Research on Internet Generation, or iGen
Also known as Gen Z, iGen (the cohort after the Millennials) includes those born from 1995 to 2012. For anyone wondering how smartphones and social media affect this generation, Twenge’s book iGen lays out the demographic trends (based on nationally representative survey data, such as the General Social Survey, or GSS.) Three of those trends are especially relevant for understanding how the latest digital technologies affect this generation.
iGen trend 1: screens vs. books
One trend is clear to educators: More time on screens means less time with books, which has affected literacy skills among iGen teens. According to Twenge,
Apparently, texting and posting to social media instead of reading books, magazines, and newspapers are not a boon for reading comprehension or academic writing. That might partially be due to the short attention span that new media seem to encourage. One study installed a program on college students’ laptops that took a screenshot every five seconds. The researchers found that students switched between tasks every nineteen seconds on average. More than 75% of the students’ computer windows were open less than one minute. This is a very different experience from sitting and reading a book for hours (p 64).
Okay, to play devil’s advocate: So what if kids aren’t reading books? Isn’t knowing how to use smartphones and social media more important than traditional literacy today? Well, even if that were true, there’s still a problem: Screens don’t exercise the same cognitive skills as books.
For example, one such skill is the ability to focus. Unlike books, smartphones and social media encourage multitasking and short attention spans, and kids who don’t learn to sustain attention won’t be able to focus. That’s a problem, because the ability to focus is much more connected to academic and career success than trying to multitask with smartphones and social media.
iGen trend 2: electronic vs. in-person communication
On average, iGen teens are less likely to interact face-to-face and more likely to communicate electronically. As Twenge observes,
with the advent of social media and smartphones, teens’ social lives shifted decisively away from in-person interaction. They spend much less time with their friends in person than teens in previous decades did—about an hour a day less (p 76).
Does it matter if teens don’t interact as much in-person? Yes, Twenge writes, particularly if social skills suffer.
For parents, teachers, student affairs professionals, and businesses, the big question is this: Will the decline in in-person social interaction lead to iGen having inferior social skills? Some preliminary evidence suggests it will. In one study, 6th graders spent five days at an overnight nature camp with no access to computers, cell phones, or TV. A control group continued their usual technology activities. All of the kids then took two social skills tests, naming the emotion (happy, sad, angry, fearful) expressed in a series of photos of people’s faces or watching no-sound videotapes of social interactions. The kids who had spent give days away from screens improved their social skills significantly more than the control group did (p 90).
iGen trend 3: more lonely and depressed
As book reading and face-to-face communication decline, while screen use and electronic messaging increase, what happens to mental health? Supposedly, smartphones and social media help you feel less lonely by connecting you to others. If that were true, anyone who spends more time on screens should feel less lonely.
The evidence, however, demonstrates practically the opposite. Smartphones and social media appear to make people feel more alone over time. As Twenge reports,
Teens who visit social networking sites every day are actually more likely to agree “I often feel lonely,” “I often feel left out of things,” and “I often wish I had more good friends.” … In contrast, those who spend time with their friends in person or who play sports are less lonely.
Just as for happiness, the results are clear: screen activities are linked to more loneliness, and nonscreen activities are linked to less loneliness (p 80).
As a result of feeling more lonely, iGen is experiencing higher rates of depression than prior generations. Smart devices and social media are likely part of the reason, if not one of the central causes.
Social media and electronic device use is linked to higher rates of loneliness, unhappiness, depression, and suicide risk, in both correlational and experimental data (p 292).
Advice for iGen: Limit screen time!
Twenge ends her book with practical advice for iGen. One recommendation is to limit time spent on screens.
I am not suggesting that teens (or adults) give up smartphones (or even social media) entirely. If you or your teen limits your use to an hour a day, there may be no ill effects. In short doses, this is a useful technology that enhances our lives. But things have clearly gone too far. Psychology journals are filled with articles on Internet addiction. Many teens communicate with their friends electronically far more than they do face-to-face, with as-yet-unknown consequences for their budding social skills. We already know that depression and anxiety have risen at an unprecedented rate and that twice as many young teens commit suicide as just a few years ago. It seems abundantly clear that screen time needs to be cut (p 293).
A balanced media diet
Personally, I like to think of this recommendation the same way I think about food: Consume a balanced media diet.
- A healthy diet requires calcium. But if that’s all I eat, my body will suffer.
- Likewise, a modern life requires using screens. But if all I do is stare at screens all day (and not read books or communicate in person), my mind will likely suffer.
Have any recommendations of your own? Feel free to leave them in a comment below, or check out other Recommended Reading on this site.
References
Twenge, Jean. (2017). iGen: Why Today’s Super-Connected Kids Are Growing Up Less Rebellious, More Tolerant, Less Happy—and Completely Unprepared for Adulthood. New York: Simon & Shuster, Inc.