Why teenagers should be allowed electronics
Tags: Electronics, Phone, Parenting, Teenagers

photo by UCHealth

As a teen myself, my pretty strict parents often confiscate my gadgets saying that I should put the phone down and go read a book. However, in this modernised world, many of the things we want can all be found online on the internet. “Read the newspapers” “Read a book” “Spend quality time with your family”. All these can be achieved as well by electronics. Some websites and apps allow you to easily read to news conveniently and e-book apps that allow you to read storybooks. Quality time can be achieved by playing online games and whatnot. I do admit that electronics are definitely addicting in a sense and harms the eyes and affects cognitive abilities as research has shown. However, to our generation, handphones and electronics have become a necessity. You can’t just take away their handphones and expect them to live normally. The whole society currently is digital, we connect with our friends through social media and still spend quality time in person. Phone usage can be controlled but should not be completely restricted. I find it exceptionally frustrating when my parents take away my gadgets as it feels like something you need is being taken away from you. They take it away with the mindset that it will make us less reliant and needy of the electronics but in reality, it just makes the urge to use it stronger and we find other means to get on the internet.

Sure there are negative effects of electronics but that is only if one cannot control themselves and lack self-discipline. As a parent, one should be instilling values such as responsibility rather than forcefully controlling your child. More effective ways to limit screen time can be through a talk with your child to let them understand the consequences and repercussions that they might face if they do not control electronic usage. Addiction is mainly caused by the instant gratification that teens get when on the phone. The amount of likes on Instagram is like a drug for teens. When they get the spark of joy because of a ‘like’, it contributes to the amount of time they spend on it. This is also the same for gaming. When they finally finish a “quest” or “battle” and win a prize, they want to continue getting stronger till they reach the pinnacle of the leaderboard. This vicious cycle continues on and on until they become fully hooked to the devices. Once your child understands that they need to be the sole manager of their own time on the devices, the risk of them being addicted decreases immediately.

Currently, in society, teens mainly rely on their electronics for happiness and taking it away will be equivalent to taking away their happiness. Furthermore, gadgets have many positive effects that last long in the future. Teens can learn new skills such as coding by reading and surfing the web. They can have newfound inspirations from social media as well. Many teens have started online businesses and it mainly starts from being inspired by others. This is also the stage in life where they can have the most fun and be free in all aspects so as a parent, one should give them the freedom they want. All in all, parents should definitely let teenagers have electronics provided they understand the consequences of not using it for the right purposes.