Think teens are consumed by technology? They agree



Technology is often praised for making life easier and more convenient.

When we sat down recently with a panel of teens, they talked about how much easier their lives are thanks to the technology at their fingertips.

“If I were to pick any tangible piece of like anything that I would have for the rest of my life, to get me through life, it would be my phone,” said Jalen Johnson, 18, a senior at Seattle’s Summit Sierra school. “It wouldn’t be my car.”

The teens also discussed the issues technology creates, pointing out not only the pressures tied to social media but also the barriers that their phones and technology create.

“I definitely think that phones don’t help,” Johnson said. “We know from neurological science that development happens between interactions between people. Without those interactions, that development just isn’t happening.”

It’s Kids Week here at Q13 News, when we hear from kids in our community to spotlight their biggest challenges.

The goal is to help us all be better parents and grandparents, by understanding what are kids are facing.

Perhaps surprisingly, many of the teens we talked with suggested it may be best to wait to give kids cellphones and other devices.