I think the impact of the internet as it is today has a net negative impact on teenagers’ behavior. Specifically on mobile devices. Before, you could be silly and cringey without having to worry that someone was recording. Short-video formats and endless scrolling are detrimental to attention spans, and having a device that provides instant entertainment with little effort can be very distracting to those who never learned to be without it. Then there’s social media, which can cause insecurity in impressionable people who aren’t aware that what they see online is curated to show the best/worst side of things.
I think the impact of the internet as it is today has a net negative impact on teenagers’ behavior. Specifically on mobile devices. Before, you could be silly and cringey without having to worry that someone was recording. Short-video formats and endless scrolling are detrimental to attention spans, and having a device that provides instant entertainment with little effort can be very distracting to those who never learned to be without it. Then there’s social media, which can cause insecurity in impressionable people who aren’t aware that what they see online is curated to show the best/worst side of things.