devices
➔ Having more devices in a room= more problems sleeping and sleep less on weekends and
weekdays
➔ Using phone at night and putting it near pillow= very tired
➔ Laboratory studies= reading on Ipad leads harder time sleeping= Emotionally arousing
content hinders sleep
● The effects of new technologies on adolescent development are not uniform,
● We need experimental and quasi experimental research to see these effects
● This paper mostly relied on self reports, interviews and reviews of articles
Article 2: Przybylski, A. K., & Weinstein, N. (2017). A large-scale test of the Goldilocks
Hypothesis: Quantifying the relations between digital-screen use and the mental well-being
of adolescents.
➔ 18 hours per week use of social media
➔ Aim: How much screen time is good for students or adolescents and how it affects
students' well-being in the week or weekend.
➔ Displacement hypothesis: harm of technology is proportional to exposure- it displaces
real time used interacting with people= negative effects= monotonic
● Weak links between screen time and health from previous research
Adolescents in the Digital Age- George.
● Large scale surveys and interviews with parents
● 90% of adolescents use internet, 67 messages per day
● Focus on adolescents 12-20: because they are a vulnerable group, and they are born in
the digital world
Fear 1: Parents Worry About Whom Adolescents Are Interacting With Online and What
Type of Information They Are Sharing With Others (most common)
➔ Spend 7.5 hours of consumption, 1.5 hours for texting
➔ They interact with the people they know, unlikely to interact with people they don’t know
(mostly friends, romantic partners and family). : MAINLY BASED ON SELF REPORTS
➔ Online versus offline networks look very similar. Most text messages sent by younger
adolescents appear to be positive or neutral. BASED ON NATURALISTIC RESEARCH
➔ However, reports of digital data sharing indicate that many older adolescents are
sharing sexually explicit materials online. Around 20%.
➔ People forward these pictures
Fear 2: Parents Fear That Their Children Will Be Victims of Cyberbullying or Will Be
Solicited by Strangers Online
➔ Between 11% to 48% and estimates vary widely depending on the definition of
cyberbullying, the age and characteristics of the study members, and the reporting time
frame
➔ There is overlap between adolescents who bully others offline and those who engage in
cyberbullying; similarly, victims of cyberbullying are often victimized offline, and
adolescents who experience cyberbullying are at increased risk for a wide range of
mental and physical health problems.
➔ Lower than traditional bullying, did not increase in the last 5y/7years and did not produce
new bullies and victims
➔ Relates more to suicide ideation than traditional bullying
➔ Exaggerates the bad effects of existing victims
➔ Anonymity= harder to know your perpetrator
➔ Mostly by close friends, being unsolicited by strangers is low= and it’s not about posting
things but rather exchange with unknown people and offline risk factors
Fear 3: Adolescents’ Constant Connectivity Prevents Them From Being Present in “Real
Life” and Interferes With Offline Socialization Experiences and Friendships
➔ Online communication= higher quality friendships= self disclosure and well being= helps
with social rejection= skill building for people with disabilities
➔ Rich get richer hypothesis= those who already have strong relationships more likely to
benefit from online communication leading to better relationships
➔ People who have mental problems and already feel lonely, and those who use it for
entertainment and for negative talking= will feel lonelier, more antisocial
➔ Little evidence that how much you text will give you emotional problems
Fear 4: Mobile Phones Are Creating a Digital Divide Between Parents and Adolescents
, ➔ Moderate technology use does not appear to predict declining parent–child relationship
quality
➔ Yes they spend less time with their parents but the quality is untouched
➔ Using technology with family=enhances relationship
➔ If the child is the one who calls parent= better relationship but not the opposite (also bad
if parent monitors child online activity)
Fear 5: Adolescents Are Experimenting With Alternative Identities Online While Leaving
a Digital Archive of Data That May Damage Their Sense of Self and Future Lives
➔ Identity offline is mirrored online
➔ Strengthens self identity through positive friendships
➔ Safe space to explore new identities
➔ Might use it to show a flawless narrative
➔ Digital data is stored and we don’t know the impact of it in the future- also relieving bad
experiences
Fear 6: Constant Multitasking on Mobile Devices Is Impairing Adolescents’ Cognitive
Performance
➔ Heavy users= academic impairment and absences
➔ Causal link is hard to establish= because it might be that people with learning difficulties
are the ones who use more technology and multitask more often
➔ Those who are easily distracted use more social media
Fear 7: Adolescents Are Losing Sleep Because of Their Devices
➔ Having more devices in a room= more problems sleeping and sleep less on weekends and
weekdays
➔ Using phone at night and putting it near pillow= very tired
➔ Laboratory studies= reading on Ipad leads harder time sleeping= Emotionally arousing
content hinders sleep
● The effects of new technologies on adolescent development are not uniform,
● We need experimental and quasi experimental research to see these effects
● This paper mostly relied on self reports, interviews and reviews of articles
Article 2: Przybylski, A. K., & Weinstein, N. (2017). A large-scale test of the Goldilocks
Hypothesis: Quantifying the relations between digital-screen use and the mental well-being
of adolescents.
➔ 18 hours per week use of social media
➔ Aim: How much screen time is good for students or adolescents and how it affects
students' well-being in the week or weekend.
➔ Displacement hypothesis: harm of technology is proportional to exposure- it displaces
real time used interacting with people= negative effects= monotonic
● Weak links between screen time and health from previous research
