Digital drug for teens: turn-on, boot-up, jack-in.

Authored by B.N.Frank via ActivistPost.com, According to a recent survey, 45% of American teens say they are online “almost constantly,” about double of what it was 3 years ago.

“The results varied by gender. Fifty percent of girls said they were always online compared with 39 percent of boys. Teens’ internet presence has been enabled by near-universal adoption of smartphones, with 95 percent having access to a smartphone, according to the survey.”

According to tech designers, software is deliberately designed to be “sticky” to affect our brains’ neurotransmitters so users spend more time on devices.  In 2017, CBS’ 60 Minutes, aired a segment about this called, “Brain Hacking.”  It featured an interview with tech designer, Tristin Harris.  Other tech folks have also expressed remorse for their contribution to this.  “I Wake Up In Cold Sweats Thinking, What Did We Bring To The World?”  – Tony Fadell, Nest Founder and one of the minds behind the iPod and the iPhone Recently, Good Morning America aired a segment on a 48-hour experiment featuring 4 kids with unlimited screen time.  There’s a reason why a documentary film about Digital Addiction was named Electronic Crack. Of course, parents are addicted, too.  This is hurting families in the same ways as other sources of addiction.  So where are the lawsuits?  Where are the well-funded widespread marketing campaigns to fight Digital Addiction? In 2014, Professor Ollie Johansson discussed addictive behavior caused or increased by smart phone use.  (1:49:05 of video)  He also referenced research done by Dr. Henry Lai. Media outlets and researchers continue to report about Digital Addiction but most fail to address the effect that cell phone and WiFi radiation exposure has on the brain.  Research has proven that exposure to all sources of cell phone and wireless WiFi radiation disrupts the blood-brain barrier which can cause it to leak.  Our pets are being exposed, too, when we use this around them. In regard to kids, no “safe” level of cell phone or WiFi radiation has still been scientifically determined for children or pregnant women  Regardless, even Sesame Street markets technology to kids. For many years already, public school systems have been required to introduce technology in the classroom at an early age while tech inventors have been limiting their own children’s use of it and sending them to private “low tech” schools.  Tax dollars are still being spent to make public schools “high tech.” Media coverage about how we’ve been misled by telecom companies (aka Big Wireless) is nothing new.  Those who question the safety of any of this are often labeled “conspiracy theorists” and whack-jobs. Unsafe tech use is regularly portrayed in the media as well – even in an ad for a drug prescribed for schizophrenia.  Of course, doctors used to also promote cigarettes as being “good for health.” Many people don’t read the safety guidelines in product manuals because they assume we’d be warned 24/7 if any of this was harmful.  Remember – even Sesame Street is promoting tech for kids. Regardless, safety guidelines are outdated and don’t apply to the way technology is used today.  Many business owners, community leaders, elected officials and government agencies are in no hurry to correct this either.  In fact, many are forcing more technology even though decades of research has confirmed that it is hurting us and the environment. In 2011, cell phone and wireless WiFi radiation was classified as a Group 2B Possible Carcinogen by the World Health Organization.  Did you know?  Some think this classification is still too low. Kids and young people probably assume all these tech devices operate via magic because otherwise they wouldn’t be using them for school work in and out of the classroom.  In the meantime, tech designers keep inventing, manufacturing, and marketing more products and infrastructure while simultaneously planning for “Doomsday.” I often find myself thinking about that old Twilight Zone episode with the aliens and “The Cookbook.”