Is technology making us more alone? It’s a question asked by many. And with the rapid increase of technology use by kids, teens, and adults alike, the answer may be yes.

Studies from the International Center for Media & the Public Agenda (ICMPA) have found that children and teens spend 75 percent of their waking lives with their eyes on a screen. According to the same study, it has been estimated that children spend an average of seven hours per day in front of a screen watching television, playing video games or using the computer. And with this influx in technology use comes the growth of social media use, which is where the problem sets in.

According to The Daily Universe, “The study also found that students who unplugged their electronic devices for one 24-hour period felt extremely lonely and didn’t know how to fill their time.” Without their technology to connect them to others, they were unable to socialize and find a way to spend their time. If teens are constantly online, they have no time for real relationships and are left alone when social media is taken away.

Too much exposure to social media can also result in lower self esteem in the form of cyberbullying. It has become incredibly easy to get into an argument online, whether it be through texts or comments, and too much of it can bear weight on the user. Not being face to face means it becomes far easier to exchange heavy and demeaning insults without realizing what happens on the other side of the screen. This can lead to insecurity, low self-esteem, and even depression, which, in turn, can lead someone to distance themselves from others.

Another study by psychology professor Larry Rosen in the Wall Street Journal found that empathy provided via text is only 1/6 as effective in providing the recipient with social support as empathy in the real world. A heart emoji cannot compensate for a real hug, and without a voice and face behind the texts, messages feel more empty and less emotional than if they were spoken out loud, face-to-face. Nonverbal communication (body language) can only be achieved through face-to-face conversation, and social media does not offer that, limiting children’s opportunities to learn and understand how to use nonverbal communication properly.  This leads to teens misinterpreting social cues and thus, what someone else is saying.

However, social media can have positive effects too. Keith N. Hampton, who holds the Professorship in Communication and Public Policy at Rutgers University’s School of Communication and Information notes in the Wall Street Journal that, “Internet and cellphone users, and especially those who use social media, tend to have more diverse and a larger number of close relationships.” Social media allows people to maintain long-distance relationships with friends and family. No matter where someone is, whether it be a mile away or 5,000, one  can communicate with others and see what is going on with their lives, fostering friendships that may have been lost if social media were not available to help keep in touch. Eighth grader Molly Xiao responded that social media has enabled her to maintain a relationship. “My good friend moved away in fifth grade, and I still text her today.”

When eighth-grader Carly Simpson was asked if she thought technology made teens more isolated, she said, “Yeah, it does. Because since technology came around, a lot of people just stay at home on their phones or computers instead of going out with friends.” Another middle schooler, Laila Raines, reported that she had not made a friend off the internet, adding, “I don’t really use social media that much, to be honest.” 

Though social media does allow us to keep in touch with those far away, it can also have negative effects that leave teens more isolated and sometimes feeling more lonely than before. And with the use of technology rising every day, it’s not an issue that’s going to go away anytime soon. So go outside, visit one another, or try something new. It’ll be a lot more fun than typing away at a keyboard.