The fast-paced technological development of the past years has both positive and negative effects on society. While people in the contemporary world are more connected to one another than ever before, there are widespread fears that the use of smartphones and other gadgets has an adverse effect on people. The influence of smartphone use on adolescents is a particularly hot topic today, with studies confirming that these devices can make young adults anxious and depressed and impair their development. In her article, Carlin Flora (2018) contests this notion by showing that there are several sides to the issue and that research on the topic far from conclusive. The author begins by offering statistics on smartphone use, which allow understanding the scope and significance of the problem. Flora (2018) mentions that as of 2016, 84% of American households own a smartphone, and 92% of teens aged 13 to 17 reported going online at least once daily. The article then explores various trends and ideas from recent research studies and offers her interpretation of the results based on expert opinions and other sources of information. For instance, Flora (2018) states that a study found that today’s teens are less likely to drink, smoke, and have sex, and although these trends are positive, some experts are worried that they reflect their infantilism. Some studies also reported the deterioration of mental health among young adult populations, but other research pointed to the unreliability of these conclusions (Flora, 2018). Furthermore, the author explains that it is virtually impossible to produce reliable research results due to methodological issues. By showing the inconsistencies in research results, the author suggests that the use of smartphones on its own is not a dangerous behavior, but how teens use smartphones could play both a positive and a negative role. To exemplify this idea, Flora (2018) cites a study that proved the negative effects of passive social media use (“lurking”) and the benefits of active interaction with others on social media (p. 34). The article suggests that interactions with others help teens to develop socially, whereas comparisons that teens create while looking at other people’s pictures and the lack of critical thinking can cause depression and anxiety. This aspect of smartphone use could actually be damaging to the brain development of teenagers because of increased stress hormone levels (Flora, 2018). Similarly, the lack of sleep because of heavy social media use could be a negative factor for teens because it proved to lead to poor academic performance and mental illness (Flora, 2018). The author concludes that while smartphone use itself does not hurt teens, there are some damaging behaviors on social media that could impact mental health and brain development. Personally, I agree with the finding that smartphone use can be both beneficial and harmful depending on each user’s behavior. For example, some people develop an addiction to games on their smartphones, which can have a damaging influence if unaddressed. There are also people who acquire the fear of missing out due to heavy social media use, which makes them addicted to their smartphones. In both of these cases, smartphone use would be associated with increased stress and compulsive behaviors, which cannot be healthy for one’s mental health at any age. Based on