Dear Ms Samantha Taylor,

I have recently read your article on the digital age and its impact on teenagers. I note in your article that you state that teenagers in the modern day find it difficult to communicate face to face. I felt I needed to respond to this because your article made many references to individuals who tarnish the reputation of teenagers by stereotyping them. These are not representative of all teenagers and this is clearly not factually correct. You cannot tarnish all teenagers collectively with the same brush.

I feel the article has presented a very unbalanced and biased view of teenagers as reference has been made to comments made by high profile adults. However there are no references made to any supporters of a teenage population who are digitally competent.

To brand teenagers using terms like ‘Enslaved social inadequates’ and ‘Emoticon addled zombies’ or ‘Selfish and attention deficient young people’ is a very harsh way or portraying the younger generation. The reason I say this is because from a teenager’s point of view these statements are partially true in some cases however it is very rare that you find a teenager that is on their tablet or phone 24/7.  Many teens use social media to keep up with friends or current events, not to post images of themselves because they are bored. There are also valid reasons some teenagers are so dependent on technology. I say this because of some situations I have been in myself, such as if I am going to be late home from school I don’t want my mum to worry so I send her a text message or an IM (Instant message) on WhatsApp so that when she has a chance to look at her phone she can see what I have said, this enables her to respond in her own time. My mum is not allowed to use her mobile phone whilst she is at work but she can check her messages when she has a break.  This is also another way of speaking to your other parent.  I live with my mum and she has raised me as a single parent for 10 years. My parents still communicate however sometimes when things may not be good between them and I may want to see my dad, I can communicate with him directly rather than getting my mum involved or if I am unable to get through to my mum I am able to contact my dad.  The social construction of family has changed dramatically with more single parent family units and the rapid decline in extended family living arrangements.  With less time for parents to spend with their children due to financial and other strains, digital technology has become an accessible way for teens not to feel isolated and lonely.  I do not dispute that this can be potentially dangerous for vulnerable teens, but it is an important method of communication for not just teens but for a large percentage of the adult population too.

The article also refers to not being able to distinguish between true meaningful relationships and casual ‘fake’ ones.  Relationships mean different things to different people and how can someone objectively determine whether a relationship is genuine and meaningful or not?  To make friends with someone on Facebook for example that you don’t know personally in a different part of the world does not mean that the virtual relationship has no meaning.  We can all learn so much from what other people have to share – their experiences whether through word or pictures can be inspirational and encourage young people to achieve.  Looking at pictures of where people may have travelled to can motivate a young person to achieve educationally, to get that well paid job in order to be able to financially afford to visit the amazing places in our wonderful world.