I know that it’s trendy to blame social media and overconnectivity for all the world’s ills, but there is so much more to the story. Though there are some circumstantial claims supporting a

Jonathan Flynn
ENGL 1121
2/22/23
Smartphones Are Not to Blame – Argumentative Essay
I know that it’s trendy to blame social media and overconnectivity for all the world’s ills, but there is so much more to the story. Though there are some circumstantial claims supporting a correlation between the advent of the smartphone and the recent rise in unchecked teen depression, I believe there are too many variables at play to simply blame it on a device or a particular platform. Mediated communication in general has changed significantly over the passed decade and teens are not the only ones trying to adapt.
Amongst staunch advocates rushing to call out the smartphone and social media for ruining teen sleeping habits is Jean M. Twenge. Professor of psychology at San Diego State University, Jean M. Twenge argues, “Electronic devices and social media seem to have an especially strong ability to disrupt sleep”. (65) In her article “Has the Smartphone Destroyed a Generation?” she makes several claims regarding the effects of the ubiquitous smartphone and in particular the impact the iPhone had and continues to have on a generation. She even goes so far as to claim that, “the twin rise of the smartphone and social media has caused an earthquake of a magnitude we’ve not seen in a very long time” (61).
Though Twenge makes a strong sounding argument, her work has come under scrutiny. Twenge seemingly references hand-picked data from studies that support her beliefs while dismissing other relevant sources completely (Cavanaugh, 2). Some of her own statements inherently lead one to question the point of her article. “The correlation between depression and smartphone use are strong enough to suggest that more parents should be telling their kids to put down their phone.” (Twenge) Okay, but doesn’t this point to a parenting problem not a technology one? Alexandra Samuel states in her rebuttal article, “Yes, Smartphones Are Destroying a Generation, But not of Kids” in refence to parents being too engaged on their own devices that, “We’re too busy looking down at our screen to look up at our kids” (9). Changes in parenting and the lives of parents invariably has influenced their children far beyond simple device usage.
There is no one size fits all approach to identifying and defining the cause of teen mental health, sleep deprivation, etc. Despite perceived negativity, there is plenty of data to support positivity and increased happiness in teens overall. Twenge, Cavanaugh, and Samuel all agree that there are at least as many positive attributes to using social media as there are negative ones. This alone should make one question any argument placing the blame for perceived increases in mental health solely at the foot of smartphones and/or social media. There really is just as much evidence to support as there is to discredit the idea that smartphones and social media are causing an increase in teens having inadequate sleep and a sharp rise in teen mental health cases.
any adjustment on this draft

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