ANXIETY

After my initial discovery that technology was slowing the development of the brain, I knew I needed to dive deeper. I had two more children and wanted to know what other ways technology could affect them. I had yet to see any disastrous effects of technology in Ryan’s life, but I started to learn that this is not always the case. As I dove further into research, I saw that many mental illnesses in adolescents are associated with excessive internet use.  And while I tried to get a hold of this before it started affecting my other kids, I’m afraid I was too late. I began noticing signs of anxiety in my daughter, Ashley. I can’t say for sure that technology is the only cause of anxiety in my daughters life. However, once I studied the correlation between technology and anxiety, I started to believe that Ashley’s use of technology contributed to her struggle with anxiety. I believe technology contributes to anxiety because teens are never truly “unplugged.” They are in constant communication with their peers. Some might believe that this helps support social skills, but in reality in worsens teens’ ability to communicate face to face which can lead to social anxiety. But the social problems are not the only consequences. Struggling to cope with anxiety led to struggling to keep up with school work and to excel in school. I knew that I needed to do something before the situation escalated any further.