Of Jean M. Twenge Have Smartphones Destroyed A Generation?

In recent discussions of smartphones, a controversial issue has been how the excessive use of smartphones are affecting the adolescents of this generation. Jean M. Twenge argues in her article, “Have Smartphones Destroyed a Generation?” that the redundant use of these gadgets along with social media use is in fact detrimental to the current and upcoming generations. My experience using Snapchat, Instagram, and other applications on my smartphone supports Twenge’s stance because the excessive use of these applications has caused me to feel melancholic. According to Twenge, “Psychologically, however, they (iGens) are more vulnerable than Millennials were: Rates of teen depression and suicide have skyrocketed since 2011. It’s not an exaggeration to describe iGen as being on the brink of the worst mental-health crisis in decades. Much of this deterioration can be traced to their phones” (Twenge). The essence of Twenge’s claim here is that smartphones are causing the iGen generation to be more susceptible to vulnerability in many aspects. In particular, the way it is affecting the mental health of iGens, thus causing the rates of teen depression and suicide to “skyrocket”. Ultimately, Twenge stresses that the excessive use of smartphones is the cause of the increase in rates of teen depression and suicide. Her observation rings true to me because while I do not suffer from depression nor have suicidal thoughts, I can still attest to the fact that as I’ve overused my smartphone