In today’s world, adolescence access to technology has skyrocketed with more and more teens owning cell phones each year. This has resulted in increased media use which have had negative consequences on those who do it too much.

 The first major negative effect is that many teens often feel extremely alone. According to Berkely, the reason why teens feel alone is because they know what everyone else is doing via social media. This in turn makes many teens feel left out from events their peers are doing and causes them to suck up more of their time trying to find out what they are missing. Adding to that, the increased use of social media and other forms of technology has left less time for teens to socialize with others which may prove vital to their formative years. 

Another issue that has arisen is the increased need for materialism. By allowing teens to constantly see the lives of the rich and famous, they begin to value material wealth as more important than meaningful things such as community involvement or social issues. This in turn leads to a less developed set of values that they may carry into adulthood. 

One final issue arising is teens comparing themselves to others and becoming insecure. As teens are exposed to curated and possibly photoshopped images of others who are either thinner, richer, or more privileged than them, they subconsciously begin to think less of themselves as inferior and become more judgmental of others and themselves as a result. 

All is not lost however as giving teens more real life social connections can lead to them becoming happier. This can be easily created in family, friends, or participation in community events. And to finally teach the youth what really matters in life.