Columnists
The Great Experiment
A growing majority of the world’s populations have unwittingly enrolled themselves in an experiment that could have far-reaching consequences on our mental and physical health, our economy, on societies themselves. It’s an experiment for which there was no previous testing on animals, no lab-controlled simulations, really, no previous research at all.
It’s an experiment that crossed gender, ethnic and generational boundaries, involving even—most prevalently—the youngest generation.
For the first time in history, we are seeing a generation come of age having lived entire lives with the Internet, with social media and texting as a prevalent form of communication and socialization, with the word phone referring to a piece of technology that is so immersive it often replaces conversation and physical interaction.
Walk by any place where teenagers spend time, and an overwhelming majority of them will have their faces buried in screens.
This is not news. We all know this, and adults are as guilty of this anti-social behaviour as children are. But the sudden ubiquity of smartphones and reliance on online services like Facebook and Snapchat is having a physical effect on young brains, and we’re only now beginning to research what that effect is, and what it means.
A recent study in collaboration with three Swiss universities shows that our brains change in response to using smartphone technology. Another from the University of Waterloo suggests smartphones allow us to take analytical shortcuts, detracting from our brain’s necessary workout as we try to come up with solutions to problems.
More concerning are surveys and studies that link increased technology usage in children to a delay in learning basic skills, increased anxiety and apathy, lowered levels of physical activity and reduced sleep time.
Mental health workers in Ontario post-secondary institutions are reporting a dramatic increase in reports of depression, anxiety and suicidal thoughts from students.
And in the UK, social media addiction has been added as an official disorder.
The world of modern and constantly evolving technology has meant companies are in constant, intense competition to release the newest, the fastest and the most powerful piece of technology. And that means the consequences are not often considered—something made evident recently by Samsung’s flaming battery flub.
It also means we face similar competition as consumers. We fear the consequences of not exposing children to new media and potentially leaving them behind. Regardless of boundaries—one survey found 90 per cent of two-year-olds knew how to use a smartphone—we expose the next generation to something we consider addictive.
Imagine this were about pharmaceuticals. Any sensible person would consider it insane to expose people, children, en masse, to an untested drug. And yet, with technology, that is what we’re doing.
We have all become a part of a great experiment.
Like pharmaceuticals, technology can be good. It can be helpful. But like pharmaceuticals, that’s only true when used judiciously, when needed, and with an awareness of the side effects.
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