Are We Too Wired?

Need directions to a concert? GPS can get you there. Want to share vacation pics? Snapchat is at your fingertips. Can’t remember what happened on Season 4 of Stranger Things? ChatGPT can help you out.

Thanks to technological advances over the past few decades, most of us have access to devices all day long. About 90 percent of adults in the United States own a smartphone, according to the Pew Research Center. Roughly 45 percent of Americans rely on digital voice assistants like Apple’s Siri and Amazon’s Alexa to get answers to questions, per research group Emarketer. And about 25 percent of U.S. teens use ChatGPT for help with schoolwork, Pew data shows.

In many ways, technology makes our lives easier. We’re able to have dinner delivered to our door, stream music and movies, and shop for everything from clothes to cars—all with the click of a button. 

But not everyone thinks relying so much on technology is a good idea. Some people worry that the less humans do and think for themselves now, the less we will be able to do on our own in the future.

What do you think? Consider the arguments, then decide for yourself.

Need directions to a concert? GPS can get you there. Want to share vacation pics? Snapchat is at your fingertips. Can’t remember what happened on Season 4 of Stranger Things? ChatGPT can help you out.

There have been many technological advances over the past few decades. And most of us have access to devices all day long. About 90 percent of adults in the United States own a smartphone. That is according to the Pew Research Center. Digital voice assistants like Apple’s Siri and Amazon’s Alexa are popular too. Roughly 45 percent of Americans rely on them to get answers to questions. That is according to research group Emarketer. And about 25 percent of U.S. teens use ChatGPT for help with schoolwork, Pew data shows.

In many ways, technology makes our lives easier. We can have dinner delivered to our door and stream music and movies. We can shop for everything from clothes to cars. We can do that all with the click of a button.

But not everyone thinks relying so much on technology is a good idea. Some people worry about the fact that humans do and think for themselves less now. They worry that we will be able to do less on our own in the future.

What do you think? Consider the arguments. Then decide for yourself.

When your parents were kids, they likely used paper maps to navigate to new places and paged through encyclopedias to research school projects. But today many people don’t learn those skills, because devices can perform them for us. That change may backfire by limiting what humans can do on their own, some people worry. “Instead of trying to recall a fact, we just ask Siri or Google it,” says Christopher Jae Hee Jinn, 12, from New York City. “I think this can make our brains less active, especially when it comes to learning or critical thinking.”

Some devices also discourage human interaction or even replace it, others warn. Shoppers can opt for self-checkout lines over human cashiers. Neighbors can post on local Facebook groups rather than talk in person. Teens and adults can take classes online or work remotely instead of going into an office. That loss of connection is harmful, some experts say, because it doesn’t foster a sense of community. And even when people are together in person, technology can still interfere, Christopher points out. “People might sit together but be busy texting or scrolling,” he says.

Being too wired can also have negative effects on people’s mental and emotional well-being, research has shown. Kids with greater screen time use are more likely to experience depression and stress as teens, according to a recent study in the medical journal JAMA Network Open. That’s why it’s important for people to set aside device-free time, says Ella Polites, 12, from Grampian, Pennsylvania. “If I’m getting worried about something on my phone, I just take a break and play with my dog,” she says. “Getting off that phone helps your stress levels go down.”

When your parents were kids, they likely used paper maps to navigate to new places. They probably paged through encyclopedias to research school projects. But today many people do not learn those skills. Devices can perform them for us. That change may backfire. It limits what humans can do on their own, some people worry. “Instead of trying to recall a fact, we just ask Siri or Google it,” says Christopher Jae Hee Jinn, 12. He is from New York City. “I think this can make our brains less active, especially when it comes to learning or critical thinking.”

Some devices also discourage human interaction or even replace it, others warn. Shoppers can opt for self-checkout lines over human cashiers. Neighbors can post on local Facebook groups rather than talk in person. Teens and adults can take classes online or work remotely instead of going into an office. The loss of connection is harmful, some experts say. That is because it does not foster a sense of community. And even when people are together in person, technology can still interfere, Christopher points out. “People might sit together but be busy texting or scrolling,” he says.

Being too wired can also have negative effects on people’s mental and emotional well-being, research has shown. Kids with greater screen time use are more likely to experience depression and stress as teens. That is according to a recent study in the medical journal JAMA Network Open. So it is important for people to set aside device-free time, says Ella Polites. She is 12 and is from Grampian, Pennsylvania. “If I’m getting worried about something on my phone, I just take a break and play with my dog,” she says. “Getting off that phone helps your stress levels go down.”

Our world is a better place because of technology, many people say. Devices from calculators to digital voice assistants help us accomplish tasks faster and better. Fire alarms, car safety features, and other technology help protect us. And we can learn new skills online, such as how to play the guitar, create digital art, or make brownies. In fact, two-thirds of U.S. teens use devices to pursue their hobbies, a recent Pew survey found. Agnes San Jule, 12, of Bogata, Texas, has gone online to get tips on making bracelets. “There’s a YouTube video about almost anything,” she says. 

Being wired can also connect us to people all over the world. We can play video games with people in different states. We can read the news from publications in other countries. This can broaden our horizons, introducing us to different cultures and perspectives, supporters say. “It helps you open up your mind,” Agnes explains. “I’m a very opinionated person. But if I can go online and hear from people who think otherwise, then it really helps me to change my perspective.” 

Plus, technology is so integrated into our lives already that it wouldn’t make sense not to take advantage of it, some people say. “Once you grow up around something, it’s kind of the new normal,” points out Jackson Merckx, 14, from Deptford, New Jersey. “I’m always told by generations before me that we have the world at our fingertips, so it seems reasonable to use it.”

Our world is a better place because of technology, many people say. Devices from calculators to digital voice assistants help us accomplish tasks faster and better. Fire alarms, car safety features, and other technology help protect us. And we can learn new skills online. We can teach ourselves to play the guitar, create digital art, or make brownies. In fact, two-thirds of U.S. teens use devices to pursue their hobbies. That is according to a recent Pew survey. Agnes San Jule has gone online to get tips on making bracelets. She is 12 and is from Bogata, Texas. “There’s a YouTube video about almost anything,” she says.

Being wired can also connect us to people all over the world. We can play video games with people in different states. We can read the news from publications in other countries. This can broaden our horizons and introduce us to different cultures and perspectives, supporters say. “It helps you open up your mind,” Agnes explains. “I’m a very opinionated person. But if I can go online and hear from people who think otherwise, then it really helps me to change my perspective.”

Plus, technology is already integrated into our lives. So it wouldn’t make sense not to take advantage of it, some people say. “Once you grow up around something, it’s kind of the new normal,” points out Jackson Merckx, 14. He is from Deptford, New Jersey. “I’m always told by generations before me that we have the world at our fingertips, so it seems reasonable to use it.”