For Gen Z students, like senior Axel Aleman, many, if not all, have grown up surrounded by technology consistently for their whole lives.
“It’s kind of strange to think that we’re the generation that begins with having technology surrounding us literally everywhere because our parents didn’t experience that,” Aleman said. “We have a lot more opportunities to use technology for good and for bad.”
Due to Gen Z being the first generation to have grown up with technology, it has become a predominant aspect of their life and has made them more comfortable and familiar with utilizing it. Although technology is known for its many advantages and facilitating tasks at the tip of a finger, it also comes with numerous disadvantages. A prominent issue stemming from the usage of technology has been the increase of social isolation and the struggle to maintain real-life connections, all becoming increasingly difficult. Many students, like junior Natica Renteria, tend to have most of their conversations online rather than in person, leading to the risk of or even an increase in social isolation.
“I don’t really go outside or talk to other people, mostly because my parents are too busy to drive me anywhere,” Renteria said. “A lot of my conversations are online.”
Additionally, the pressure from social media fuels this. Although social media has facilitated communication with people, giving them the ability to find new people and create connections, downsides still exist to the usage of social media. With the pressure of social media from fitting into standards and fear of missing out, poor mental health, along with feelings of increased loneliness, becomes an increasingly high risk.
“On social media, everyone puts their life on there,” sophomore Megan Ramirez said. “It makes it look like they have such a great life and it can bring you down.”
noticed some improvement in their productivity and focus at school while seven said it’s been much harder with the implementation of the phone ban. (Alexa Garay)
According to a survey by the Children’s Health Center, Gen Z reports poor mental and social health compared to other generations, additionally using social media at least one hour a day. The constant use of social media and technology negatively impacts individuals through consequences of sleep loss, negative self-image and depressive symptoms.
Social psychologist and author of “The Anxious Generation” Jonathan Haidt describes the rising mental health concerns among younger generations and how the negative effects that stem from technology use such as social isolation outweigh any benefits. In an interview with NPR, Haidt shares his opinion on how to reduce as much screen time as possible.
“If we’re going to reduce screen time, we have to give them back real engagement and fun in the real world,” Haidt said.
Recognizing these challenges, educational institutions like the Los Angeles Unified School District (LAUSD) have taken proactive measures by implementing a cellphone ban to foster better social interactions among students. To help improve the social isolation and mental health among Gen Z, LAUSD implemented a district-wide cellphone ban that went into effect on Feb. 18.
Although Psychiatric Social Worker Joanne Tuell believes the cellphone ban has been working well since it’s been implemented on campus, she still worries about the consequences and issues that linger outside campus once the cellphone ban isn’t in effect.
“I think that the cell phone ban is one way to help encourage communication with kids, but it’s still a huge problem outside of school,” Tuell said. “The amount of time that kids spend on their phones, scrolling social media, is making kids more anxious and more depressed.”
Despite these technological challenges, there are numerous methods to help combat the use of excessive technology. According to the American Psychiatric Association, some methods to reduce the usage of technology are limiting screen time, setting boundaries online and creating a balance through hobbies and relationships to avoid fueling or gaining an unhealthy obsession with anything online through technology. Aleman shares how he tries to maintain his social interactions consistently and avoid unnecessary technology use.
“Try to go out more with a group of friends or even just by yourself, because it’s also not good to just be procrastinating or just watching videos all the time because it’s a huge time waster,” Aleman said. “It’s definitely good to step outside, once in a while and just enjoy what’s around you. That’s all you need.”
Staff writer Alex Salcedo contributed to the article
