The Technology-Mental Health Connection

The Link Between Technology, Mental Health, and Generational Differences

• There is a strong link between sleep and mental health outcomes, and the way teens spend their time has shifted to activities that tend to lead to unhappiness and depression.
• The negative impacts of technology on mental health are not just from using social media, but also what that time on social media replaces.
• The ripple effect of technology has wide-ranging effects on behaviors and values, leading to more individualism and disconnection in society.
• Technology makes individualism possible and leads to a slower life strategy, with longer education and developmental trajectories.
• Anxiety and depression have a high level of heritability, but environmental effects, such as technology, have a significant impact.
• Limiting technology use, such as no phones in the bedroom overnight, can improve mental health outcomes for individuals.
• Policies to limit social media use, such as raising the minimum age to 16 and age verification, can also help protect young people.
• TikTok is a waste of time and does not provide any benefits for young people's development.
• Millennials have more self-confidence but are also more entitled, while Gen Z is less entitled but more risk-averse and focused on emotional safety.
• Gen Z is less likely to get into physical fights or car accidents, but there is a focus on speech and language as harmful or violent.
• The emphasis on safety with Gen Z may have led to less rebellion against safety culture, and the rise of online culture may be a factor in the focus on emotional safety.
• Young people are having less sex than ever before, possibly due to the convenience and comfort of online activities that act as an analgesic for facing rejection or discomfort in the real world.