Depression. Lack of social skills. Sleep deprivation. Since when did kids, some as young as 11, become exposed to these tribulations? As a consequence, tt seems as though smartphones are to blame. Teenagers spend so much of their lives engulfed in the world of social media: to the point of addiction. The dangers that smartphones carry, especially for teens, is the topic of discussion in Jean M. Twenge’s article, “Have Smartphones Destroyed a Generation?” from The Atlantic. More specifically, she researches how smartphones affect common life skills in young adults. This is a concerning issue, since many kids are granted their first smartphone before they reach their teenage years. As a result, Twenge effectively informs teens and parents about
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High concerns are raised when Twenge states, “eighth-graders who are heavy users of social media increase their risk of depression by 27 percent, while those who play sports, go to religious services, or even do homework more than the average teen cut their risk significantly” (5). Accordingly, the use of logical appeal is clever here. Not only will this encourage teenagers to participate in more active lifestyles, but it will persuade parents to limit smartphone use at home. Cause and effect play a major role in the development of this idea as well; if teens engage in their cell phones too often, then they have a higher risk of depression. We, as readers, may be convinced to change our habits after this realization. Additionally, the author uncovered data on how broken teenagers’ social skills have become. Dating is more like texting or communicating through apps (3). In fact, according to Twenge, “after two teens have “talked” for a while, they might start dating. But only about 56 percent of high-school seniors in 2015 went out on dates; for Boomers and Gen Xers, the number was about 85 percent” (3). Again, she is differentiating between a few generations to show just how significant these numbers are. Without the comparison, we wouldn’t know how …show more content…
The phone melted into the sheets because it overheated (6). This is how Twenge hooks the reader into her final point. After pointing out how ridiculous this incident is, she ends the paragraph with a rhetorical question that asks, “who could slumber deeply inches from a buzzing phone” (6)? The question is used as a transition from narrative to more statistical paragraphs. Even more, the word “buzzing” gives us a clear idea of what the phone sounds like, especially because it’s such a relatable sound for both teens and parents. Twenge discovered that it wasn’t uncommon for teenagers and young adults to check their phone before going to bed and as soon as they wake up (6). Not surprisingly, most of them slept with their phones within arm’s length of the bed (6). To conclude this point, Twenge says, “It may be a comfort, but the smartphone is cutting into teens’ sleep: Many now sleep less than seven hours most nights” (6). She shows empathy to us by saying she understands it brings comfort for some people, but not too much otherwise it would have taken away from her serious message—teenagers need sleep more than they need social media. To demonstrate, the colon is important here since it forces the reader to stop and read the last independent clause alone. It puts prominence on the idea that smartphones are taking away from teenagers’
High concerns are raised when Twenge states, “eighth-graders who are heavy users of social media increase their risk of depression by 27 percent, while those who play sports, go to religious services, or even do homework more than the average teen cut their risk significantly” (5). Accordingly, the use of logical appeal is clever here. Not only will this encourage teenagers to participate in more active lifestyles, but it will persuade parents to limit smartphone use at home. Cause and effect play a major role in the development of this idea as well; if teens engage in their cell phones too often, then they have a higher risk of depression. We, as readers, may be convinced to change our habits after this realization. Additionally, the author uncovered data on how broken teenagers’ social skills have become. Dating is more like texting or communicating through apps (3). In fact, according to Twenge, “after two teens have “talked” for a while, they might start dating. But only about 56 percent of high-school seniors in 2015 went out on dates; for Boomers and Gen Xers, the number was about 85 percent” (3). Again, she is differentiating between a few generations to show just how significant these numbers are. Without the comparison, we wouldn’t know how …show more content…
The phone melted into the sheets because it overheated (6). This is how Twenge hooks the reader into her final point. After pointing out how ridiculous this incident is, she ends the paragraph with a rhetorical question that asks, “who could slumber deeply inches from a buzzing phone” (6)? The question is used as a transition from narrative to more statistical paragraphs. Even more, the word “buzzing” gives us a clear idea of what the phone sounds like, especially because it’s such a relatable sound for both teens and parents. Twenge discovered that it wasn’t uncommon for teenagers and young adults to check their phone before going to bed and as soon as they wake up (6). Not surprisingly, most of them slept with their phones within arm’s length of the bed (6). To conclude this point, Twenge says, “It may be a comfort, but the smartphone is cutting into teens’ sleep: Many now sleep less than seven hours most nights” (6). She shows empathy to us by saying she understands it brings comfort for some people, but not too much otherwise it would have taken away from her serious message—teenagers need sleep more than they need social media. To demonstrate, the colon is important here since it forces the reader to stop and read the last independent clause alone. It puts prominence on the idea that smartphones are taking away from teenagers’