Early smartphone exposure is now being linked to anger and aggression in teenagers

BY SIMONE J. SMITH

In June 2024, a 14-year-old boy was charged with first-degree murder in Etobicoke in relation to a mass shooting that left two dead and three injured. The victims had been playing soccer and dominoes, according to one victim’s daughter and widow. The same month, a 15-year-old boy stabbed another 15-year-old after an argument on a TTC bus.

“We are in a crisis,” said Solange Scott, president of the Ontario Secondary School Teachers’ Federation (OSSTF) professional student services personnel to reporters in July 2024. “It is abnormal for a 14-year-old to be charged with first-degree murder.”

In December 2022, eight girls between the ages of 13 and 16 were charged with manslaughter in the swarming death of Kenneth Lee, who was living in Toronto’s shelter system.

Violent youth crime jumped by five per cent across Canada in 2022, according to Statistics Canada. Eighteen of the youth charged with violent crime that year were in Toronto — nearly a quarter of all accused and up from just three the year before.

In our busy life schedules, parents rarely get time to spend quality time with children and that is why children have to engage with: televisions, computers, smartphones, tablets etc. A lot of us have no idea or can even imagine how dangerous it is for tech-savvy children, the imperfect blend of technology and human resource. Children are unable to differentiate between fact and fantasy, and this is why television and social media have created a dangerous environment for children in the modern world. The curated and often unrealistic portrayals of life on social media have begun to negatively impact children’s self-esteem and mental health.

“Swift action is needed to safeguard younger generations from a future marked by increased anger, aggression, and violence.”

In an article written by Dr. Preeti Deka titled “The Influence Of Media Violence Among The Teenagers And The Youths: Special Reference To Guwahati City (Assam),”  she notes that modern society cannot live without mass media and it depends on the user to what extent it is being used. Unfortunately, the days of the television signing off are long gone, and our children have access to media 24 hours a day, seven days a week. Increased exposure to media violence has become normalized, desensitizing children to its harmful effects.

Media violence is so dangerous that it can even claim the life of a human being. Several studies have indicated that most of the violence we see amongst our young people is in direct correlation to interactive video games, TV programs, and films.

Constant repetitions of violence in the media makes people jaded towards violence. The reaction becomes less prominent. As consumers of media, we have become used to seeing explosions, blood and guts, and mayhem on a regular basis. It has led to the desensitization that I mentioned earlier.

Desensitization is a great example of classic conditioning. The first time a person views a violent act in the media they may react strongly, like they would if the violence was occurring in real life. After consuming visuals like this over a prolonged period of time, people are less provoked and shocked by the: blood, guts and gore.

One of the reasons desensitization can be dangerous is because it is so closely related to the pleasure of watching television, or movies. “The act of watching TV is an unlearned pleasurable behavior,” Dr Deka shares in her article. “When you combine that pleasure with violent images and content then the person begins to associate the pleasure of watching television with the consumption of violent media. Images that might have initiated a negative response before, now give the viewer a sense of calm because of its link to relaxation.”

Feelings of aggression, anger and hallucinations are rising sharply among adolescents in the U.S. and India. According to a new study, the increase is linked to the progressively younger age at which children are acquiring cell phones.

The report was based on data from 10,475 adolescents ages 13-17 in the U.S. and India, with roughly 5,000 teens from each country.

The teens completed an online survey about 47 aspects of their mental health which the researchers called “mind health” and well-being. The authors compared the teens’ results with those of adults.

They identified three trends in the data.

• “There is a “generational decline” in mind health and well-being affecting younger and younger people, the authors said. “The trend is particularly pronounced in girls,” the authors said, “where 65% are distressed or struggling in a manner that substantially impairs their ability to function effectively in the world and would be of clinical concern”
• Nearly half of the teens ages 13-17 who completed the survey said they felt a sense of being detached from reality. ​​Thirteen-year-olds reported markedly increased feelings of aggression toward others, hallucinations, anger and irritability compared with 17-year-olds. “This suggests that these problems are rising in younger adolescents,” the authors wrote.
• The age at which a child, or teen receives a smartphone likely affects the person’s level of aggression, anger and irritability.

The authors acknowledged that it’s “still not yet fully clear” how getting a cellphone at a younger age contributes to a rise in anger, aggression and hallucination. “We urge parents at the very least to delay giving their child a smartphone until at least 8th grade or age 13 so as to give them more time to develop healthier social skills and reduce tendencies for anger and aggression.”  Something for parents to definitely keep in mind.