I Learned It From You, Dad, I Learned From Watching You

from the this-is-your-brain-on-text-messages dept

A hard-hitting new study -- with a sample size of 33 -- has found that American kids are so dependent on their mobile phones these days that not having one for a day was "was tantamount to sacrificing an appendage." It doesn't seem too surprising that kids are tied to their phones, and we've seen these "I'll die without my phone" stories before. Furthermore, is it really that surprising that kids are so attached to their phones when Mommy and Daddy can't get in the car without calling somebody and can't put down their BlackBerry? Saying people are addicted to technology is old hat. If things are so dire, why not teach people how to better deal with technology instead of just reveling in naming another addiction?
Hide this

Thank you for reading this Techdirt post. With so many things competing for everyone’s attention these days, we really appreciate you giving us your time. We work hard every day to put quality content out there for our community.

Techdirt is one of the few remaining truly independent media outlets. We do not have a giant corporation behind us, and we rely heavily on our community to support us, in an age when advertisers are increasingly uninterested in sponsoring small, independent sites — especially a site like ours that is unwilling to pull punches in its reporting and analysis.

While other websites have resorted to paywalls, registration requirements, and increasingly annoying/intrusive advertising, we have always kept Techdirt open and available to anyone. But in order to continue doing so, we need your support. We offer a variety of ways for our readers to support us, from direct donations to special subscriptions and cool merchandise — and every little bit helps. Thank you.

–The Techdirt Team


Reader Comments

Subscribe: RSS

View by: Time | Thread


  • identicon
    .treo., 7 Oct 2005 @ 3:44pm

    Learned my Addiction on my own

    I learned my obsession from tinkering, granted my dad allowed me to get new stuff to play with, but I think its preferential to the individual

    link to this | view in chronology ]

  • identicon
    Robert Martin, 7 Oct 2005 @ 4:18pm

    No Subject Given

    To save others from the bother of the search, the familiar headline is from a PSA by Partnership for a Drug-Free America.

    I haven't reloaded minutes in my pay-as-you-go cell in 4 months. Will be traveling next weekend, so I'll probably use it then. Two, maybe three times.

    link to this | view in chronology ]

    • identicon
      Anonymous Coward, 7 Oct 2005 @ 5:00pm

      Re: No Subject Given

      Sometimes I feel like the only person in the world without a mobile phone.

      link to this | view in chronology ]

      • identicon
        AZ, 7 Oct 2005 @ 5:14pm

        Re: No Subject Given

        Hey, I dont have a phone and I dont really care to have one. There teens now days guess who is paying for there bills? Thats right not them! If I get one im paying. What I get I earn. My mom and dad doesnt buy me tons of stuff cause I want it.

        Really who needs one just to talk? Are they really worth 25-30 cent a minute? Some are cheaper than that but come on! I can get local calls for free and if im away leave it on the machine lol.

        Truly on a serious side they are helpful in many ways but I dont have a really bad need for one. They to me just overcharge for the minutes.

        link to this | view in chronology ]

        • identicon
          Technically annoyed, 8 Oct 2005 @ 11:22am

          Re: No Subject Given

          people ask me all the time why i dont want a cellular phone, 3 reasons i give every time:

          1. dont need one
          2. wast of money
          3. i dont want smacktards calling me all the time

          if i need to talk to someone, i like face to face so i can smack them for wasting my time

          link to this | view in chronology ]

      • identicon
        Luke, 7 Oct 2005 @ 6:59pm

        Re: No Subject Given

        I know. We are few and far between. Today I was with some friends and they were using it to call each other on different floors. I also don't have an MP3 player something that almost every teen has. Heck, everyone in my family (including grandma) has a cellphone and an mp3 player. I haven't got a need for both of them.

        link to this | view in chronology ]

      • identicon
        K, 8 Oct 2005 @ 9:39am

        Re: No Subject Given

        i don't have one either. and believe me sometimes it's better as you're not tied down. but that's my opinion. i will probably get one of the pay as you go just for emergencies.

        link to this | view in chronology ]

      • identicon
        Jimi Spier, 8 Oct 2005 @ 6:16pm

        Without..

        I have been without one for 4 years and never been happier. Course, I hate talking to people anyway..

        link to this | view in chronology ]

      • identicon
        Anonymous Coward, 9 Oct 2005 @ 5:34pm

        Re: No Subject Given

        don't feel bad, i have one solely because social convention demands it but I havn't turned it on in over a year.

        link to this | view in chronology ]

      • identicon
        Tim, 10 Oct 2005 @ 12:25am

        Re: No Subject Given

        You're not! I don't own a cell phone, PDA or internet access from home and I'm a Network Engineer that's been in the field for over five years. I don't need these things in my personal life and see them as a waist of time and $$$.

        link to this | view in chronology ]

    • identicon
      Anonymous Coward, 8 Oct 2005 @ 7:58am

      Re: No Subject Given

      No shit. I'm a consultant and I don't use as much in a year as these kids use in a month! I was looking at getting a new phone, and the sales guy told me he's sold plans to teens with 4000 minutes monthly. That's 2.22 hours a frickin DAY. I remember my old analog startac. You'd get 15min talk time/8hr stby per charge.

      link to this | view in chronology ]

  • identicon
    rabidearz, 7 Oct 2005 @ 5:45pm

    yep!

    I completely agree.

    "oh I'd die w/o ..."

    kids, if it's about socializing, get off the couch and visit your friends *sheeesh!* I wish my best friends still lived within walking distance.

    link to this | view in chronology ]

  • identicon
    CheapyD, 7 Oct 2005 @ 7:06pm

    No Subject Given

    Heh heh...I'll never forget that PSA.

    link to this | view in chronology ]

  • identicon
    e_kraft100, 8 Oct 2005 @ 8:33am

    what?

    I sometimes wonder what I'd do without my cell phone.

    Truthfully I end up ignoring more of my phone calls than ansering them. I believe I miss my phone more because it is my lifline to telephone numbers. I don't have 1/3 of the phone numbers in my address book memorized.

    What happened to us to become so dependent upon technology?

    link to this | view in chronology ]

    • identicon
      Reb, 8 Oct 2005 @ 9:09am

      Cell Phones

      yeah, I have a cell. I sue it every now and then, no more than about 30 minutes per day. Most of the time it is informative calls, real calls. Other wise, I GO to my freinds house. Its not that hard. I could easily live without my phone, and yes, I do pay for it. 40 dollars a month, not bad, but it is all I need.

      link to this | view in chronology ]

  • identicon
    Sam, 8 Oct 2005 @ 2:17pm

    Generalization

    I personally think its a generalization to say that kids don't pay for their phones. I pay for my phone, and so do all my friends. We *teens* are so reliable on our phones because they are convenient. We pay for convenience. Also, its got our phone books, text messaging, internet, games, all sorts of stuff. And if your one of those people sitting in ur chair saying "Kids are so nieve, personally i would never pay for that kind of convenience, thats just stupid". Think about the next time you pay $1.50 for a 20oz. bottle of water...

    link to this | view in chronology ]

  • identicon
    malhombre, 8 Oct 2005 @ 2:48pm

    I'd die w/o my cellphone...

    cause to me it says "playah"...that and the cigs. Can't touch dis, beeatch.

    link to this | view in chronology ]

  • identicon
    diego, 9 Oct 2005 @ 7:36am

    what? not realy

    im in that age group and i dont NEED my cell, somtimes i leave it at home and uncharged no big deal.

    link to this | view in chronology ]

  • identicon
    malhombre, 9 Oct 2005 @ 8:49am

    Young people and cellphones

    Note to my fellow chronological adults: don't worry about the younger generation. They will be fine.
    They are always the fastest group of people to absorb just about any thing, be it music, visual media, social upheaval, racial issues, technology, violence, drugs, religion, etc., etc., keeping the good, changing the wrong, modifying the extreme, and bringing whats left into the mainstream. It's their brushstrokes on the big canvas.
    By and large, they don't turn out for the worst despite the seemingly overwhelming odds, and I know 18 year olds who can hold their own in any serious conversation on any topic and add fresh viewpoints that are, on occasion, stunningly valuable insights. Of course, I also know a few insufferable adults who should never say a word.
    The stereotype of the gum smacking brat with a phone stuck to her ear is just another case of judging the book by the cover...sure, she exists on the surface but think back to your own youth and you might remember that nearly all of us put up some kind of front to cover our sensitivity and vulnerability, and to belong to some group (read: to have friends). And lots of us still do exactly that, right on into our senior years.
    The gum smacker will likely graduate from college and live a productive life, pay taxes, donate to charity, and all that good stuff that our future stability depends on.
    Technology isn't going away and it doesn't matter. Look how many young posters have stated here that they don't use them, don't feel the need to talk to anyone that much (like me, I've sworn them off for the same reason).
    A good number of the younger kids I have spoken with carry cellphones that can only call numbers programmed by their parents, and they see this as a sort of discipline or training phase - rather than complain, they accept the limitation as appropriate for their particular age, assuming that they will "graduate" eventually to full access phones. Healthy and mature attitude.
    As far as "tantamount to sacrificing an appendage" or "I'll die without my phone" goes, kids have always used hyperbole when describing how they feel about things. It comes from an incompletely formed language framework and the strong emotions that characterize adolescence. Give them a break. I remember a certain late '70's Mustang "Boss 429" that I clearly stated I would kill for. Trust me, I wasn't a murderous psychopath in the making, just an overexcited kid.

    link to this | view in chronology ]

    • identicon
      theshutt, 9 Oct 2005 @ 7:40pm

      Re: Young people and cellphones

      Thank you so much. I enjoyed your comments. It takes guts for an adult to stand up for kids and to not stereotype us. Your a friend in my book

      link to this | view in chronology ]

  • identicon
    Nick, 9 Oct 2005 @ 10:00am

    No Subject Given

    Whoever produces these superfluous reports better not be informed how long humans have been using the plough, they may collapse with shock at such an addiction. Oh wait, it may be possible that technology expands human ability and freedom?

    link to this | view in chronology ]


Follow Techdirt
Essential Reading
Techdirt Deals
Report this ad  |  Hide Techdirt ads
Techdirt Insider Discord

The latest chatter on the Techdirt Insider Discord channel...

Loading...
Recent Stories

This site, like most other sites on the web, uses cookies. For more information, see our privacy policy. Got it
Close

Email This

This feature is only available to registered users. Register or sign in to use it.