Posted on 01/05/2026 11:59:35 AM PST by Retain Mike
A study published in late 2021 found that, “The psychological well-being of adolescents around the world began to decline after 2012, in conjunction with the rise of smartphone access and increased internet use.” This explosion of social media over the past 15 years has caused a moral panic in which older generations believe the youth is rotting away under the pervasive influence of new technology. Such moral panics are normal, but research confirms there is a real problem this time. There has never been a technological development as psychologically detrimental as social media and smartphone addiction. These technologies have introduced an unprecedented disruption to the socioemotional development of children and adolescents, who grow up with unfiltered access to addictive content built on comparison, negativity, and exposure to dangerous people. Disruption of normal developmental experiences in early childhood has altered the terrain of young adults’ social and emotional landscapes, significantly diminishing this generation’s tolerance for common stress and discomfort.
In 2022, 33.5 percent of hospitalizations in all active-duty components were attributed to mental health disorders. The service continues to see an increase in inpatient treatment in the junior Marine population (18–24 years old) for mental health and substance abuse issues. Substance abuse in the Marine Corps, which often coincides with mental health issues, is more than twice the rate of the general population for men, and almost three times the rate for women.
Most Marines in a high-operational-tempo unit train on a consistent and rotating basis that causes chronic high stress, mental health turbulence, burnout, and low motivation. These issues may not be new, but young warfighters’ tolerance threshold seems substantially lower than that of their Millennial and Generation X counterparts. It is not uncommon to see a Marine experience extreme mental distress in preparation for routine Marine Corps functions.
(Excerpt) Read more at usni.org ...
Mankind is not ready for this.
It is the shiniest of shiny things.
If the Marines lowered their recruiting standards because of DEI (and they almost certainly did) that would explain a lot of what they are seeing.
Data discussed in this article would reflect some of the impact of growing up with Smart Phones. But we will have to wait to gather data that also shows the impact of the COVID Lock-down and the general social changes of the past 5 years. I think the under 30 generation took a big hit in terms of mental heath and social skills. But that’s recent and I wouldn’t expect many psychology studies to have the data yet.
Any current soft and hard science "studies" are immediately suspect. DEI, wokeness, politically correct, anti-white, Anti Western Civilization has spread like an infection throughout the sciences.
Just watch the PhD anthropologist profess that one cannot determine the gender of skeletons.
There is still real science out there. As always, trust, but verify.
“There has never been a technological development as psychologically detrimental”
When I entered the Army in ‘66 Birth Control existed but was not considered safe or effective.
When I returned Christmas Eve ‘67 both teens and adults were openly taking birth control and advertising availability. It was considered safe and effective.
When I left for the Army both delayed gratification and immediate gratification existed but delayed gratification dominated.
In the 10 years after my return from Vietnam immediate gratification came to dominate, not just in terms of sex without marriage, but in terms of educations, employment, family commitment, politics and much more.
How does this “new” technology compare to the 1966-68 change in technology?
I am an older senior & I have only a cell phone, but need it only for calls & texts. Can’t seem to find one that doesn’t have all that other crap on it that is so attractive apparently to the younger generation & detracts from otherwise sane family discussions. There is so much garbage on the phones that makes them unnecessarily complicated & not everybody wants that stuff.
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