Issue link: http://educator.cta.org/i/1130365
Significantly, Twenge found that smartphones have helped lessen the digital divide. "Disadvantaged teens spent just as much or more time online as those with more resources. The smartphone era has meant the effective end of the Internet access gap by social class." If teens spend so much time online, what activities are being left out? Reading, for one thing. Twenge found teens are much less likely to read books than their mil- l e n n i a l , G e n X a n d b o o m e r pred e c e ss ors , n o tin g th at by 2015, one in three high school seniors admitted they had not re a d a ny b o o k s f o r p l e a su re within the past year, which she finds alarming. ey also sleep less. Teens take their phones to bed, going online into the wee hours, which makes them drowsier and less able to concentrate in class. Also, most iGen'ers spend less time hanging out with friends, at least in person. "For iGen'ers, online friendship has replaced offline friendship," says Twenge. SCREEN TIME: RISK TO WELL-BEING? Twenge finds that teens who spend more time on screen activities are more likely to be unhappy, and those who spend more time on non-screen activities are more likely They have never known a world without being watched, being under surveillance in airports and public places since 9/11 and now online." —Brent Smiley, UTLA Report on Gen Z This is the first of two parts. In part two next issue, we meet Gen Zers who are new educators or about to embark on education careers. We look at what they bring to the profession and how we can support them. What the kids are doing Texting 28% Internet 24% Gaming 18% TV 24% Video Chat 5% How 12th-graders spend their screen time (Monitoring the Future, 2013-2015). (All data courtesy Jean M. Twenge.) Relative risk of being unhappy based on time spent on screen (black bars) and nonscreen (blue bars) activities, eighth-graders (Monitoring the Future, 2013-2015). Percentage of 12th-graders who have a driver's license, have tried alcohol, have dated, and have worked for pay during the school year (Monitoring the Future, 1976-2016). Have a driver's license Work for pay Ever date Have tried alcohol 50 1976 1978 1980 1982 1984 1986 1988 1990 1992 1994 1996 1998 2000 2002 2004 2006 2008 2010 2012 2014 2016 55 60 65 70 75 80 85 90 Sports or exercise Religious services Print media In-person social interaction Homework Working TV Video chat Computer games Texting Social networking websites Internet 0.5 0.6 -0.4 -0.3 -0.2 -0.1 0.1 0.2 0.3 0.4 0 Brent Smiley talks with a student. Opposite page: Students in Smiley's class. 23 J U N E / J U L Y 2 019 Brenna Rollins