Once upon a time before Twitter tweeted, kids used to hang out and talk to each other without staring at a screen the whole time. In a world where “hashtag” is frequently used and you can access any information in the palm of your hand, young people are losing the value of socializing with others. When spending time with friends, if Snapchat seems to prioritize over communicating with someone’s actual face, it comes time to realize that our generation has a big problem on our hands.

The biggest handheld technology kids had five years ago was an iPod touch that only accessed wifi located only in the comfort of your own home or nearby library. Today, wherever you are, kids are still wandering in packs, however most of the time everyone is communicating with someone else via texting, Instagram, Facebook, and Twitter. The extreme progression and development of cell phones is going to have an effect on everyone in the world, especially younger kids.

Getting your first phone as a sixth or seventh grader today is more than a rite of passage. The most popular smartphone for Scituate teens, the iPhone, not only allows you to call your parents in case of an emergency, but depending on your cell phone plan, gives you access to unlimited internet and any information you desire. Most kids are attracted to social media websites which are accessible through apps, despite the limits on younger children.

Facebook requires individuals to be 13 years old before they sign up for an account, however Facebook does not enforce this and as long as you don’t state your age, you could get away with it. Jenkins Elementary sixth grade students recently took a Scituation survey, and 69% of eleven and twelve year old English students were connected to at least one social networking site, the most popular being Instagram, a website where you post and share pictures. This amount of exposure to this mass communication revolution for elementary or intermediate school aged kids who are in the middle of developing who they are as a person can lead to pressure to post something you would never say in real life, with the convenience of being hidden behind a screen.

One hundred and sixty five eighth grade English students took the survey at Gates, and out of the 99% of students that had phones, 52% of students had a smartphone. At Jenkins Elementary school, ninety five sixth grade students were surveyed and out of the 69% of students who had cell phones, 47% of those students had smartphones. Compared to when high school students today were in elementary school and Gates, these results are overwhelming. The amount of screen time could be instead spent socializing with others, or even exercising or reading a book.

For high school students, it seems to come down to the texters and non-texters. Most groups of friends tend to have that one person who is anti-cell phone, and the one who cannot put down the device. Freshmen Olivia Minder said, “I’m definitely the one who gets mad. When one of my friends is texting and we’re hanging out, it’s like she isn’t even there. I yell at my friends all the time to stop.”

It’s time for our generation and generations to come to recognize the effects of technology on society, and try to turn off the phone every once in a while.  With smart phones and tablets the effect of technology on society today is inevitable, however it can be a positive or negative impact based on the day to day choices made.