Digital Discourse Database

Number of Posts: 5
Posts 1 - 5

Instagram, la peor red para la salud mental de los adolescentes

(Instagram, the worst social network for adolescents' mental health)

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Newspaper | El País
Date | 21.5.2017
Language | Spanish
Country | Spain
Topic Tags | (mental) health, Instagram, research/study, social media, youth
Summary | According to a British study, Instagram can have a negative impact on its users. Young people who spend more than two hours a day on social media platforms such as Twitter, Facebook or Instagram are more likely to suffer from mental health problems, especially anxiety and depression. One of the respondents said that Instagram easily makes girls and women feel as though their bodies are not good enough, so they add filters and edit their images to look perfect.
Image Description | Photographs of someone taking a picture of two girls
Image Tags | female(s), hand(s), smartphone

'La web conecta y a la vez separa'

('The Web connects and disconnects at the same time')

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Newspaper | El Mundo
Date | 30.4.2014
Language | Spanish
Country | Spain
Topic Tags | (mental) health, addiction, brain, research/study, smartphone, texting
Summary | Two experts debate about digital technologies and their impact on our lives. The internet is changing our society; some people think that it is making us more stupid and less connected, and some disagree. Both experts talk about the benefits of internet (e.g. collective intelligence, medical information online) and the risks (e.g. lack of privacy, digital divide). They both disagree with people such as Nicholas Carr who think internet is making us dumb and superficial. Hey may be exaggerating, but one expert agrees with the fact that people don't pay as much attention to what they're doing because they're always on their screens. They may be losing a few skills (e.g. reading texts with full attention, and having deep conversations). Internet and new technologies are changing our brain; for instance, they have an impact on memory. We don't have to remember as many things as before. Both experts also talk about the future of paper and books, and relationships.
Image Description | Video of the interview with the experts.
Image Tags | male(s)

Niños adictos al móvil

(Kids addicted to smartphones)

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Newspaper | El Mundo
Date | 28.9.2015
Language | Spanish
Country | Spain
Topic Tags | (mental) health, addiction, cyberbullying, sexting, smartphone, Snapchat, threat, youth
Summary | Experts think that new social apps such as Snapchat are dangerous; they can encourage sexting and cyberbullying. Teenagers don't want to be on Facebook anymore because their parents and grandparents have a Facebook account. They want something more private; Snapchat is thus perfect. It's quick, simple, and 'snaps' disappear after a few seconds. However, Snapchat can be dangerous and encourage sexting and bullying. People still have time to take screenshots of snaps. Marc Masip, director of the psychological institute 'Desconect@' thinks that Snapchat does not bring anything good. It can lead teenagers to suicide or fear of going to class. Young people don't know anything about the risks of such platforms because nobody warned them. Parents should not give a phone to their kids under 13. When today's teenagers are 40, they will be used to communicate through a screen and won't have social skills to communicate face-to-face.
Image Description | Photograph of a teenage girl using a tablet and taking a picture of her face, hiding her eyes and smiling.
Image Tags | female(s), tablet

El 21% de los jóvenes está en riesgo de ser adicto a las nuevas tecnologías

(21% of young people are at risk of becoming addicted to new technologies)

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Newspaper | El País
Date | 3.7.2015
Language | Spanish
Country | Spain
Topic Tags | (mental) health, addiction, research/study, smartphone, threat, youth
Summary | A lot of young people are addicted to their phones; although they might not know they are addicted, they spend most of their time glued to their phone. Beatriz Valera is 19 and is addicted. She used to spend her days alone on her computer and smartphone. She would only spend time with people online. A psychologist expert in addictions claims that the need to be part of a social group makes people addicted to the digital world. Techno-addicts need to learn how to use their digital devices and how to control themselves. To help them, experts also suggest giving them the same advice as they would give drug addicts. Most of the techno-addicts are between 14 and 30 years old.
Image Description | Photograph of a girl holding a phone that is hiding her face.
Image Tags | female(s), smartphone

Los ‘smartphones’ no van a volver idiotas a tus hijos

(Smartphones are not going to make your kids dumb)

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Newspaper | El País
Date | 8.6.2016
Language | Spanish
Country | Spain
Topic Tags | (mental) health, addiction, childhood, research/study, smartphone, threat
Summary | Although it is hard to measure the impact of new media use on the brain, recent studies show that an appropriate use of screens can encourage learning skills. However, some studies show that a frequent use of screens for children under 5 may harm their developing brain. New technologies are always received with some apprehension; for instance, Socrates warned people that writing would be harmful for cognitive abilities such as memory. Although we don't know exactly what the consequences of an extended use of screens are, children under 2 should not be using any screen. A Professor at Harvard claims that although it might not be good for young children to use screens, they are not going to be dumb if they use them. Also, many experts agree with the fact that a passive use of screens (TV, tablets, etc.) is negative for a child's development. Children under 3 need a good balance of activities.
Image Description | Video of different children using tablets, and photograph of an adult and a child in front of a TV screen.
Image Tags | game, school, tablet, TV

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