Digital Discourse Database

Number of Posts: 58
Posts 31 - 40

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

Papá, prefiero tener una tableta a un coche

(Dad, I'd rather have a tablet than a car)

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Newspaper | El País
Date | 16.1.2014
Language | Spanish
Country | Spain
Topic Tags | smartphone, youth
Summary | Owning a car used to be a symbol of emancipation and adulthood. Now, more and more young people don't own a car and don't see the benefit of owning one. They would rather spend their money on technological devices. Car companies are worried because they have noticed that people under 25 don't want to buy cars anymore. There has been a change in young people's priorities. Cars are too expensive, and digital devices are becoming the new symbols of freedom. People can easily travel, meet people, and communicate online; thus, they don't need cars anymore. Also, it is more convenient to use one's smartphone or tablet while using public transportation. Times are changing and we need to adapt to new technologies.
Image Description | Photograph of a boy using a tablet, and chart showing the evolution of drivers in Spain.
Image Tags | male(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

Dumbing Down the Phone for Children

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Newspaper | The New York Times
Date | 12.12.2015
Language | English
Country | U.S.
Topic Tags | childhood, smartphone, threat, youth
Summary | Parents all face the problem of their children wishing for smartphones for christmas at some point. Often, parents feel that point arrives too early. There are some possibilities to ease children into new media use, by getting a "dumbphone" for instance which has no internet access. Even smartphones have settings for parental control where curfews can be set when the child/teenager is supposed to sleep and not be able to use the smartphone or to block social media or in-app purchases. It is irresponsible to give young children/teenagers full use of a smartphone but one should give them access to the digital sphere in steps, just as one does not start teaching a child how to cook by handing it all the sharp knives.
Image Description | Photograph of a family in front of christmas tree gathered around a smartphone.
Image Tags | female(s), male(s), smartphone

Think millennials have it tough? For 'Generation K', life is even harsher

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Newspaper | The Guardian
Date | 19.3.2016
Language | English
Country | UK
Topic Tags | addiction, smartphone, youth
Summary | Today's teenagers talk about the struggles and fears they face nowadays (e.g. job insecurity, distrust in government). They think that life is tougher for them than for their parent's generation. The author of the article suggests that despite people's hyperconnectivity, today's teenagers are lonely. They also prefer hanging out with friends face-to-face even though virtual communication is the norm or standard. This generation is also very creative and active on social media; they want to make things and not only consume/buy things.
Image Description | Illustration of Katniss Everdeen (Hunger Games) with a smartphone, photograph of teenagers on their smartphones (their face is either cut off from the picture or blurred), photograph of Bernie Sanders' supporters, and portrait of Felix Kjellberg (famous on YouTube).
Image Tags | female(s), male(s), smartphone

‘We’ve grown up with some frightening events’: UK teenagers' hopes and fears

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Newspaper | The Guardian
Date | 19.3.2016
Language | English
Country | UK
Topic Tags | addiction, smartphone, social media, youth
Summary | Five teenagers and young adults talk about the society they live in (jobs, school, alcohol, social media, etc.). They blame social media for being a waste of time and for favoring bullying. Moreover, social media are responsible for spreading certain norms that young people are expected to follow (e.g. ideals of beauty for men and women). One teenage girl claims that social media make people competitive. Even though she agrees that smartphones are addictive, it would be hard for her to live without it because she wouldn't want to miss out on things.
Image Description | Series of six photographs: two teenage girls on their smartphone are sitting back to back, and portraits of the five interviewees.
Image Tags | female(s), male(s), smartphone

'Everyone could know what I was doing': the millennials not using social media

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Newspaper | The Guardian
Date | 17.3.2016
Language | English
Country | UK
Topic Tags | smartphone, social media, technology-free, youth
Summary | The majority of millenials are active on social media; those who are not explain why they decided not to have a social media account. Although the young interviewees admit that social network sites are useful to stay in touch with people far away and to organize parties and other events, they also think that they can be detrimental. For example, some of the interviewees feel uncomfortable with the fact that people share intimate details about their lives online, and with the fact that everyone knows everything about other people. Also, some people think that it is a waste of time and that it is useless.
Image Description | Series of five photographs representing the interviewees.
Image Tags | female(s), male(s)

Field studies of the offspring

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Newspaper | Washington Post
Date | 31.5.2016
Language | English
Country | U.S.
Topic Tags | Facebook, smartphone, Snapchat, technology-free, youth
Summary | The research center conducts in depth interviews with today’s teenagers, the so-called Generation Z or digital natives, on behalf of various corporations. The aim of the study is to find out about this generation’s relationship with new technologies. They all value mobile/digital communication very highly, to the extent that many choose online colleges, online shopping, and home office work over actually having to physically go somewhere to study, work, or shop. They report of the abundance of messages each day and that they also highly value their offline hobbies, such as reading or knitting.
Image Description | Collage-like illustration of youths and online and offline activities.
Image Tags | female(s), male(s), smartphone, social media

Why every mum should take away their teens' phones

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Newspaper | Daily Mail (UK)
Date | 13.10.2016
Language | English
Country | UK
Topic Tags | (mental) health, addiction, research/study, smartphone, technology-free, youth
Summary | The author of the article decided to take away her two daughters' phones after 9 p.m on weekdays. because she tought it would be better for them and for the family. They were becoming too addicted to their phones. The mom noticed her two teens were also becoming more anxious and cranky. As a result of the new rule, the girls were really angry. A study shows that many young girls are depressed and anxious on a daily basis, which worries the mom. Several studies show that it can be beneficial for teens to have their online time limited.
Image Description | N/A

"I worried people would forget me": can teenagers survive without social media?

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Newspaper | The Guardian
Date | 18.6.2016
Language | English
Country | UK
Topic Tags | (mental) health, addiction, smartphone, social media, technology-free, youth
Summary | Interview with several teenagers or "digital natives" that had to talk about their experience of living without social media for a few days. Were they able to do it? Teenagers spend a lot of time online everyday and are almost addicted to their digital devices; they often sleep with their smartphone. The experience was well received; the participants said that it was a positive experience (they felt happier, more productive, and slept better). Some were able to live without their phone for a couple days and some for a couple weeks. However, they wouldn't be able to do it longer. They like being available all the time, and without a phone they felt that they were missing out on a lot of things, especially with their friends.
Image Description | Series of seven photographs portraying the young interviewees doing some sort of non-digital activities (sports, cooking, music etc.)
Image Tags | female(s), male(s)

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