speech on harmful effects of technology

TED is supported by ads and partners 00:00

Is technology really ruining your life?

Greater Good Science Center • Magazine • In Action • In Education

What Makes Technology Good or Bad for Us?

Everyone’s worried about smartphones. Headlines like “ Have smartphones destroyed a generation? ” and “ Smartphone addiction could be changing your brain ” paint a bleak picture of our smartphone addiction and its long-term consequences. This isn’t a new lament—public opinion at the advent of the newspaper worried that people would forego the stimulating pleasures of early-morning conversation in favor of reading the daily .

Is the story of technology really that bad? Certainly there’s some reason to worry. Smartphone use has been linked to serious issues, such as dwindling attention spans , crippling depression , and even increased incidence of brain cancer . Ultimately, though, the same concern comes up again and again: Smartphones can’t be good for us, because they’re replacing the real human connection of the good old days.

Everyone’s heard how today’s teens just sit together in a room, texting, instead of actually talking to each other. But could those teenagers actually be getting something meaningful and real out of all that texting?

The science of connection

A quick glance at the research on technology-mediated interaction reveals an ambivalent literature. Some studies show that time spent socializing online can decrease loneliness , increase well-being , and help the socially anxious learn how to connect to others. Other studies suggest that time spent socializing online can cause loneliness , decrease well-being , and foster a crippling dependence on technology-mediated interaction to the point that users prefer it to face-to-face conversation.

It’s tempting to say that some of these studies must be right and others wrong, but the body of evidence on both sides is a little too robust to be swept under the rug. Instead, the impact of social technology is more complicated. Sometimes, superficially similar behaviors have fundamentally different consequences. Sometimes online socialization is good for you, sometimes it’s bad, and the devil is entirely in the details.

This isn’t a novel proposition; after all, conflicting results started appearing within the first few studies into the internet’s social implications, back in the 1990s. Many people have suggested that to understand the consequences of online socialization, we need to dig deeper into situational factors and circumstances. But what we still have to do is move beyond recognition of the problem to provide an answer: When, how, and why are some online interactions great, while others are dangerous?

The interpersonal connection behaviors framework

As a scientist of close relationships, I can’t help but see online interactions differently from thinkers in other fields. People build relationships by demonstrating their understanding of each other’s needs and perspectives, a cyclical process that brings them closer together. If I tell you my secrets, and you respond supportively, I’m much more likely to confide in you again—and you, in turn, are much more likely to confide in me.

This means that every time two people talk to each other, an opportunity for relationship growth is unfolding. Many times, that opportunity isn’t taken; we aren’t about to have an in-depth conversation with the barista who asks for our order. But connection is always theoretically possible, and that’s true whether we’re interacting online or face-to-face.

Close relationships are the bread and butter of happiness—and even health. Being socially isolated is a stronger predictor of mortality than is smoking multiple cigarettes a day . If we want to understand the role technology plays in our well-being, we need to start with the role it plays in our relationships.

And it turns out that the kind of technology-mediated interactions that lead to positive outcomes are exactly those that are likely to build stronger relationships. Spending your time online by scheduling interactions with people you see day in and day out seems to pay dividends in increased social integration . Using the internet to compensate for being lonely just makes you lonelier; using the internet to actively seek out connection has the opposite effect .

“The kind of technology-mediated interactions that lead to positive outcomes are exactly those that are likely to build stronger relationships”

On the other hand, technology-mediated interactions that don’t really address our close relationships don’t seem to do us any good—and might, in fact, do us harm. Passively scrolling through your Facebook feed without interacting with people has been linked to decreased well-being and increased depression post-Facebook use.

That kind of passive usage is a good example of “ social snacking .” Like eating junk food, social snacking can temporarily satisfy you, but it’s lacking in nutritional content. Looking at your friends’ posts without ever responding might make you feel more connected to them, but it doesn’t build intimacy.

Passive engagement has a second downside, as well: social comparison . When we compare our messy lived experiences to others’ curated self-presentations, we are likely to suffer from lowered self-esteem , happiness, and well-being. This effect is only exacerbated when we consume people’s digital lives without interacting with them, making it all too easy to miss the less photogenic moments of their lives.

Moving forward

The interpersonal connection behaviors framework doesn’t explain everything that might influence our well-being after spending time on social media. The internet poses plenty of other dangers—for two examples, the sense of wasting time or emotional contagion from negative news. However, a focus on meaningful social interaction can help explain decades of contradictory findings. And even if the framework itself is challenged by future work, its central concept is bound to be upheld: We have to study the details of how people are spending their time online if we want to understand its likely effects.

In the meantime, this framework has some practical implications for those worried about their own online time. If you make sure you’re using social media for genuinely social purposes, with conscious thought about how it can improve your life and your relationships, you’ll be far more likely to enjoy your digital existence.

This article was originally published on the Behavioral Scientist . Read the original article .

About the Author

Jenna Clark

Jenna Clark, Ph.D. , is a senior behavioral researcher at Duke University's Center for Advanced Hindsight, where she works to help people make healthy decisions in spite of themselves. She's also interested in how technology contributes to our well-being through its effect on our close personal relationships.

You May Also Enjoy

Five Ways to Build Caring Community on Social Media

How to Stop Your Smartphone From Hurting Your Health

Does Technology Cut Us Off from Other People?

How Smartphones Are Killing Conversation

Are Smartphones Bad for Teen Mental Health?

How to Keep Your Smartphone from Hurting Your Relationships

Thank you for visiting nature.com. You are using a browser version with limited support for CSS. To obtain the best experience, we recommend you use a more up to date browser (or turn off compatibility mode in Internet Explorer). In the meantime, to ensure continued support, we are displaying the site without styles and JavaScript.

• View all journals
• Explore content
• About the journal
• Publish with us
• Sign up for alerts
• NEWS & VIEWS FORUM
• 10 February 2020

Scrutinizing the effects of digital technology on mental health

• Jonathan Haidt &

You can also search for this author in PubMed   Google Scholar

You have full access to this article via your institution.

The topic in brief

• There is an ongoing debate about whether social media and the use of digital devices are detrimental to mental health.

• Adolescents tend to be heavy users of these devices, and especially of social media.

• Rates of teenage depression began to rise around 2012, when adolescent use of social media became common (Fig. 1).

• Some evidence indicates that frequent users of social media have higher rates of depression and anxiety than do light users.

• But perhaps digital devices could provide a way of gathering data about mental health in a systematic way, and make interventions more timely.

Figure 1 | Depression on the rise. Rates of depression among teenagers in the United States have increased steadily since 2012. Rates are higher and are increasing more rapidly for girls than for boys. Some researchers think that social media is the cause of this increase, whereas others see social media as a way of tackling it. (Data taken from the US National Survey on Drug Use and Health, Table 11.2b; go.nature.com/3ayjaww )

JONATHAN HAIDT: A guilty verdict

A sudden increase in the rates of depression, anxiety and self-harm was seen in adolescents — particularly girls — in the United States and the United Kingdom around 2012 or 2013 (see go.nature.com/2up38hw ). Only one suspect was in the right place at the right time to account for this sudden change: social media. Its use by teenagers increased most quickly between 2009 and 2011, by which point two-thirds of 15–17-year-olds were using it on a daily basis 1 . Some researchers defend social media, arguing that there is only circumstantial evidence for its role in mental-health problems 2 , 3 . And, indeed, several studies 2 , 3 show that there is only a small correlation between time spent on screens and bad mental-health outcomes. However, I present three arguments against this defence.

First, the papers that report small or null effects usually focus on ‘screen time’, but it is not films or video chats with friends that damage mental health. When research papers allow us to zoom in on social media, rather than looking at screen time as a whole, the correlations with depression are larger, and they are larger still when we look specifically at girls ( go.nature.com/2u74der ). The sex difference is robust, and there are several likely causes for it. Girls use social media much more than do boys (who, in turn, spend more of their time gaming). And, for girls more than boys, social life and status tend to revolve around intimacy and inclusion versus exclusion 4 , making them more vulnerable to both the ‘fear of missing out’ and the relational aggression that social media facilitates.

Second, although correlational studies can provide only circumstantial evidence, most of the experiments published in recent years have found evidence of causation ( go.nature.com/2u74der ). In these studies, people are randomly assigned to groups that are asked to continue using social media or to reduce their use substantially. After a few weeks, people who reduce their use generally report an improvement in mood or a reduction in loneliness or symptoms of depression.

The best way forward

Third, many researchers seem to be thinking about social media as if it were sugar: safe in small to moderate quantities, and harmful only if teenagers consume large quantities. But, unlike sugar, social media does not act just on those who consume it. It has radically transformed the nature of peer relationships, family relationships and daily activities 5 . When most of the 11-year-olds in a class are on Instagram (as was the case in my son’s school), there can be pervasive effects on everyone. Children who opt out can find themselves isolated. A simple dose–response model cannot capture the full effects of social media, yet nearly all of the debate among researchers so far has been over the size of the dose–response effect. To cite just one suggestive finding of what lies beyond that model: network effects for depression and anxiety are large, and bad mental health spreads more contagiously between women than between men 6 .

In conclusion, digital media in general undoubtedly has many beneficial uses, including the treatment of mental illness. But if you focus on social media, you’ll find stronger evidence of harm, and less exculpatory evidence, especially for its millions of under-age users.

What should we do while researchers hash out the meaning of these conflicting findings? I would urge a focus on middle schools (roughly 11–13-year-olds in the United States), both for researchers and policymakers. Any US state could quickly conduct an informative experiment beginning this September: randomly assign a portion of school districts to ban smartphone access for students in middle school, while strongly encouraging parents to prevent their children from opening social-media accounts until they begin high school (at around 14). Within 2 years, we would know whether the policy reversed the otherwise steady rise of mental-health problems among middle-school students, and whether it also improved classroom dynamics (as rated by teachers) and test scores. Such system-wide and cross-school interventions would be an excellent way to study the emergent effects of social media on the social lives and mental health of today’s adolescents.

NICK ALLEN: Use digital technology to our advantage

It is appealing to condemn social media out of hand on the basis of the — generally rather poor-quality and inconsistent — evidence suggesting that its use is associated with mental-health problems 7 . But focusing only on its potential harmful effects is comparable to proposing that the only question to ask about cars is whether people can die driving them. The harmful effects might be real, but they don’t tell the full story. The task of research should be to understand what patterns of digital-device and social-media use can lead to beneficial versus harmful effects 7 , and to inform evidence-based approaches to policy, education and regulation.

Long-standing problems have hampered our efforts to improve access to, and the quality of, mental-health services and support. Digital technology has the potential to address some of these challenges. For instance, consider the challenges associated with collecting data on human behaviour. Assessment in mental-health care and research relies almost exclusively on self-reporting, but the resulting data are subjective and burdensome to collect. As a result, assessments are conducted so infrequently that they do not provide insights into the temporal dynamics of symptoms, which can be crucial for both diagnosis and treatment planning.

By contrast, mobile phones and other Internet-connected devices provide an opportunity to continuously collect objective information on behaviour in the context of people’s real lives, generating a rich data set that can provide insight into the extent and timing of mental-health needs in individuals 8 , 9 . By building apps that can track our digital exhaust (the data generated by our everyday digital lives, including our social-media use), we can gain insights into aspects of behaviour that are well-established building blocks of mental health and illness, such as mood, social communication, sleep and physical activity.

Stress and the city

These data can, in turn, be used to empower individuals, by giving them actionable insights into patterns of behaviour that might otherwise have remained unseen. For example, subtle shifts in patterns of sleep or social communication can provide early warning signs of deteriorating mental health. Data on these patterns can be used to alert people to the need for self-management before the patterns — and the associated symptoms — become more severe. Individuals can also choose to share these data with health professionals or researchers. For instance, in the Our Data Helps initiative, individuals who have experienced a suicidal crisis, or the relatives of those who have died by suicide, can donate their digital data to research into suicide risk.

Because mobile devices are ever-present in people’s lives, they offer an opportunity to provide interventions that are timely, personalized and scalable. Currently, mental-health services are mainly provided through a century-old model in which they are made available at times chosen by the mental-health practitioner, rather than at the person’s time of greatest need. But Internet-connected devices are facilitating the development of a wave of ‘just-in-time’ interventions 10 for mental-health care and support.

A compelling example of these interventions involves short-term risk for suicide 9 , 11 — for which early detection could save many lives. Most of the effective approaches to suicide prevention work by interrupting suicidal actions and supporting alternative methods of coping at the moment of greatest risk. If these moments can be detected in an individual’s digital exhaust, a wide range of intervention options become available, from providing information about coping skills and social support, to the initiation of crisis responses. So far, just-in-time approaches have been applied mainly to behaviours such as eating or substance abuse 8 . But with the development of an appropriate research base, these approaches have the potential to provide a major advance in our ability to respond to, and prevent, mental-health crises.

These advantages are particularly relevant to teenagers. Because of their extensive use of digital devices, adolescents are especially vulnerable to the devices’ risks and burdens. And, given the increases in mental-health problems in this age group, teens would also benefit most from improvements in mental-health prevention and treatment. If we use the social and data-gathering functions of Internet-connected devices in the right ways, we might achieve breakthroughs in our ability to improve mental health and well-being.

Nature 578 , 226-227 (2020)

doi: https://doi.org/10.1038/d41586-020-00296-x

Twenge, J. M., Martin, G. N. & Spitzberg, B. H. Psychol. Pop. Media Culture 8 , 329–345 (2019).

Article   Google Scholar  

Orben, A. & Przybylski, A. K. Nature Hum. Behav. 3 , 173–182 (2019).

Article   PubMed   Google Scholar  

Odgers, C. L. & Jensen, M. R. J. Child Psychol. Psychiatry https://doi.org/10.1111/jcpp.13190 (2020).

Maccoby, E. E. The Two Sexes: Growing Up Apart, Coming Together Ch. 2 (Harvard Univ. Press, 1999).

Google Scholar  

Nesi, J., Choukas-Bradley, S. & Prinstein, M. J. Clin. Child. Fam. Psychol. Rev. 21 , 267–294 (2018).

Rosenquist, J. N., Fowler, J. H. & Christakis, N. A. Molec. Psychiatry 16 , 273–281 (2011).

Orben, A. Social Psychiatry Psychiatr. Epidemiol. https://doi.org/10.1007/s00127-019-01825-4 (2020).

Mohr, D. C., Zhang, M. & Schueller, S. M. Annu. Rev. Clin. Psychol. 13 , 23–47 (2017).

Nelson, B. W. & Allen, N. B. Perspect. Psychol. Sci. 13 , 718–733 (2018).

Nahum-Shani, I. et al. Ann. Behav. Med. 52 , 446–462 (2018).

Allen, N. B., Nelson, B. W., Brent, D. & Auerbach, R. P. J. Affect. Disord. 250 , 163–169 (2019).

Download references

Reprints and permissions

Competing Interests

N.A. has an equity interest in Ksana Health, a company he co-founded and which has the sole commercial licence for certain versions of the Effortless Assessment of Risk States (EARS) mobile-phone application and some related EARS tools. This intellectual property was developed as part of his research at the University of Oregon’s Center for Digital Mental Health (CDMH).

Related Articles

See all News & Views

• Human behaviour

How ‘green’ electricity from wood harms the planet — and people

News Feature 20 AUG 24

The science of protests: how to shape public opinion and swing votes

News Feature 26 JUN 24

‘It can feel like there’s no way out’ — political scientists face pushback on their work

News Feature 19 JUN 24

Substrate binding and inhibition mechanism of norepinephrine transporter

Article 14 AUG 24

MDMA therapy for PTSD rejected by FDA panel

News 05 JUN 24

Internet use and teen mental health: it’s about more than just screen time

Correspondence 21 MAY 24

Loss of plasticity in deep continual learning

Article 21 AUG 24

Are brains rewired for caring during pregnancy? Why the jury’s out

Correspondence 20 AUG 24

More studies are needed on the long-term environmental consequences of war

Tenure-Track/Tenured Faculty Positions

Tenure-Track/Tenured Faculty Positions in the fields of energy and resources.

Suzhou, Jiangsu, China

School of Sustainable Energy and Resources at Nanjing University

ATLAS - Joint PhD Program from BioNTech and TRON with a focus on translational medicine

5 PhD positions for ATLAS, the joint PhD Program from BioNTech and TRON with a focus on translational medicine.

Mainz, Rheinland-Pfalz (DE)

Translational Oncology (TRON) Mainz

Alzheimer's Disease (AD) Researcher/Associate Researcher

Xiaoliang Sunney XIE’s Group is recruiting researchers specializing in Alzheimer's disease (AD).

Beijing, China

Changping Laboratory

Supervisory Bioinformatics Specialist CTG Program Head

The National Library of Medicine (NLM) is a global leader in biomedical informatics and computational health data science and the world’s largest b...

Bethesda, Maryland (US)

National Library of Medicine, National Center for Biotechnology Information

Post Doctoral Research Scientist

Post-Doctoral Research Scientist Position in Human Transplant Immunology at the Columbia Center for Translational Immunology in New York, NY

New York City, New York (US)

Columbia Center for Translational Immunoogy

Sign up for the Nature Briefing newsletter — what matters in science, free to your inbox daily.

Quick links

• Explore articles by subject
• Guide to authors
• Editorial policies

• Bipolar Disorder
• Therapy Center
• When To See a Therapist
• Types of Therapy
• Best Online Therapy
• Best Couples Therapy
• Managing Stress
• Sleep and Dreaming
• Understanding Emotions
• Self-Improvement
• Healthy Relationships
• Student Resources
• Personality Types
• Sweepstakes
• Guided Meditations
• Verywell Mind Insights
• 2024 Verywell Mind 25
• Mental Health in the Classroom
• Editorial Process
• Meet Our Review Board
• Crisis Support

For Better or Worse, Technology Is Taking Over the Health World

For many people over the past year and a half, the world has existed primarily through a screen. With social distancing measures in place to protect individuals from becoming infected with the coronavirus, technology has stepped in to fill the void of physical connections. It’s also become a space for navigating existing and new mental health conditions through virtual therapy sessions, meditation apps, mental health influencers, and beyond.

“Over the years, mental health and technology have started touching each other more and more, and the pandemic accelerated that in an unprecedented way,” says Naomi Torres-Mackie, PhD , the head of research at The Mental Health Coalition , a clinical psychologist at Lenox Hill Hospital, and an adjunct professor at Columbia University. “This is especially the case because the pandemic has highlighted the importance of mental health for everyone as we struggle to make sense of an overwhelming new world and can find mental health information and services online.” 

This shift is especially critical, with a tremendous spike occurring in mental health conditions. In the period between January and June 2019, 11% of US adults reported experiencing symptoms of an anxiety or depressive disorder. In January 2021, 10 months into the pandemic, in one survey that number increased to 41.1%. Research also points to a potential connection for some between having COVID-19 and developing a mental health condition—whether or not you previously had one.

The pandemic’s bridge between mental health and technology has helped to “meet the needs of many suffering from depression, anxiety, life transition, grief, family conflict, and addiction,” says Miyume McKinley, MSW, LCSW , a psychotherapist and founder of Epiphany Counseling, Consulting & Treatment Services.

Naomi Torres-Mackie, PhD

The risk of greater access is that the floodgates are open for anyone to say anything about mental health, and there’s no vetting process or way to truly check credibility.

This increased reliance on technology to facilitate mental health care and support appears to be a permanent one. Torres-Mackie has witnessed mental health clinicians drop their apprehension around virtual services throughout the pandemic and believes they will continue for good.

“Almost all therapists seem to be at least offering virtual sessions, and a good portion have transitioned their practices to be entirely virtual, giving up their traditional in-person offices,” adds Carrie Torn, MSW, LCSW , a licensed clinical social worker and psychotherapist in private practice in Charlotte, North Carolina.

The general public is also more receptive to technology’s expanded role in mental health care. “The pandemic has created a lasting relationship between technology, and it has helped increase access to mental health services across the world,” says McKinley. “There are lots of people seeking help who would not have done so prior to the pandemic, either due to the discomfort or because they simply didn’t know it was possible to obtain such services via technology.”

Accessibility Is a Tremendous Benefit of Technology

Every expert interviewed agreed: Accessibility is an undeniable and indispensable benefit of mental health’s increasing presence online. Torn points out, “We can access information, including mental health information and treatment like never before, and it’s low cost.”

A 2018 study found that, at the time, 74% of Americans didn’t view mental health as accessible to everyone. Participants cited long wait times, a lack of affordable options, low awareness, and social stigma as barriers to mental health care. The evolution of mental health and technology has alleviated some of these issues—whether it be through influencers creating open discussions around mental health and normalizing it or low-cost therapy apps . In addition, wait times may reduce when people are no longer tied to seeing a therapist in their immediate area.

While some people may still be apprehensive about trying digital therapy, research has shown that it is an effective strategy for managing your mental health. A 2020 review of 17 studies published in EClinicalMedicine found that online cognitive-behavioral therapy sessions were at least as effective at reducing the severity of depression symptoms than in-person sessions. There wasn’t a significant difference in participant satisfaction between the two options.

There Are Limitations to Mental Health and Technology’s Increasing Closeness

One of the most prevalent limitations of technology-fueled mental health care and awareness is the possibility of misleading or inaccurate information.  

If you’re attending digital sessions with a therapist, it’s easy to check their qualifications and reviews. However, for most other online mental health resources, it can be more challenging but remains just as critical to verify their expertise and benefits. “The risk of greater access is that the floodgates are open for anyone to say anything about mental health, and there’s no vetting process or way to truly check credibility,” says Torres-Mackle.

To that point, James Giordano, PhD, MPhil , professor of neurology and ethics at Georgetown University Medical Center and author of the book “Neurotechnology: Premises, Potential, and Problems,” cautions that, while there are guiding institutions, the market still contains “unregulated products, resources, and services, many of which are available via the internet. Thus, it’s very important to engage due diligence when considering the use of any mental health technology .” 

 Verywell / Alison Czinkota 

McKinley raises another valuable point: A person’s home is not always a space they can securely explore their mental health. “For many individuals, home is not a safe place due to abuse, addiction, toxic family, or unhealthy living environments,” she says. “Despite technology offering a means of support, if the home is not a safe place, many people won’t seek the help or mental health treatment that they need. For some, the therapy office is the only safe place they have.” Due to the pandemic and a general limit on private places outside of the home to dive into your personal feelings, someone in this situation may struggle to find opportunities for help.

Miyume McKinley, MSW, LCSW

There are lots of people seeking help that would not have done so prior to the pandemic, either due to the discomfort or because they simply didn’t know it was possible to obtain such services via technology.

Torn explains that therapists who work for tech platforms can also suffer due to burnout and low pay. She claims that some of these platforms prioritize seeing new clients instead of providing time for existing clients to grow their relationship. “I’ve heard about clients having to jump from one therapist to the next, or therapists who can’t even leave stops open for their existing clients, and instead their schedule gets filled with new clients,” she says. “Therapists are burning out in general right now, and especially on these platforms, which leads to a lower quality of care for clients.”

Screen Time Can Also Have a Negative Impact

As mental health care continues to spread into online platforms, clinicians and individuals must contend with society’s growing addiction to tech and extended screen time’s negative aspects.

Social media, in particular, has been shown to impact an individual’s mental health negatively. A 2019 study looked at how social media affected feelings of social isolation in 1,178 students aged 18 to 30. While having a positive experience on social media didn’t improve it, each 10% increase in negative experiences elevated social isolation feelings by 13%.

Verywell / Alison Czinkota

While certain aspects like Zoom therapy and mental health influencers require looking at a screen, you can use other digital options such as meditation apps without constantly staring at your device.

What to Be Mindful of as You Explore Mental Health Within Technology

Nothing is all bad or all good and that stands true for mental health’s increased presence within technology. What’s critical is being aware that “technology is a tool, and just like any tool, its impact depends on how it's used,” says Torres-Mackie.

For example, technology can produce positive results if you use the digital space to access treatment that you may have struggled to otherwise, support your mental well-being, or gather helpful—and credible—information about mental health. In contrast, she explains that diving into social media or other avenues only to compare yourself with others and avoid your responsibilities can have negative repercussions on your mental health and relationships. 

Giordano expresses the importance of staying vigilant about your relationship with and reliance on tech and your power to control it. 

With that in mind, pay attention to how much time you spend online. “We are spending less time outside, and more time glued to our screens. People are constantly comparing their lives to someone else's on social media, making it harder to be present in the moment and actually live our lives,” says Torn. 

Between the increase in necessary services moving online and trying to connect with people through a screen, it’s critical to take time away from your devices. According to a 2018 study, changing your social media habits, in particular, can improve your overall well-being . Participants limited Instagram, Facebook, and Snapchat use to 10 minutes a day per platform for three weeks. At the end of the study, they showed significant reductions in depression and loneliness compared to the control group. However, even the increased awareness of their social media use appeared to help the control group lower feelings of anxiety and fear of missing out.

“Remember, it’s okay to turn your phone off. It’s okay to turn notifications off for news, apps, and emails,” says McKinley. Take opportunities to step outside, spend time with loved ones, and explore screen-free self-care activities. She adds, “Most of the things in life that make life worthwhile cannot be found on our devices, apps, or through technology—it’s found within ourselves and each other.”

Kaiser Family Foundation. The implications of COVID-19 for mental health and substance use .

Taquet M, Luciano S, Geddes JR, Harrison PJ. Bidirectional associations between COVID-19 and psychiatric disorder: retrospective cohort studies of 62 354 COVID-19 cases in the USA . Lancet Psychiatry . 2021;8(2):130-140. doi:10.1016/S2215-0366(20)30462-4

Luo C, Sanger N, Singhal N, et al. A comparison of electronically-delivered and face to face cognitive behavioural therapies in depressive disorders: a systematic review and meta-analysis . EClinicalMedicine . 2020;24:100442. doi:10.1016/j.eclinm.2020.100442

Primack BA, Karim SA, Shensa A, Bowman N, Knight J, Sidani JE. Positive and negative experiences on social media and perceived social isolation . Am J Health Promot . 2019;33(6):859-868. doi:10.1177/0890117118824196

Hunt MG, Marx R, Lipson C, Young J. No more FOMO: Limiting social media decreases loneliness and depression . J Soc Clin Psychol . 2018;37(10):751-768. doi:10.1521/jscp.2018.37.10.751

45,000+ students realised their study abroad dream with us. Take the first step today

Meet top uk universities from the comfort of your home, here’s your new year gift, one app for all your, study abroad needs, start your journey, track your progress, grow with the community and so much more.

Verification Code

An OTP has been sent to your registered mobile no. Please verify

Thanks for your comment !

Our team will review it before it's shown to our readers.

• Speech Writing /

Speech on The Impact of Technology on Society

• Updated on  
• Jan 12, 2024

Speech on the Impact of Technology on Society: Today we are all surrounded by technology, be it the internet, cell phones, or any electronic radiation. Technology is considered as our biggest ally to deal where future challenges like climate change, global warming, overpopulation, water scarcity, etc. But have you ever wondered what are the impacts of technology on society? How does technology affect our social relationships? 

Everything comes at a price and so does technology. With the help of technology, we can connect with a person sitting in another country, allowing us to make international friends. But making connections with strangers often turns out to be a nightmare. There have been so many cases where netizens fell prey to cyberbullying, job loss, technology addiction, etc. We will provide you with a speech on the impact of technology on society, where we will cover all the dimensions of this topic. Stay tuned!

Also Read: 5 Minutes Speech on Technology and Mental Health

Also Read: Short Speech on Technology for School Students

10 Lines on The Impact of Technology on Society

Here are 10 lines on the impact of technology on society. Feel free to use them in your academic and professional arenas.

• Technology allows us to connect and communicate with distant people.
• With the help of technology, we can bridge the gap between the digital divide.
• People with disabilities find technology very useful to communicate with others.
• Social media platforms like Instagram, Facebook, X, etc. allow us to share our thoughts with like-minded people.
• Medical professionals can use technology to share medical treatment ideas, diagnostic tools, and healthcare management systems, enhancing overall health outcomes.
• We can improve our work-life balance with the advent of remote working or work from home.
• There has been a significant transformation in the film industry, where movies and TV shows are now available on online streaming platforms, like Prime, Netflix, SonyLiv, etc.
• E-commerce platforms like Amazon, Flipkart, etc. allow us to buy products online. 
• E-commerce platforms have also allowed businesses to expand their reach.
• We can share green technology ideas via online conferences, video calls, or vlogs.

Easy Speech on The Impact of Technology on Society

‘Hello and welcome to everyone present here. Today, I stand before you to present my speech on the impact of technology on society. Technological inventions like the steam engine, electricity, batteries, the internet, computers, etc. have changed the entire evolution cycle. When we talk about the social impacts of technology, there are two sides; positive and negative.

On one side, technology has improved our communication and connectivity, education and knowledge sharing, workplace productivity, social activism, etc. With tech, we can make global connections, regardless of any geographical barriers. A new concept of telemedicine has evolved, where people living in remote areas can connect with medical professionals and consult on healthcare issues. We can learn about geopolitical developments, international summits, etc.

On the other hand, there are negative impacts of technology on society. The most common ones are privacy concerns and cyberbullying. Widespread use of technology often involves the collection and storage of personal information. This is a big privacy concern for everyone, as our data in someone else’s hand makes us vulnerable to data breaches, surveillance, and unauthorized access to our details.

If you're interested in a career intersected between social innovation and responsible tech transformations then check out @AllTechIsHuman 's Responsible Tech Job Board! https://t.co/ozED8L7LS3 — The Centre for Social Impact Technology (@SocImpTecCTR) January 9, 2024

Another impact is job displacement and inequality. Studies have shown that automation and AI have the potential to certain jobs, leading to unemployment and economic instability for some individuals. Recently, a survey was conducted that showed that the most vulnerable jobs to AI were data entry, basic customer service roles, and bookkeeping.

 A lot of people have fallen prey to cyberbullying. Talking to anonymous people over the internet can raise the flag of cyberbullying and online harassment. Young girls and students often fall victim to online harassment, which leads to emotional distress and mental well-being.

The list of negative impacts of technology on society doesn’t end here. Other drawbacks include dependence and addiction to technology, loss of traditional skills, information overload, social isolation, etc. 

While using technology, we need to be aware of what information we are gaining and what is its source. Relying bluntly on technology can put us in the corner, as it will affect our cognitive skills. We should use technology but in a sustained way and it should not turn into an addiction.

Thank you.’

Also Read: How to Prepare for UPSC in 6 Months?

Ans: Technology is considered as our biggest ally to deal where future challenges like climate change, global warming, overpopulation, water scarcity, etc. Technology has improved our communication and connectivity, education and knowledge sharing, workplace productivity, social activism, etc. With tech, we can make global connections, regardless of any geographical barriers. A new concept of telemedicine has evolved, where people living in remote areas can connect with medical professionals and consult on healthcare issues. We can learn about geopolitical developments, international summits, etc.

Ans: The negative impacts of technology on society include privacy concerns, cyberbullying, online harassment, the spread of false information, overuse or addiction to technology, social isolation, etc.

Ans: Technology has improved our communication and connectivity system. With the help of technology, we can bridge the gap between the digital divide. People with disabilities find technology very useful to communicate with others. Social media platforms like Instagram, Facebook, X, etc. allow us to share our thoughts with like-minded people. E-commerce platforms like Amazon, Flipkart, etc. allow us to buy products online. We can improve our work-life balance with the advent of remote working or work from home.

Related Articles

For more information on such interesting speech topics for your school, visit our speech writing page and follow Leverage Edu .

Shiva Tyagi

With an experience of over a year, I've developed a passion for writing blogs on wide range of topics. I am mostly inspired from topics related to social and environmental fields, where you come up with a positive outcome.

Leave a Reply Cancel reply

Save my name, email, and website in this browser for the next time I comment.

Contact no. *

Connect With Us

45,000+ students realised their study abroad dream with us. take the first step today..

Resend OTP in

Need help with?

Study abroad.

UK, Canada, US & More

IELTS, GRE, GMAT & More

Scholarship, Loans & Forex

Country Preference

New Zealand

Which English test are you planning to take?

Which academic test are you planning to take.

Not Sure yet

When are you planning to take the exam?

Already booked my exam slot

Within 2 Months

Want to learn about the test

Which Degree do you wish to pursue?

When do you want to start studying abroad.

January 2024

September 2024

What is your budget to study abroad?

How would you describe this article ?

Please rate this article

We would like to hear more.

Have something on your mind?

Make your study abroad dream a reality in January 2022 with

India's Biggest Virtual University Fair

Essex Direct Admission Day

Why attend .

Don't Miss Out

Is technology good or bad for learning?

Subscribe to the brown center on education policy newsletter, saro mohammed, ph.d. smp saro mohammed, ph.d. partner - the learning accelerator.

May 8, 2019

I’ll bet you’ve read something about technology and learning recently. You may have read that device use enhances learning outcomes . Or perhaps you’ve read that screen time is not good for kids . Maybe you’ve read that there’s no link between adolescents’ screen time and their well-being . Or that college students’ learning declines the more devices are present in their classrooms .

If ever there were a case to be made that more research can cloud rather than clarify an issue, technology use and learning seems to fit the bill. This piece covers what the research actually says, some outstanding questions, and how to approach the use of technology in learning environments to maximize opportunities for learning and minimize the risk of doing harm to students.

In my recent posts , I have frequently cited the mixed evidence about blended learning, which strategically integrates in-person learning with technology to enable real-time data use, personalized instruction, and mastery-based progression. One thing that this nascent evidence base does show is that technology can be linked to improved learning . When technology is integrated into lessons in ways that are aligned with good in-person teaching pedagogy, learning can be better than without technology.

A 2018 meta-analysis of dozens of rigorous studies of ed tech , along with the executive summary of a forthcoming update (126 rigorous experiments), indicated that when education technology is used to individualize students’ pace of learning, the results overall show “ enormous promise .” In other words, ed tech can improve learning when used to personalize instruction to each student’s pace.

Further, this same meta-analysis, along with other large but correlational studies (e.g., OECD 2015 ), also found that increased access to technology in school was associated with improved proficiency with, and increased use of, technology overall. This is important in light of the fact that access to technology outside of learning environments is still very unevenly distributed across ethnic, socio-economic, and geographic lines. Technology for learning, when deployed to all students, ensures that no student experiences a “21st-century skills and opportunity” gap.

More practically, technology has been shown to scale and sustain instructional practices that would be too resource-intensive to work in exclusively in-person learning environments, especially those with the highest needs. In multiple , large-scale studies where technology has been incorporated into the learning experiences of hundreds of students across multiple schools and school systems, they have been associated with better academic outcomes than comparable classrooms that did not include technology. Added to these larger bodies of research are dozens, if not hundreds, of smaller , more localized examples of technology being used successfully to improve students’ learning experiences. Further, meta-analyses and syntheses of the research show that blended learning can produce greater learning than exclusively in-person learning.

All of the above suggest that technology, used well, can drive equity in learning opportunities. We are seeing that students and families from privileged backgrounds are able to make choices about technology use that maximize its benefits and minimize its risks , while students and families from marginalized backgrounds do not have opportunities to make the same informed choices. Intentional, thoughtful inclusion of technology in public learning environments can ensure that all students, regardless of their ethnicity, socioeconomic status, language status, special education status, or other characteristics, have the opportunity to experience learning and develop skills that allow them to fully realize their potential.

On the other hand, the evidence is decidedly mixed on the neurological impact of technology use. In November 2016, the American Association of Pediatrics updated their screen time guidelines for parents, generally relaxing restrictions and increasing the recommended maximum amount of time that children in different age groups spend interacting with screens. These guidelines were revised not because of any new research, but for two far more practical reasons. First, the nuance of the existing evidence–especially the ways in which recommendations change as children get older–was not adequately captured in the previous guidelines. Second, the proliferation of technology in our lives had made the previous guidelines almost impossible to follow.

The truth is that infants, in particular, learn by interacting with our physical world and with other humans, and it is likely that very early (passive) interactions with devices–rather than humans–can disrupt or misinform neural development . As we grow older, time spent on devices often replaces time spent engaging in physical activity or socially with other people, and it can even become a substitute for emotional regulation, which is detrimental to physical, social, and emotional development.

In adolescence and young adulthood, the presence of technology in learning environments has also been associated with (but has not been shown to be the cause of) negative variables such as attention deficits or hyperactivity , feeling lonely , and lower grades . Multitasking is not something our brains can do while learning , and technology often represents not just one more “task” to have to attend to in a learning environment, but multiple additional tasks due to the variety of apps and programs installed on and producing notifications through a single device.

The pragmatic

The current takeaway from the research is that there are potential benefits and risks to deploying technology in learning environments. While we can’t wrap this topic up with a bow just yet–there are still more questions than answers–there is evidence that technology can amplify effective teaching and learning when in the hands of good teachers. The best we can do today is understand how technology can be a valuable tool for educators to do the complex, human work that is teaching by capitalizing on the benefits while remaining fully mindful of the risks as we currently understand them.

We must continue to build our understanding of both the risks and benefits as we proceed. With that in mind, here are some “Dos” and “Don’ts” for using technology in learning environments:

Related Content

Saro Mohammed, Ph.D.

November 3, 2017

June 16, 2017

September 27, 2017

Education Technology K-12 Education

Governance Studies

Brown Center on Education Policy

Lydia Wilbard

August 29, 2024

Zachary Billot, Annie Vong, Nicole Dias Del Valle, Emily Markovich Morris

August 26, 2024

Brian A. Jacob, Cristina Stanojevich

Numbers, Facts and Trends Shaping Your World

Read our research on:

Full Topic List

Regions & Countries

• Publications
• Our Methods
• Short Reads
• Tools & Resources

Read Our Research On:

• Experts Predict More Digital Innovation by 2030 Aimed at Enhancing Democracy
• 5. Tech causes more problems than it solves

Table of Contents

• 1. The innovations these experts predict by 2030
• 2. Tech is (just) a tool
• 3. Power dynamics play a key role in problems and innovation
• 4. It’s all just history repeating itself
• 6. The net effects in 10 years will be negligible
• About this canvassing of experts
• Acknowledgments

A number of respondents to this canvassing about the likely future of social and civic innovation shared concerns. Some said that technology causes more problems than it solves. Some said it is likely that emerging worries over the impact of digital life will be at least somewhat mitigated as humans adapt. Some said it is possible that any remedies may create a new set of challenges. Others said humans’ uses and abuses of digital technologies are causing societal harms that are not likely to be overcome.

The following comments were selected from among all responses, regardless of an expert’s answer to this canvassing’s main question about the impact of people’s uses of technology. Some of these remarks of concern happen to also include comments about innovations that may emerge. Concerns are organized under four subthemes: Something is rotten in the state of technology; technology use often disconnects or hollows out a community; society needs to catch up and better address the threats and opportunities of tech; and despite current trends, there is reason to hope for better days.

The chapter begins with some overview insights:

Larry Masinter , internet pioneer, formerly with Adobe, AT&T Labs and Xerox PARC, who helped create internet and web standards with IETF and W3C, said, “Technology and social innovation intended to overcome the negatives of the digital age will likely cause additional negative consequences. Examples include: the decentralized web, end-to-end encryption, AI and machine learning, social media.”

James Mickens , associate professor of computer science at Harvard University, formerly with Microsoft, commented, “Technology will obviously result in ‘civic innovation.’ The real question is whether the ‘innovation’ will result in better societal outcomes. For example, the gig economy is enabled by technology; technology finds buyers for workers and their services. However, given the choice between an economy with many gig workers and an economy with an equivalent number of traditional middle-class jobs, I think that most people would prefer the latter.”

Michael Aisenberg , chair, ABA Information Security Committee, wrote, “Misappreciation of limits and genesis of, e.g., AI/machine learning will produce widely disparate results in deployment of tech innovations. Some will be dramatically beneficial; some may enable abuse of law enforcement, economic systems and other fundamental civic institutions and lead to exacerbation of gaps between tech controllers/users and underserved/under- or mis-skilled populations (‘digital divide’) in what may be a significant (embed limitations on career/economic advancement) or even life-threatening (de facto health care or health procedure rationing) manner.”

The problem is that we are becoming more and more dependent on machines and hence more susceptible to bugs and system failures. Yaakov J. Stein Yaakov J. Stein

Peter Lunenfeld , a professor of design, media arts and digital humanities at the University of California, Los Angeles, and author of “Tales of the Computer as Culture Machine,” predicted, “We will use technology to solve the problems the use of technology creates, but the new fixes will bring new issues. Every design solution creates a new design problem, and so it is with the ways we have built our global networks. Highly technological societies have to be iterative if they hope to compete, and I think that societies that have experienced democracy will move to curb the slide to authoritarianism that social media has accelerated. Those curbs will bring about their own unintended consequences, however, which will start the cycle anew.”

Yaakov J. Stein , chief technology officer of RAD Data Communications, based in Israel, responded, “The problem with AI and machine learning is not the sci-fi scenario of AI taking over the world and not needing inferior humans. The problem is that we are becoming more and more dependent on machines and hence more susceptible to bugs and system failures. This is hardly a new phenomenon – once a major part of schooling was devoted to, e.g., penmanship and mental arithmetic, which have been superseded by technical means. But with the tremendous growth in the amount of information, education is more focused on how to retrieve required information rather than remembering things, resulting not only in less actual storage but less depth of knowledge and the lack of ability to make connections between disparate bits of information, which is the basis of creativity. However, in the past humankind has always developed a more-advanced technology to overcome limitations of whatever technology was current, and there is no reason to believe that it will be different this time.”

A vice president for research and economic development wrote, “The problems we see now are caused by technology, and any new technological fixes we create will inevitably cause NEW social and political problems. Attempts to police the web will cause freedom of speech conflicts, for example.”

Something is rotten in the state of technology

A large share of these experts say among the leading concerns about today’s technology platforms are the ways in which they are exploited by bad actors who spread misinformation; and the privacy issues arising out of the business model behind the systems.

Misinformation – pervasive, potent, problematic

Numerous experts described misinformation and fake news as a serious issue in digital spaces. They expressed concern over how users will sort through fact and fiction in the coming decade.

Stephanie Fierman , partner, Futureproof Strategies, said, “I believe technology will meaningfully accelerate social and civic innovation. It’s cheap, fast and able to reach huge audiences. But as long as false information is enabled by very large websites, such social and civic innovators will be shadow boxing with people, governments, organizations purposely countering truthful content with lies.”

Sam Lehman-Wilzig , a professor of communications at Bar-Ilan University specializing in Israeli politics and the impact of technological evolution, wrote, “The biggest advance will be the use of artificial intelligence to fight disinformation, deepfakes and the like. There will be an AI ‘arms race’ between those spreading disinformation and those fighting/preventing it. Overall, I see the latter gaining the upper hand.”

Greg Shatan , a lawyer with Moses & Singer LLP and self-described “internet governance wonk,” predicted, “I see success, enabled by technology, as likely. I think it will take technology to make technology more useful and more meaningful. Many of us pride ourselves on having a ‘BS-meter,’ where we believe we can tell honestly delivered information from fake news and disinformation. The instinctual BS-meter is not enough. The next version of the ‘BS-meter’ will need to be technologically based. The tricks of misinformation have far outstripped the ability of people to reliably tell whether they are receiving BS or not – not to mention that it requires a constant state of vigilance that’s exhausting to maintain. I think that the ability and usefulness of the web to enable positive grassroots civic communication will be harnessed, moving beyond mailing lists and fairly static one-way websites. Could there be ‘Slack for Community Self-Governance?’ If not that platform, perhaps something new and aimed specifically at these tasks and needs.”

Oscar Gandy , a professor emeritus of communication at the University of Pennsylvania, said, “Corporate actors will make use of technology to weaken the possibility for improvements in social and civic relationships. I am particularly concerned about the use of technology in the communications realm in order to increase the power of strategic or manipulative communications to shape the engagement of members of the public with key actors within a variety of governance relationships.”

An expert in the ethics of autonomous systems based in Europe responded, “Fake news is more and more used to manipulate a person’s opinion. This war of information is becoming so important that it can influence democracy and the opinion of people before the vote in an election for instance. Some AI tools can be developed to automatically recognize fake news, but such tools can be used in turn in the same manner to enhance the belief in some false information.”

A research leader for a U.S. federal agency wrote, “At this point in time, I don’t know how we will reduce the spread of misinformation (unknowing/individual-level) and disinformation (nefarious/group-level), but I hope that we can.”

A retired information science professional commented, “Dream on, if you think that you can equate positive change with everybody yelling and those with the most clout (i.e., power and money) using their power to see their agendas succeed. Minority views will always be that, a minority. At present and in the near future the elites manipulate and control.”

A research scientist for a major technology company whose expertise is technology design said, “We have already begun to see increased protections around personal privacy. At present, it is less clear how we might avoid the deliberate misuse of news or news-like content to manipulate political opinions or outcomes, but this does not seem impossible. The trick will be avoiding government censorship and maintaining a rich, vigorous exchange of opinions.”

Privacy issues will continue to be a hot button topic

Multiple experts see a growing need for privacy to be addressed in online spaces.

Ayden Férdeline , technology policy fellow at the Mozilla Foundation, responded, “Imagine if everyone on our planet was naked, without any clear options for obtaining privacy technology (clothing). It would not make sense to ask people what they’d pay or trade to get this technology. This is a ‘build it and they will come’ kind of scenario. We’re now on the verge, as a society, of appropriately recognizing the need to respect privacy in our Web 2.0 world, and we are designing tools and rules accordingly. Back in 1992, had you asked people if they’d want a free and open internet, or a graphical browser with a walled garden of content, most would have said they prefer AOL. What society needed was not AOL but something different. We are in a similar situation now with privacy; we’re finally starting to grasp its necessity and importance.”

We’re now on the verge, as a society, of appropriately recognizing the need to respect privacy in our Web 2.0 world, and we are designing tools and rules accordingly. Ayden Férdeline Ayden Férdeline

Graham Norris , a business psychologist with expertise in the future of work, said, “Privacy no longer exists, and yet the concept of privacy still dominates social-policy debates. The real issue is autonomy of the individual. I should own my digital identity, the online expression of myself, not the corporations and governments that collect my interactions in order to channel my behaviour. Approaches to questions of ownership of digital identity cannot shift until the realization occurs that autonomy is the central question, not privacy. Nothing currently visible suggests that shift will take place.”

Eduardo Villanueva-Mansilla , an associate professor of communications at Pontificia Universidad Catolica, Peru, and editor of the Journal of Community Informatics, wrote, “I’m trying to be optimistic, by leaving some room to innovative initiatives from civic society actors. However, I don’t see this as necessarily happening; the pressure from global firms will probably too much to deal with.”

An international policy adviser on the internet and development based in Africa commented, “Technology is creating and will continue to evolve and increase the impact of social and civic innovation. With technology we will see new accountability tools and platforms to raise voices to counter societal ills, be it in leadership, business and other faculties. We must however be careful so that these innovations themselves are not used to negatively impact end users, such issues like privacy and use of data must be taken on in a way that users are protected and not exposed to cybercrime and data breaches that so often occur now.”

Jamie Grady , a business leader, wrote, “As technology companies become more scrutinized by the media and government, changes – particularly in privacy rights – will change. People will learn of these changes through social media as they do now.”

Technology use often disconnects or hollows out community

Some respondents commented on rising problems with a loss of community and the need for more-organic, in-person, human-to-human connection and the impact of digital distancing.

Jonathan Grudin , principal researcher at Microsoft, commented, “Social and civic activity will continue to change in response to technology use, but will it change its trajectory? Realignments following the Industrial Revolution resulted from the formation of new face-to-face communities, including union chapters, community service groups such as Rotary Club and League of Women Voters, church groups, bridge clubs, bowling leagues and so on. Our species is designed to thrive in modest-sized collocated communities, where everyone plays a valued part. Most primates become vulnerable and anxious when not surrounded by their band or troop. Digital media are eroding a sense of community everywhere we look. Can our fundamental human need for close community be restored or will we become more isolated, anxious and susceptible to manipulation?”

Rebecca Theobald , an assistant research professor at the University of Colorado, Colorado Springs, said, “Technology seems to be driving people apart, which would lead to fewer connections in society.”

The program director of a university-based informatics institute said, “There is still a widening gap between rural and urban as well as digital ‘haves’ and ‘have nots.’ As well, the ability to interact in a forum in which all members of society have a voice is diminishing as those with technology move faster in the digital forums than the non-tech segment of the population that use non-digital discourse (interpersonal). The idea of social fabric in a neighborhood and neighborly interactions is diminishing. Most people want innovation – it is the speed of change that creates divisions.”

An infrastructure architect and internet pioneer wrote, “The kind of social innovation required to resolve the problems caused by our current technologies relies on a movement back toward individual responsibility and a specific willingness to engage in community. As both of these work against the aims of the corporate and political elite as they exist today, there is little likelihood these kinds of social innovations are going to take place. The family and church, for instance, which must be the core institutions in any rebuilding of a culture that can teach the kind of personal responsibility required, were both hollowed out in the last few decades. The remaining outward structures are being destroyed. There is little hope either families or churches will recover without a major societal event of some sort, and it will likely take at least one generation for them to rebuild. The church could take on the task of helping rebuild families, but it is too captured in attempts to grow ever larger, and consume or ape our strongly individualistic culture, rather than standing against it.”

Angela Campbell , a professor of law and co-director of the Institute for Public Representation at Georgetown University, responded, “I think there will be efforts to address the social and civic impacts of technology but they may not be sufficient. In particular, I am concerned about the impact of overuse or over-reliance on technology with respect to children and teens. I am concerned about the safety of children online, not just from predators but from peers (bullying). Overuse may also contribute to physical maladies such as obesity, bad posture, eye problems, ADHD, insufficient sleep and even addiction. While technology can help to educate older children (not preschoolers who need to interact with humans and objects), it needs to be selected [and] used carefully and should not subject children to commercialism or invade their privacy. My other major concerns are job loss and discrimination. It seems inevitable that many jobs will be eliminated by technology, and while technologies may generate new jobs, I suspect there will be fewer jobs, and those that remain will require certain skills. It will be important, and difficult, to ensure that everyone is able to have employment and to make enough to live at a reasonable level. As competition for jobs increases, I am also worried about how big data allows hidden discrimination in education, health and employment.”

A researcher based in North America predicted a reining in of the digital in favor of the personal: “Between email and phones, I think we’re close to peak screen time, a waste of time, and it’s ruining our eyes. Just as we have forsaken our landlines, stopped writing letters, don’t answer our cellphones, a concept of an average daily digital budget will develop, just as we have a concept of average daily caloric intake. We’ll have warning labels that rate content against recommended daily allowances of different types of content that have been tested to be good for our mental health and socialization, moderately good, bad, and awful – the bacon of digital media. And people who engage too much will be in rehab, denied child custody and unemployable. Communities, residences and vacation areas will promote digital-free, mindfulness zones – just as they have quiet cars on the train.”

Society needs to catch up and better address the threats and opportunities of tech

Some of these experts said that the accelerating technological change of the digital age is making it difficult for humans to keep up and respond to emerging challenges.

A chair of political science based in the American South commented, “Technology always creates two new problems for every one it solves. At some point, humans’ cognitive and cooperative capacities – largely hard-wired into their brains by millennia of evolution – can’t keep up. Human technology probably overran human coping mechanisms sometime in the later 19th century. The rest is history.”

There is a gap between the rate at which technology develops and the rate at which society develops. We need to take care not to fall into that gap. Louisa Heinrich Louisa Heinrich

Larry Rosen , a professor emeritus of psychology at California State University, Dominguez Hills, known as an international expert on the psychology of technology, wrote, “I would like to believe that we, as citizens, will aid in innovation. Smart people are already working on many social issues, but the problem is that while society is slow to move, tech moves at lightning speed. I worry that solutions will come after the tech has either been integrated or rejected.”

Louisa Heinrich , a futurist and consultant expert in data and the Internet of Things, said, “There is a gap between the rate at which technology develops and the rate at which society develops. We need to take care not to fall into that gap. I hope we will see a shift in governance toward framework-based regulation, which will help mitigate the gap between the pace of change in technology and that in government. At the very least, we need to understand the ways in which technology can extend or undermine the rules and guidelines we set for our businesses, workplaces, public spaces and interactions. To name just one common example, recruitment professionals routinely turn to Facebook as a source of information on prospective employees. This arguably violates a number of regulations designed to protect people from being denied work based on personal details not relevant to that work. How do we unravel this conundrum, bearing in mind that there will always be another social network, another digital source to mine for information about people? Taken from another angle, there is a significant gap between what users understand about certain bits of technology and the risks they take using them. How can we educate people about these risks in a way that encourages participation and co-creation, rather than passivity? As the so-called Gen Z comes of age, we will see a whole generation of young adults who are politically engaged at a level not seen in several generations, who are also native users of technology tools. This could bring about a positive revolution in the way technology is used to facilitate civic engagement and mutually empower and assist citizens and government. Technology provides us with powerful tools that can help us advance socially and civically, but these tools need to be thoughtfully and carefully put to use – when we encode barriers and biases into the applications that people need to use in daily life, whether intentionally or no, we may exclude whole segments of society from experiencing positive outcomes. We are living through a time of rapid and radical change – as always, the early stages feel uncomfortable and chaotic. But we can already see the same tools that have been used to mislead citizens being used to educate, organise, motivate and empower them. What’s needed is a collective desire to prioritise and incentivise this. New Zealand is leading the way with the world’s first ‘well-being’ budget.”

Bulbul Gupta , founding adviser at Socos Labs, a think tank designing artificial intelligence to maximize human potential, responded, “Until government policies, regulators, can keep up with the speed of technology and AI, there is an inherent imbalance of power between technology’s potential to contribute to social and civic innovation and its execution in being used this way. If technology and AI can make decisions about people in milliseconds that can prevent their full social or civic engagement, the incentive structures to be used toward mitigating the problems of the digital age cannot then be solved by technology.”

Gene Policinski , a journalist and First Amendment law expert at the Freedom Forum Institute, observed, “We forget how new the ‘tech revolution’ really is. As we move forward in the next decade, the public’s awareness of the possibilities inherent in social and civic innovation, the creativity of the tech world working with the public sector and public acceptance of new methods of participation in democratic processes will begin to drown out and eventually will surpass the initial problems and missteps.”

Gabriel Kahn , former bureau chief for The Wall Street Journal, now a professor of journalism researching innovation economics in emerging media at the University of Southern California, wrote, “We are not facing a ‘Terminator’-like scenario. Nor are we facing a tech-driven social utopia. Humans are catching up and understanding the pernicious impact of technology and how to mitigate it.”

Kathee Brewer , director of content at CANN Media Group, predicted, “Much like society developed solutions to the challenges brought about by the Industrial Revolution, society will find solutions to the challenges of the Digital Revolution. Whether that will happen by 2030 is up for debate. Change occurs much more rapidly in the digital age than it did at the turn of the 20th century, and for society to solve its problems it must catch up to them first. AND people, including self-interested politicians, must be willing to change. Groups like the Mozilla Foundation already are working on solutions to invasions of privacy. That work will continue. The U.S. government probably won’t make any major changes to the digital elections framework until after the 2020 election, but changes will be made. Sadly, those changes probably will result from some nastiness that develops due to voters of all persuasions being unwilling to accept electoral results, whatever the results may be.”

Valerie Bock of VCB Consulting, former Technical Services Lead at Q2 Learning, responded, “I think our cultures are in the process of adapting to the power our technologies wield, and that we will have developed some communal wisdom around how to evaluate new ones. There are some challenges, but because ordinary citizens have become aware that images can be ‘photoshopped’ the awareness that video can be ‘deepfaked’ is more quickly spreading. Cultural norms as well as technologies will continue to evolve to help people to apply more informed critiques to the messages they are given.”

Bach Avezdjanov , a program officer with Columbia University’s Global Freedom of Expression project, said, “Technological development – being driven by the Silicon Valley theory of uncontrolled growth – will continue to outpace civic and social innovation. The latter needs to happen in tandem with technological innovation, but instead plays catch-up. This will not change in the future, unless political will to heavily regulate digital tools is introduced – an unlikely occurrence.”

A computing science professor emeritus from a top U.S. technological university commented, “Social/civic innovation will occur but most likely lag well behind technological innovation. For example, face-recognition technology will spread and be used by businesses at a faster pace than social and legal norms can develop to protect citizens from any negative effects of that technology. This technology will spread quickly, due to its various positives (increased efficiencies, conveniences and generation of profits in the marketplace) while its negatives will most likely not be countered effectively through thoughtful legislation. Past Supreme Court decisions (such as treating corporations as persons, WRT unlimited funding of political candidates, along with excessive privacy of PACs) have already undermined U.S. democracy. Current populist backlashes, against the corruption of the Trump government, may also undermine democracy, such as the proposed Elizabeth Warren tax, being not on profits, but upon passive wealth itself – a tax on non-revenue-producing illiquid assets (whose valuation is highly subjective), as in her statement to ‘tax the jewelry of the rich’ at 2% annually. Illiquid assets include great private libraries, great private collections of art, antiques, coins, etc. – constituting an assault on the private sector, that if successful, will weaken democracy by strengthening the confiscatory power of government. We could swing from current excesses of the right to future excesses of the left.”

Despite current trends, there is reason to hope for better days

Many of the experts in this canvassing see a complicated and difficult road ahead, but express hope for the future.

Cheryl B. Preston , an expert in internet law and professor at Brigham Young University Law School, said, “Innovation will bring risk. Change will bring pain. Learning will bring challenges. Potential profits will bring abuse. But, as was the decision of Eve in the Garden of Eden, we need to leave the comfortable to learn and improve. If we can, by more informed voting, reduce the corruption in governmental entities and control corporate abuse, we can overcome difficulties and advance as a society. These advances will ultimately bring improvement to individuals and families.”

John Carr , a leading global expert on young people’s use of digital technologies, a former vice president of MySpace, commented, “I know of no proof for the notion that more people simply knowing more stuff, even stuff that is certifiably factually accurate, will necessarily lead to better outcomes for societies. But I do harbour a hope that if, over time, we can establish the idea that there are places on the internet that are reliable sources of information, it will in the medium to longer term help enough people in enough countries to challenge local demagogues and liars, making it harder for the demagogues and liars to succeed, particularly in times of national crisis or in times when war might be on the visible horizon. I used to think that if the internet had been around another Hitler would be impossible. Recently I have had a wobble on that but my optimism ‘trumps’ that gloomy view.”

Mike Douglass , an independent developer, wrote, “There is a significant realization that a stampede to create connections between anonymous people and devices was a bad idea. It’s up to the technologists and – more importantly – those who want to make money out of technology – to come up with a more measured approach. There’s a reason why gentlemen obtained letter of introduction to other gentlemen – one shouldn’t trust some random individual turning up on your doorstep. We need the equivalent approach. I’ve no idea what new innovations might turn up. But if we don’t get the trust/privacy/security model right we’ll end up with more social media disasters.”

Hume Winzar , an associate professor and director of the business analytics undergraduate program at Macquarie University, Sydney, Australia, predicted, “With more hope than evidence, I’d like to think that reason will eventually overcome the extraordinary propaganda machines that are being built. When the educated upper-middle classes realise that the ‘system’ is no longer serving them, then legal and institutional changes will be necessary. That is, only when the managers who are driving the propaganda machine(s) start to feel that they, personally, are losing privacy, autonomy, money and their children’s future, then they will need to undermine the efforts of corporate owners and government bureaucrats and officials.”

Carolyn Heinrich , a professor of education and public policy at Vanderbilt University, said, “My hope (not belief) is that the ‘techlash’ will help to spur social and civic innovations that can combat the negative effects of our digitization of society. Oftentimes, I think the technology developers create their products with one ideal in mind of how they will be used, overlooking that technology can be adapted and used in unintended and harmful ways. We have found this in our study of educational technology in schools. The developers of digital tools envision them as being used in classrooms in ‘blended’ ways with live instructors who work with the students to help customize instruction to their needs. Unfortunately, more often than not, we have seen the digital tools used as substitutes for higher-quality, live instruction and have observed how that contributes to student disengagement from learning. We have also found some of the content lacking in cultural relevance and responsiveness. If left unchecked, this could be harmful for far larger numbers of students exposed to these digital instructional programs in all 50 states. But if we can spur vendors to improve the content, those improvements can also extend to large numbers of students. We have our work cut out for us!”

In the field I follow, artificial intelligence, the numbers of professionals who take seriously the problems that arise as a consequence of this technology are reassuring. Pamela McCorduck Pamela McCorduck

Heywood Sloane , entrepreneur and banking and securities consultant, wrote, “I’m hopeful the it will be a positive contributor. It has the ability to alter the way we relate to our environment in ways that shrink the distances between people and help us exercise control over our personal and social spaces. We are making substantial progress, and 5G technology will accelerate that. On the flip side, we need to find mechanisms and processes to protect our data and ourselves. They need to be strong, economic and simple to deploy and use. That is going to be a challenge.”

Pamela McCorduck , writer, consultant and author of several books, including “Machines Who Think,” commented, “I am heartened by the number of organizations that have formed to enhance social and civic organization through technology. In the field I follow, artificial intelligence, the numbers of professionals who take seriously the problems that arise as a consequence of this technology are reassuring. Will they all succeed? Of course not. We will not get it right the first time. But eventually, I hope.”

Yoshihiko Nakamura , a professor of mechno-informatics at the University of Tokyo, observed, “The current information and communication technology loses diversity because it is still insufficient to enhance the affectivity or emotion side of societies. In this sense I can see the negative side of current technology to human society. However, I have a hope that we can invent uses of technology to enhance the weaker side and develop tomorrow’s technology. The focus should be on the education of society in the liberal arts.”

Ryan Sweeney , director of analytics at Ignite Social Media, commented, “In order to survive as a functioning society, we need social and civic innovation to match our use of technology. Jobs and job requirements are changing as a result of technology. Automation is increasing across a multitude of industries. Identifying how we protect citizens from these changes and help them adapt will be instrumental in building happiness and well-being.”

Miles Fidelman , founder, Center for Civic Networking and principal Protocol Technologies Group, responded, “We can see clear evidence that the internet is enabling new connections, across traditional boundaries – for the flow of information, culture and commerce. It is strengthening some traditional institutions (e.g., ties between geographically distributed family members) and weakening others (e.g., the press). Perhaps the most notable innovation is that of ad hoc, network-centric organizations – be they global project teams, or crisis response efforts. How much of this innovation will make things better, how much it will hurt us, remains an open question.”

A technology developer active in IETF said, “I hope mechanisms will evolve to exploit the advantages of new tech and mitigate the problems. I want to be optimistic, but I am far from confident.”

A renowned professor of sociology known for her research into online communications and digital literacies observed, “New groups expose the error of false equivalence and continue to challenge humans to evolve into our pre-frontal cortex. I guess I am optimistic because the downside is pretty terrible to imagine. It’s like E.O. Wilson said: ‘The real problem of humanity is the following: We have paleolithic emotions; medieval institutions; and god-like technology. And it is terrifically dangerous, and it is now approaching a point of crisis overall.’”

Sign up for our weekly newsletter

Fresh data delivery Saturday mornings

Sign up for The Briefing

Weekly updates on the world of news & information

• Trust, Facts & Democracy

Most Popular

901 E St. NW, Suite 300 Washington, DC 20004 USA (+1) 202-419-4300 | Main (+1) 202-857-8562 | Fax (+1) 202-419-4372 |  Media Inquiries

Research Topics

• Email Newsletters

ABOUT PEW RESEARCH CENTER  Pew Research Center is a nonpartisan fact tank that informs the public about the issues, attitudes and trends shaping the world. It conducts public opinion polling, demographic research, media content analysis and other empirical social science research. Pew Research Center does not take policy positions. It is a subsidiary of  The Pew Charitable Trusts .

© 2024 Pew Research Center

5 Minute Speech on Impact of Technology in our Life in English for Students

Technology has played a significant role in all of our lives. It is undeniable that technology has made our lives so much simpler and more manageable.  But at the same time, it has immensely brought a lot of effect on our health. With the popularity of technology growing every year, it has become a part of our lives. Life as we see it, seems rather impossible to live without technology. A day without technology would be a day of hell for the majority of us. I think we can all admit that we would all get very restless without it. 

We must really learn to limit the use of technology and use them when only in need for the dake of our health. 

Related Posts:

The Positive and Negative Effects of Technology on Your Life

Your changes have been saved

Email is sent

Email has already been sent

Please verify your email address.

You’ve reached your account maximum for followed topics.

How to Use the Happier App to Change Your Habits for the Better

How to use strava’s beacon feature to share your location while exercising, 7 things we love about the wellness coach app.

Technology is around us everywhere, from simple devices like our smartphones, laptop, and TV to background tech that we don't even notice. It isn't going anywhere anytime soon, meaning we have to get accustomed to it. Once we get the hang of using tech the right way, it can improve our lives.

On the other hand, tech can also make our lives harder. Whether tech has a positive or negative effect on our lives, it all depends on how we use it. So, let's look at some of the positive and negative aspects of technology in our lives, shall we?

Positives of Technology in Our Lives

Technology has, without a doubt, made all our lives easier over the past two decades. From connecting with people across the globe from the comfort of your home to running a full-fledged business without a physical space, technology has impacted our lives positively in several ways. So, read on below:

1. Technology Boosts Business

Many new tech advancements and innovations are made by and for businesses. Why? Because companies are always looking to upgrade their products and services for profit.

New technology continues to come out faster than we can keep up with. The purpose is to boost business and make the daily management of enterprises more systematic, structured, and successful.

Tech has boosted businesses by improving the hiring process, error-free collection and analysis of business data, and better communication with clients and partners.

Additionally, tech has also changed the way we work remotely for the better. It is now commonplace for people to work from home. However, certain tech, like the cloud, has made it easier than ever to work whether you're at the office or not.

What's more, tech has made it effortless to communicate remotely too. Businesses now typically use tools like Slack and Zoom on a regular basis.

2. Technology Makes Shopping Online Possible

Advancements in tech have made it easier for more people to access the internet, resulting in online shopping being more popular now than ever.

Currently, most people prefer to shop online without leaving the house because of its sheer convenience. Instead of wasting hours in the shopping mall, tech makes shopping simple.

A few of the benefits of online shopping include cheaper products, saved time, fuel, and energy, easier-to-find items, a wider variety online, and no added pressure.

Amazon is a great website to do basically all of your online shopping. It's one of the most popular online shopping platforms because you can practically find everything you're looking for, from groceries to clothing.

Generous discounts, cheap shipping, and a massive selection of products are just some of the other excellent benefits of shopping online using Amazon. What's more, there is an Amazon Shopping mobile app that you can download and use for free. If Amazon isn't available to you there are plenty of alternatives to Amazon for your online shopping .

Download: Amazon Shopping for iOS | Android

3. Technology Has Advanced Education

One of the most downplayed areas of technology that has dramatically improved over the past few years is education. Technology has definitely been beneficial for those in the business world, but it has impacted education in a big way.

A few examples include the availability of online courses, accessibility of web seminars, and unlimited online resources for research. Before tech, you'd have to physically go to class, attend a meeting or go to the library to do research.

Now, education is easier for everyone, no matter where you live. Online classes have made it possible for all students to enroll without leaving their homes.

Today, you can find several great sites for free college courses online , such as Udemy—a fantastic website that offers thousands of free and paid-for courses to choose from. Whether you want to create virtual reality games or become a yoga instructor, Udemy has a course that's perfect for you.

In terms of technology, Udemy also offers a wide variety of great tech-related online courses. The categories available range from IT hardware and software to operating systems and network and security. So tech can help you master your chosen path and possibly broaden your career opportunities.

4. Technology Makes Everyday Life Better

Most technology these days is created to improve businesses and generate profit. However, tech can also make our daily lives so much better.

Tech has made an immensely positive impact on the daily lives of everyday people. Some positive examples include improvements in the transportation system.

The Bullet Train is an amazing piece of tech that can travel six times faster than a regular train. Think about the introduction of self-driving cars, too: they were unheard of a few years ago, and now they're a reality.

A fair amount of people drive Teslas, and they are well-known for having state-of-the-art self-driving capabilities. Some other companies that support autonomous driving capabilities besides Tesla are Mercedes-Benz and Volvo.

Besides transportation, technology has also had a positive influence on household items. For example, smart homes are now commonplace. Smart hubs allow households to connect their devices and appliances, making life a lot easier.

Negatives of Technology in Our Lives

As much as we appreciate technology for the convenience it brought to our lives, several aspects of it have impacted our society negatively in more ways than one.

1. Technology Causes Health Problems

As technology advances, we are connected now more than ever, and it has become a huge part of our lives. That's why it's possible for technology to impact our physical health negatively.

These physical health problems can be severe. Nevertheless, you can avoid most of them by creating healthy tech habits instead of bad ones.

Apart from creating unhealthy sleeping patterns, electronic devices can cause digital eye strain, poor posture, and increased inactivity, leading to health problems like obesity.

Taking regular breaks from these devices can help you avoid these health problems. You can find a range of apps that remind you to take frequent breaks.

One popular app to use is called Focus Keeper. This app will help you reduce your digital eye strain, take regular breaks, and prevent tech burnout.

Using the Focus Keeper app is easy. All you have to do is pick the time you want to focus on something and hit the play button to start the session. When the session is over there is a quick break and then the next session begins.

In addition, you can customize the settings under Options to change the sessions per round, daily focus goal, and timer sounds.

Download: Focus Keeper for Android | iOS (Free, in-app purchases available)

2. Technology Creates Job Insecurity

Job loss and downsizing are two significant adverse effects of technology. Because of advances in the tech field such as AI integration, automating and accomplishing tasks have become easy.

In this day and age, most companies need to stay up to date with the latest technology, but in the process, low-skilled employees, like factory workers and cashiers, will be replaced.

Machines can now carry out tasks that only humans could do so far, which creates a massive shortage of jobs. The bottom line is that people aren't necessarily needed for work tasks anymore because of how efficient tech has become.

3. Tech Products Lack Longevity

Technology grows incredibly quickly, so the digital devices and gadgets that we use have a short lifespan and become outdated in a matter of months.

Since these devices are so important in our daily lives, we need to maintain and upgrade them regularly. Besides maintenance and upgrades, these pieces of tech may just become outdated and pushed aside by newer, more advanced versions.

Tech products lack longevity, so they can be costly and lead to unnecessary e-waste. Instead of throwing your older devices away or tossing them in the cupboard, use a website like Decluttr . This site makes it easy to buy and sell your used tech online.

You can sell your old tech on the Decluttr website, whether you want to get rid of your outdated phone, wearable, or console.

When you've found the correct category and product, tap Sell Now and the website gives you an instant price based on its carrier and condition. Moreover, Decluttr is also available as a free iOS or Android app to help you declutter your life .

4. Technology Spawns Misinformation and Fake News

The spread of misinformation and fake news online is nothing new. In fact, it has been going on for many years. However, with all the developments that happen so frequently in technology, it has become harder to define what's true and what's not.

Since so many people cannot tell what information is factual and what isn't, it creates a lot of skepticism and misunderstanding about important topics. This can be especially harmful when it comes to political issues and trusting the media.

One example of how tech advancements are negatively affecting us is the use of deepfakes. Several negative deepfake incidents have surfaced, and it's getting harder and harder to spot them.

These incidents can warn us about the possible risk of tech in the future. If you're finding it difficult to spot fake news and misinformation , an online platform like Credder is a great tool to use.

Credder will help you avoid fake news and misinformation because it only follows news and information provided by trustworthy sources.

Technology Is a Boon and Bane to Society

Overall, tech is amazing, and it has changed the world for the better, from improving our daily lives to building better businesses. The majority of the adverse effects of technology stem from its misuse.

The way we choose to utilize tech can help or harm ourselves and others. Instead of blaming the tool, we need to use technology in a healthy, more disciplined way. By doing this, technology can continue to benefit our lives.

• Electronics

Talk to our experts

1800-120-456-456

• Speech on Technology

Technology in This Generation

We are in a generation, where technology has surrounded us from all sides. Our everyday life runs on the use of technology, be it in the form of an alarm clock or a table lamp. Technology has been an important part of our daily lives. Therefore, it is important for the students to be familiar with the term technology. Therefore, we have provided a long speech on technology for students of all age groups. There is also a short speech and a 10 lines speech given in this article.

Long Speech on Technology

A warm welcome to everyone gathered here today. I am here to deliver a speech on technology which has taken a tremendous role in our day to day life. We all are in a generation where everything is dependent on technology. Let’s understand what technology is through the lens of Science. 

Technology comes in the form of tangible and intangible properties by exerting physical and mental force to achieve something that adds value. For example, a mobile phone is tangible, and the network connection used by the phone is intangible. Technology has taken its place as indispensable, wherein it has resulted in economic benefits, better health care, time-saving, and better lifestyle.

Due to technology, we have a significant amount of knowledge to improve our lives and solve problems. We can get our work done efficiently and effectively. As long as you know how to access technology, it can be used and proves to benefit people of all ages greatly. Technology is constantly being modified and upgraded every passing year. 

The evolution of technology has made it possible to achieve lots in less time. Technology has given tools and machines to be used to solve problems around the world. There has been a complete transformation in the way we do things because of contributions from scientific technology. We can achieve more tasks while saving our time and hence in a better place than our previous generation. 

Right from the ringing of the morning alarm to switching off the fan, everything runs behind the technology. Even the microphone that I am using is an innovation of technology and thus the list continues. With several inventions of hi-tech products, our daily needs are available on a screen at our fingertips. These innovations and technologies have made our lives a lot easier. Everything can be done at the comfort of your home within a couple of hours or so. These technologies have not only helped us in the digital platform but have also given us innovations in the field of medical, educational, industrial as well as in agricultural sectors. If we go back to the older generations, it would take days to get any things solved, even if there were not many treatments for several diseases. 

But today with the innovations of technology, many diseases can be treated and diagnosed within a shorter period of time. The relationship between humans and technology has continued for ages and has given rise to many innovations. It has made it easier for us to handle our daily chores starting from home, office, schools and kitchen needs. It has made available basic necessities and safer living spaces. We can sit at home comfortably and make transactions through the use of online banking. Online shopping, video calling, and attending video lectures on the phone have all been possible due to the invention of the internet. 

People in the past would write letters to communicate with one another, and today due to technology, traditional letters have been replaced by emails and mobile phones. These features are the essential gifts of technology. Everything is just at our fingertips, right from turning on the lights to doing our laundry. The whole world runs on technology and hence, we are solely dependent on it. But everything has its pros and cons. While the benefits of technology are immense, it also comes with some negative effects and possibly irreversible damages to humanity and our planet. 

We have become so dependent on technology that we often avoid doing things on our own. It as a result makes us lazy and physically inactive. This has also led to several health issues such as obesity and heart diseases. We prefer booking a cab online rather than walking a few kilometres. Technology has increased screen time, and thus, children are no longer used to playing in the playgrounds but are rather found spending hours on their phones playing video games. This has eroded children’s creativity, intelligence, and memory. No doubt, technology is a very essential part of our life, but we should not be totally dependent on it. We should practise being more fit and do regular activities on our own to maintain a healthy lifestyle.

The other aspects that have been badly affected us are that since technology replaced human interference, is unemployment. Social media platforms like Instagram, Facebook, Twitter, etc., were meant to connect people and increase our community circle. Still, it has made people all the more lonely, with cases of depression on the rise amongst the youth. 

There are several controversies around the way world leaders have used technology in defence and industrialisation under the banner of development and advancements. The side effects of technology have resulted in pollution, climate change, forest fires, extreme storms, cyclones, impure air, global warming, land area getting reduced and natural resources getting extinct. It’s time we change our outlook towards selfish technology and bring about responsible technology. Every nation needs to set aside budgets to come up with sustainable technological developments. 

As students, we should develop creative problem solving using critical thinking to bring clean technology into our world. As we improve our nation, we must think of our future for a greener and cleaner tomorrow. You would be glad to know that several initiatives have been initiated to bring awareness amongst children and youth to invent cleaner technology. 

For example, 15-year-old Vinisha Umashankar invented a solar ironing cart and has been awarded the Earth Shot Prize by the Royal Foundation of the duke and duchess of Cambridge and honoured to speak at the COP26 climate change conference in Glasgow, Scotland. Her invention should be an inspiration to each one of us to pursue clean technology.

The top five technologically advanced countries are Japan, America, Germany, China and South Korea. We Indians will make our mark on this list someday. Technology has a vital role in our lives but lets us be mindful that we control technology and that technology doesn’t control us. Technology is a tool to elevate humanity and is not meant to be a self-destroying mechanism under the pretext of economic development. Lastly, I would like to conclude my speech by saying that technology is a boon for our society but we should use it in a productive way. 

A Short Speech on Technology

A warm greeting to everyone present here. Today I am here to talk about technology and how it has gifted us with various innovations. Technology as we know it is the application of scientific ideas to develop a machine or a device for serving the needs of humans. We, human beings, are completely dependent on technology in our daily life. We have used technology in every aspect of our life starting from household needs, schools, offices, communication and entertainment. Our life has been more comfortable due to the use of technology. We are in a much better and comfortable position as compared to our older generation. This is possible because of various contributions and innovations made in the field of technology. Everything has been made easily accessible for us at our fingertips right from buying a thing online to making any banking transaction. It has also led to the invention of the internet which gave us access to search for any information on google. But there are also some disadvantages. Relying too much on technology has made us physically lazy and unhealthy due to the lack of any physical activity. Children have become more prone to video games and social media which have led to obesity and depression. Since they are no longer used to playing outside and socialising, they often feel isolated. Therefore, we must not totally be dependent on technology and should try using it in a productive way.

10 Lines Speech on Technology

Technology has taken an important place in our lives and is considered an asset for our daily needs.

The world around us is totally dependent on technology, thus, making our lives easier.

The innovation of phones, televisions and laptops has digitally served the purpose of entertainment today.

Technology has not only helped us digitally but has also led to various innovations in the field of medical science.

Earlier it took years to diagnose and treat any particular disease, but today with the help of technology it has led to the early diagnosis of several diseases.

We, in this generation, like to do things sitting at our own comfort within a short period of time. This thing has been made possible by technology.

All our daily activities such as banking, shopping, entertainment, learning and communication can be done on a digital platform just by a click on our phone screen.

Although all these gifts of technology are really making our lives faster and easier, it too has got several disadvantages.

Since we all are highly dependent on technology, it has reduced our daily physical activity. We no longer put effort to do anything on our own as everything is available at a minute's click.

Children nowadays are more addicted to online video games rather than playing outside in the playground. These habits make them more physically inactive.

FAQs on Speech on Technology

1. Which kind of technology is the most widely used nowadays?

Artificial Intelligence (AI) is the field of technology that is being used the most nowadays and is expected to grow even more even in the future. With AI being adopted in numerous sectors and industries and continuously more research being done on it, it will not be long before we see more forms of AI in our daily lives.

2. What is the biggest area of concern with using technology nowadays?

Protection of the data you have online is the biggest area of concern. With hacking and cyberattacks being so common, it is important for everyone to ensure they do not post sensitive data online and be cautious when sharing information with others.

Inspirationfeed

Inspiring and educating bright minds.

12 Negative Effects of Technology in Education

Last Updated on August 21, 2024

Table of Contents

In the present-day, human beings are living in a world where technology has already surpassed humanity. Technology is playing a very important role in every aspect of the lives of human beings.

There are many education experts who believe that that technology has upgraded the system of education in the world, which is true to some extent, but there are many other people who thoroughly believe that this advancement of technology also has a bad effect on education.

The students are becoming highly dependent on the devices to complete their work rather than depending on their own knowledge and this is obviously a negative signal towards the growth of education and humanity in the modern world. There are many positive and negative effects of technology in education , however, today we will discuss briefly the negative side of technology toward education growth.

1. Huge Expenditure

In the present day, students are not dependent on pen and paper. In this modern era of technology, computers and other devices have substituted the use of pen and paper.

These high tech devices offer many advanced features to the user which is much more helpful than using pen and paper, but the maintenance of these devices costs a fortune to the owner. The maintenance requires a huge amount of money and the update of the outdated software also takes a fair amount of money. So we can say that technology has made education expensive.

2. Insufficient Teaching Methods

With the advancement of technology, teachers are incapable of teaching students with modern techniques. The teachers know the primitive way of teaching the students by interacting with them. Research has proved that interactive teaching is the best way for students to learn.

With the use of technology and advanced devices, the interaction part is totally eliminated. The students only study the topics by themselves and do not discuss any topic. This has a bad impact on the students.

3. Waste of Time

Software and hardware devices are made by human beings, as humans can make errors, so the technology or devices made by human beings can also have some errors in it. These errors cause a loss of time . Problems like server issues and connectivity problems take a huge amount of time to get fixed, hence it disturbs the normal flow of teaching and causes frustration for both the teacher and the student.

Wasting time due to these kinds of unnecessary problems is not advisable in any educational institution or in schools where every second is important for the students.

4. Misguided due to Wrong Information

With speedy development and improvement in the technology, website owners are eager to rank their websites higher on different search engines . So the owners are mostly concerned about ranking and are least concerned about the contents on the website.

This is the reason many websites contain wrong information on various topics that are pasted or copied from different sources without verifying the authenticity of the content. Due to this wrong information, the learners are often misguided which can severely harm their educational development.

5. Major Source of Distraction

Research has revealed that more than 60% of schools and colleges in the world are using modern devices like laptops and tablets as a means of teaching. So the students are also using the same devices to be on par with the teachings of the teachers.

In the present day, social media has evolved leaps and bounds, with 90% of the world’s population using social media. So the devices which are provided to the students for studying are instead used to be active on social media .

Students are not studying with the help of these devices, they are interested in checking the posts and status updates of their near and dear ones and many other things. This is how technology is becoming a huge distraction for the learners, thus increasing the gap between students and educators.

6. Creates Enough Opportunities for Cheating

The advancement of technology is making the student lazy. It gives them the power and the opportunity to control everything with a few clicks of the mouse. Cheating is illegal, but technology has made it easy with all the resources contained in it.

There are many situations where the students can cheat very easily without getting caught, e.g. in an examination hall students can use their smartphones for cheating.

With the advancement of technology, smartphones are provided with many developed features and with internet accessibility so it becomes easy for the students to find the answers with the help of the internet .

In addressing concerns such as the risk of cheating, educational platforms like ExamCollection offer secure, verified resources to ensure the integrity of learning.

7. Learners Get Disconnected from the Real World

In the present day, due to the huge advancement of technology, teachers are educating the students with different online tools instead of physically communicating with them, hence the students are unable to interact with the students and also cannot share problems with them.

Teachers miserably fail to draw the attention of the student. It is recommended to use verbal communication with the students along with using online tools. So the students can learn the topics as well as they can share their problems with the teacher.

8. Losing Assignment of the Students

This is one of the major drawbacks of using devices like laptops and computers for educational purposes. Laptops and computers are devices made by human beings and these devices can malfunction due to internal or external causes.

In the present day students tend to do all their assignments on their laptops or computers, even the schools and colleges also want this assignment as soft copies. E.g. a student completed his or her assignment with a lot of hard work and patience.

If the laptop of the student suddenly malfunctions at the last moment, then the student will be in great trouble. All the efforts and hard work will go in vain. So due to the malfunction of a device the entire effort of the student will become a waste.

It is advised to the students to always have a backup or a hardcopy of the required documents. So we can say that these devices are not fully dependable.

9. Difficult to Deal with the Online Courses

It is said that knowledge has no age and no limit. There are many students who have an urge to continue learning on a regular basis, but sometimes it becomes very difficult for them to attain all the lecture classes on a regular basis.

These difficulties can occur due to many reasons; it can be health issues, family issues, or any other issues.  Advancement of technology has solved this problem, and now students can learn the missed topic from the websites present on the internet and they can access those sites whenever and from wherever they want.

The solution is a bit faulty itself, the contents and the lecture videos on the Internet require good internet speed so it cannot be accessed smoothly if the internet is slow. These online lectures also fail to motivate the students compared to the physical lectures.

10. Extinction of Good Handwriting

Devices like laptops, desktops, tablets, and smartphones have already replaced the use of a normal pen and paper. Due to this, all the important assignments and documents are typed and saved into the respective folders, hence the writing down on paper is more or less eliminated.

Due to no writing or very little writing, people lose the habit to write , hence the handwriting becomes worse than it was before. Research has also revealed that using these machines instead of writing has slowed down the thinking process of the students and also brings a fair amount of lethargy in the students.

11. Partial to the Low Income Group of People

Advancement in technology has also made education expensive. Advancement has given birth to different kind of modern devices which are very costly and also require a lot of money for maintenance.

This has made education difficult for people with less income; these people cannot afford this kind of education for themselves or for their children so it is partial for people with low income.

Every person in this world has the right to educate themselves, but the increase in cost has stolen this right, people with less income cannot afford this.

12. EBooks Replacing Physical Books

Ebooks are basically electronic books. Ebooks are the electronic versions of the normal books so these are easy to store and a person does not have to buy this book from the store, he or she can easily download it from the internet.

The problem is that these books are not compatible with all the devices and also constantly looking towards the screen of the laptop or a smartphone can cause eye problems to the user. So it is recommended to the students to use normal books.

One way to handle the compatibility issue is to convert eBooks into a more universal format like PDF . A robust PDF editor like  PDFelement  will let you convert EPUB and other eBook formats into PDF. This format will look the same no matter what OS or device the user views it on, so you can have a mix of text and other rich media content when using PDF without worrying about layout issues. As a matter of fact, PDFelement also lets you convert printed materials into editable PDFs from image or scanned PDF files, giving you even more flexibility.

Final Summary

Even though technology has some negative effect on education, it is undeniable that technology also has made the education system simple and flexible:

• Students can take the help of the internet for their studies
• The implementation of smart classes in every school and colleges is very good result of the technology
• It eliminates all the educational limitations and boundaries faced by a learner
• Students can access their work and assignments with the help of these advanced devices whenever and from wherever they want.

So these are some ways in which technology has greatly benefited the education system.

Posted by: Igor Ovsyannnykov

Igor is an SEO specialist, designer, photographer, writer and music producer. He believes that knowledge can change the world and be used to inspire and empower young people to build the life of their dreams. When he is not writing in his favorite coffee shop, Igor spends most of his time reading books, taking photos, producing house music, and learning about cinematography. He is a sucker for good coffee, Indian food, and video games.

• Health care
• Environment
• Criminal Justice
• Election 2024
• Social Issues

Americans’ perception of AI is generally negative, though they see ‘beneficial applications’

Polling across nine states shows that an overwhelming majority of americans also want the government to regulate ai., by: paige gross - august 28, 2024 4:44 pm.

A new poll of Americans across nine states by Heartland Forward finds that Americans are generally wary of artificial intelligence but are more positive about the potential in specific economic sectors. Getty Images

A vast majority of Americans feel negatively about artificial intelligence and how it will impact their futures, though they also report they don’t fully understand how and why the technology is currently being used.

The sentiments came from a survey conducted this summer by think tank Heartland Forward , which used Aaru, an AI-powered polling group that relies on news and social media to generate respondents.

The poll sought to learn about the perceptions of AI for Americans across different racial, gender and age groups in Alabama, Illinois, Indiana, Louisiana, Michigan, North Dakota, Ohio, Oklahoma and Tennessee. Heartland Forward also held in-person dinners in Fargo, North Dakota and Nashville, Tennessee, to collect sentiments.

While more than 75% of respondents reported that they feel skeptical, scared or overall negatively about AI, they reported more positive feelings when they learned about specific uses in industries such as health care, agriculture and manufacturing.

GET THE MORNING HEADLINES DELIVERED TO YOUR INBOX

Many of the negative feelings were about AI and work, with 83% of respondents saying they think it could negatively impact their job opportunities or career paths. Those respondents said they feel anxious about AI in their industries, and nearly 53% said they feel they should get AI training in the workplace. Louisiana respondents showed the highest level of concerns for job opportunities (91%), with Alabama showing the highest levels of workplace anxiety (90%).

Respondents also had huge doubts about AI’s ethical capabilities and data protection, with 87% saying they don’t think AI can make unbiased ethical decisions, and 89% saying it doesn’t have the ability to safeguard privacy.

But when the pollsters told respondents about specific AI uses in health care, agriculture, manufacturing, education, transportation, finance and entertainment, they got positive responses. The majority of respondents believe AI can have “beneficial applications” across numerous industries.

Nearly 79% of respondents felt AI could have a moderate or positive impact on health care; 77% said so about agriculture, manufacturing and education; 80% said so about transportation; 73% said so about finance; and 70% said so about entertainment.

State lawmakers eye promise, pitfalls of AI ahead of November elections

Very strong positive feelings about AI were less common, but some states stood out, seeing applications in dominant local industries. North Dakota showed more interest than others when it came to agriculture, with 35% of people seeing “very high” potential, compared with 19% in Oklahoma and 18% in Louisiana.

“It really shows us that, one, education is important, and that, two, we need to bring the right people around the table to talk about it,” said Angie Cooper, executive vice president of Heartland Forward.

The negative and positive sentiments recorded by the poll found very little variation between the gender, age and racial groups. The negative sentiments of AI’s impact on society were held across the entire political spectrum, too, Cooper said.

Another uniting statistic was that at least 93% of respondents believe that it’s at least “moderately important” for governments to regulate AI.

Cooper said that during the organization’s dinners in Fargo and Nashville — which brought investors, entrepreneurs, business owners and policymakers together — it was clear that people had some understanding of how AI was being used in their sector, but they weren’t aware of policies and regulations introduced at the state level.

Though there’s no federal AI legislation, so far this year, 11 new states have enacted laws about how to use, regulate or place checks and balances on AI. There are now 28 states with AI legislation.

“The data shows, and the conversations that we’ve had in Fargo and Nashville really are around that there’s still a lack of transparency,” Cooper said. “And so they believe policy can help play a role there.”

SUPPORT NEWS YOU TRUST.

• North Dakota

Our stories may be republished online or in print under Creative Commons license CC BY-NC-ND 4.0. We ask that you edit only for style or to shorten, provide proper attribution and link to our website. AP and Getty images may not be republished. Please see our republishing guidelines for use of any other photos and graphics.

Paige Gross

Paige Gross is a Philadelphia-based reporter covering the evolving technology industry for States Newsroom. Her coverage involves how Congress and individual states are regulating new and growing technologies, how technology plays a role in our everyday lives and what people ought to know to interact with technology.

Related News

Featured Topics

Featured series.

A series of random questions answered by Harvard experts.

Explore the Gazette

Read the latest.

An Olympics first

University Disability Resources celebrates Disability Pride

Brian Lee to step down as VP for alumni affairs and development

Sarah Lewis (left) and Klara Jelinkova at Sanders Theatre for the 11th annual Harvard IT Summit. Photos by Neal Adolph Akatsuka/HUIT

Photos by Neal Adolph Akatsuka

AI, new technologies, and ‘courage to fail’ mark IT Summit

Tech leaders encourage culture of innovation 

The “relentless” pace of technological change and how Harvard’s IT workforce can embrace both creativity and failure to foster a culture of innovation loom large for those in the field, so they were the primary themes of the University’s 11th annual IT Summit , hosted by its CIO Council on June 6.

More than 1,000 Harvard staff and faculty gathered for a day of panels, networking events, and an afternoon keynote address from Sarah Lewis , John L. Loeb Associate Professor of the Humanities and associate professor of African and African American studies. The event also featured more than 40 staff-led breakout sessions showcasing the breadth of new technologies being explored and implemented across Schools and disciplines at Harvard.

Unsurprisingly, given its near ubiquity in technology discourse over the past year, generative AI was a frequent topic. In her opening remarks, Klara Jelinkova , vice president and Harvard’s chief information officer, praised University IT staff for “rising to the occasion” to quickly provide tools and support for community experimentation with generative AI. Referencing Lewis’ 2015 book, “ The Rise ,” Jelinkova characterized this era of rapid technological development as one of “uncertainty” in which “the willingness and the courage to fail, to be wrong, to shift gears and to engage in dialogue and disagreement” will be key to Harvard continuing to lead in the successful adoption of new technologies.

In a morning panel, technology leaders discussed the balance between innovation and operations while spotlighting how Harvard’s CIO Council supports the missions of both individual Schools and the University at large. Emily Bottis, managing director for Academic Technology at HUIT, said Harvard’s IT structure enables innovative uses of technology to be trialed in disparate fields before being brought to the center and distributed widely. She cited Teachly — a software tool developed within Harvard to help faculty teach more inclusively using data — as an example.  

Kennedy School CIO Meena Lakhavani highlighted the University’s AI working groups and “sandbox” environment as an example of central coordination providing frameworks and tools in which Schools can innovate. Beth Clark, CIO for Harvard Business School, mentioned “tutorbots” — AI chatbots trained to give students information on specific classes or course materials — as a way different pedagogical styles can be exchanged between IT teams to assess scalability.

Tutorbots were among the many AI-related topics featured in the breakout sessions, alongside presentations on how AI might be used to enhance campus sustainability, workplace productivity, course evaluations, IT service desk support, and many other facets of higher education. Staff assembled in classrooms across the Cambridge campus to hear updates on new systems such as Harvard’s Learning Experience Platform (LXP), a platform for delivering asynchronous and blended learning that emerged from a 2022 report from the Future of Teaching and Learning Taskforce , and the new HarvardSites website publishing service. And IT teams shared their expertise in tutorials on topics encompassing digital accessibility, using design and data to enhance user experiences, navigating compliance and resourcing discussions, exploring open-source solutions, and many more.

Along with excitement about the potential of AI, its rapid emergence has also raised significant concerns about cybersecurity. In a “speculative voyage into the future,” Michael Tran Duff, University chief information security group and data privacy officer, predicted that while it’s likely we will see a rise in cybercriminal activity aided by the use of generative AI, the eventual deployment of AI-enabled vulnerability assessment and “personal AI assistants” to block social engineering attacks, coupled with cybersecurity measures such as a transition to passwordless logins, could lead to significantly fewer incidents.

Concluding the day’s events in Sanders Theatre, Lewis encouraged the audience to reconsider their definition of failure as they strive for innovation. Drawing on themes and research from “The Rise,” she shared examples of celebrated innovators throughout history whose progress was frequently halted by failure. Rather than seeing failure as a negative comment on themselves, their abilities, and their identities, said failure can be used as feedback: valuable information that’s part of the process of finding solutions.

Lewis also offered advice on how organizations can create environments in which failure and risk-taking is made safer, such as creating time and space for employees to experiment, and reducing the stigma of seemingly outlandish ideas (which may later be hailed as innovations). Responding to an audience question, Lewis likened failure to a New England winter: It may feel interminable as it happens, but, “Just as the seasons change, there is always the possibility for spring.”

Share this article

You might like.

First-year fencer makes history as member of all-Harvard squad in Paris

Investments and realignment of resources creates greater access for Harvard community members

‘Champion of Harvard and our mission’ will depart at end of calendar year

The way forward for Democrats — and the country

Danielle Allen is more worried about identity politics and gaps in civic education than the power of delegates

Good genes are nice, but joy is better

Harvard study, almost 80 years old, has proved that embracing community helps us live longer, and be happier

Between bright light and a good mood, plenty of sleep

Researchers outline path to lower risk of depression

An official website of the United States government

The .gov means it’s official. Federal government websites often end in .gov or .mil. Before sharing sensitive information, make sure you’re on a federal government site.

The site is secure. The https:// ensures that you are connecting to the official website and that any information you provide is encrypted and transmitted securely.

• Publications
• Account settings

Preview improvements coming to the PMC website in October 2024. Learn More or Try it out now .

• Advanced Search
• Journal List
• Rev Paul Pediatr

Language: English | Portuguese

Impacts of technology on children’s health: a systematic review

Impactos da tecnologia na saúde infantil: revisão sistemática, raquel cordeiro ricci.

a Universidade Federal de Mato Grosso do Sul, Três Lagoas, MS, Brazil.

Aline Souza Costa de Paulo

Alisson kelvin pereira borges de freitas, isabela crispim ribeiro, leonardo siqueira aprile pires, maria eduarda leite facina, milla bitencourt cabral, natália varreira parduci, rafaela caldato spegiorin, sannye sabrina gonzález bogado, sergio chociay, junior, talita navarro carachesti, mônica mussolini larroque.

The authors declare no conflict of interests.

Authors’ contribution

To identify the consequences of technology overuse in childhood.

Data source:

A systematic review was carried out in the electronic databases PubMed (National Library of Medicine of the National Institutes of Health) and BVS (Virtual Health Library), considering articles published from 2015 to 2020, in English, Portuguese and Spanish using the terms “Internet”, “Child” and “Growth and Development”.

Data synthesis:

554 articles were found and 8 were included in the analysis. The studies’ methodological quality was assessed by the Strobe and Consort criteria, being scored from 17 to 22 points. The articles showed positive and negative factors associated with the use of technology in childhood, although most texts emphasize the harmful aspects. Excessive use of internet, games and exposure to television are associated with intellectual deficits and mental health issues, but can also enable psychosocial development.

Conclusions:

Preventing the use of the internet is a utopic measure ever since society makes use of technologies. The internet is associated with benefits as well as with harms. It is important to optimize the use of internet and reduce risks with the participation of parents and caregivers as moderators, and training of health professionals to better guide them.

Identificar as consequências do uso excessivo da tecnologia na infância.

Fontes de dados:

Foi realizada uma revisão sistemática nas bases de dados eletrônicas PubMed (National Library of Medicine — National Institutes of Health) e Biblioteca Virtual em Saúde (BVS) com artigos publicados de 2015 a 2020, em inglês, português e espanhol, utilizando os termos internet, child e growth and development .

Síntese dos dados:

Foram localizados 554 artigos, resultando em oito artigos incluídos nesta pesquisa. Os estudos foram avaliados quanto à sua qualidade metodológica pelos critérios Strengthening the Reporting of Observational Studies in Epidemiology (Strobe) e Consolidated Standards of Reporting Trials (Consort) e receberam pontuações que variaram de 17 a 22 pontos. Os artigos evidenciaram que há fatores positivos e negativos associados ao uso de tecnologias na infância, embora a maioria dos textos ressalte seu aspecto prejudicial. O uso excessivo de internet, jogos e exposição à televisão ocasionaram alterações intelectuais e da saúde mental, porém também possibilitaram o desenvolvimento psicossocial.

Conclusões:

Impedir o uso da internet é uma medida utópica, visto que a sociedade faz uso de tecnologias. Considerando que a internet pode trazer benefícios, mas também malefícios, são importantes a otimização do uso e a redução dos riscos, como a participação dos pais e responsáveis como moderadores dessa utilização, além da atualização dos profissionais da saúde para melhor orientá-los.

INTRODUCTION

Nowadays, information and communication technologies increasingly make up children’s daily routines. Data from the Brazilian Institute of Geography and Statistics (IBGE) state that, among Brazilian children aged 10 years and over, internet use rose from 69.8% in 2017 to 74.7% in 2018. Exchange of messages, voice and/or video calls and, finally, watching videos, such as series and movies, are the most frequent activities performed requiring internet services. 1

Studies on digital technologies have been carried out in several fields, since the contents of activities on the internet may vary, reflecting the broad range of information available online. From this perspective, much has been questioned about the impacts of information and communication technologies on children’s physical and psychosocial development. In the cognitive sphere, the influence on sleep, memory, reading ability, concentration, the ability to communicate in person are commonly cited, in addition to anxiety symptoms when children are away from their cell phones. 2 , 3

This construction of self-image by means of technological tools results in potentializing a phenomenon of modernity and the emergence of large cities: placing intimacy as the focus of spectacularization. Furthermore, intense consumption of content can cause anxiety, panic and even depression. In the case of children with previous mental health conditions and who require monitoring, these effects can be even more intense. 4

With this in mind, the World Health Organization (WHO) published a series of recommendations to parents regarding the exposure of children of different age groups to digital technologies. Children under the age of 5 should not spend more than 60 minutes a day in passive activities in front of a smartphone, computer or TV screen. Children under 12 months of age should not spend even a minute in front of electronic devices. The goal is for boys and girls up to 5 years old to change electronics for physical activities or practices that involve interactions in the real world, such as reading and listening to stories with caregivers. 5 These guidelines are part of the strategy for awareness on sedentary lifestyle and obesity by the Organization of United Nations (UN).

Thus, it is clear that this spectrum of influence can culminate or intensify various pathologies. Therefore, the aim of the study was to identify the positive and negative consequences of technology overuse in childhood.

The selection process and the development of this systematic review were based on the Preferred Reporting Items for Systematic Reviews and Meta-Analyses (Prisma) protocol. 6 This review was registered with the International Prospective Registry of Systematic Reviews (Prospero), under number CRD42021248396.

The National Library of Medicine — National Institutes of Health (PubMed) and Virtual Health Library (VHL) electronic databases were searched from March to July 2020. The purpose was to systematically analyze original studies addressing information technologies and communication (Internet, social media, etc.) in child development based on a guiding question: what is the impact of information and communication technologies on childrens physical and psychosocial development?

The Medical Subject Headings (MeSH) was used to define the search term. Then, an exploratory investigation was carried out with the purpose of identifying keywords within the theme. The terms “internet”, “child” and “growth and development” were used, in English language, along with “AND”, to combine them. Additionally, the bibliographic references of articles selected were checked.

For the articles to be included, the following aspects were considered:

• Original articles.
• Studies conducted with children.
• Research regarding information and communication technologies (Internet, television, etc.) related to child development.
• Published from 2015 to 2020.
• Articles written in English, Portuguese and Spanish.

Studies carried out with adolescents, adults and the elderly, as well as theses, dissertations, monographs, duplicate studies and case studies were excluded.

The search and selection of articles took place at two different times. The articles were selected first by title and abstracts and, then, the full texts were accessed and evaluated.

Studies that met the eligibility criteria were fully analyzed by two independent researchers, whose evaluations were then compared to verify common points. In cases of uncertainty about the eligibility of the study, a third evaluator took part. Then, the data was extracted and input in predefined data tables.

The methodological quality of observational articles included was assessed according to the initiative Strengthening the Reporting of Observational Studies in Epidemiology (Strobe), based on various evaluation criteria for this type of studies. The maximum score is 22 points, which are distributed over several items: title and/or abstract (one item), introduction (two items), methodology (nine items), results (five items), discussion (four items), and funding (one item). 7 , 8 All observational studies were evaluated, and each item, when present, added up to 1 point; then the sum was scored according to Table 1 .

The methodological quality of the one randomized trial was based on the Consolidated Standards of Reporting Trials (Consort) strategy, which contains a checklist with 25 items, divided into: title and abstract (one item with two sub-items); introduction (one item with two sub-items); methods (five items) and a topic with information about randomization (five items); results (seven items); discussion (three items); and other information, such as registration, protocols and funding (three items). 9 , 10 Each item, if met, equals 1 point, and they were all added up according to the analysis of the papers. The score of methodological quality of this randomized trial is shown in Table 1 .

In order to synthesize the description of characteristics as main results and descriptive approach, the following information was extracted from each selected article: name of the main author, year of publication, country where the study was performed, design, sample size, type of technology evaluated, statistical variables, main results, and limitations.

Searches on PubMed and VHL using the descriptors “internet”, “child” and “growth and development” retrieved 550 articles. After applying inclusion criteria, 221 studies were selected and, after reading the titles and abstracts, 125 were excluded. 92 articles were read in full and, per the inclusion criteria and a detailed analysis, four studies were selected. Four other articles were included after an additional search in the reference list of primarily selected articles; the studies should have the same inclusion criteria defined in the methodology. Thus, eight articles made up the sample. The flowchart is shown in Figure 1 .

Most studies were epidemiological. Almost all of them were observational (n=7), and only one was an intervention study. The observational studies included were longitudinal and/or cross-sectional (n=5), case-control (n=1) and cohort studies (n=1). Only one experimental study was included, a randomized controlled trial (n=1), as shown in Table 1 .

Their methodological quality was based on their scores ( Table 1 ). Most studies were observational (n=7) and, therefore, were evaluated according to the Strobe criteria 7 . The score ranged from 17 to 22, and most articles reached 20 points (n=4), which is good methodological quality. The quality of the randomized trial with 18 points—according to the Consort 2010 criterion, which has a maximum score of 25—was also considered good. 9

The main results about the implications of technology in childhood are detailed in Tables 2 and ​ and3 3 .

After reading and analysis, the articles were classified and distributed into two categories according to their approach: negative aspects (n=6) and positive aspects (n=2). The review results are reported below.

Negative aspects

Six of the studies linked technologies to negative aspects. The papers highlitghed intellectual complications, 3 , 11 , 12 body image dissatisfaction 13 , 14 and encouragement of unhealthy food consumption. 15 Table 2 shows the main information.

Excessive internet use is transversally associated with lower cognitive functioning and reduced volume of several areas of the brain. In longitudinal analyses, a higher frequency of internet use was associated with a decrease in verbal intelligence and a smaller increase in the regional volume of gray/white matter in several brain areas after a few years. These areas relate to language processing, attention and executive functions, emotion and reward. 3

In a study conducted with 80 British girls aged 8 and 9 years, appearance-focused games led participants to have a greater dissatisfaction with their appearance compared to control girls, who were not exposed to such games. Therefore, internet games that address appearance can be harmful to girls’ body self-image. 13

It’s not just appearance-focused games that have a negative impact on body image. TV shows, depending on the approach, can also impact negatively psychological development. In a study with Australian girls, some TV shows aimed for the age group of 6-9 years focused on sexualization were absorbed or internalized as social messages by children. The authors stated that the exposure made these girls whish to wear sexualized clothes and create negative relationship with their body image. 14

Furthermore, a study with 562 Dutch and Spanish children reported that, among Dutch children, games with advertisements (advergames) for high-calorie foods stimulated the consumption of unhealthy foods, while those who played other games with advertisements other that food-related, were less inclined to this eating habit. 15 Thus, depending on what the child is exposed to, some influences may not be beneficial.

Video games were associated with increased mean diffusivity in cortical and subcortical areas. That is, prolonged video game use was associated with negative consequences, as it can directly or indirectly interrupt the development of neural systems and cause unfavorable neurocognitive development, especially when it comes to verbal intelligence. 11

Another study on children’s exposure to television, identified a negative effect on the gray matter of the frontal area of the brain with consequences for verbal language. No changes were identified in sensorimotor areas as related to TV watching time; the effect may not be direct, since watching this media is often associated with less physical activity, which, in turn, causes changes in the volume of gray matter in sensorimotor areas. 12

Positive aspects

Only two studies brought the positive aspects of technology use, related to cognitive and psychosocial development 16 and forms of interpersonal relationships. 17 Main information is shown in Table 3 .

Associations of electronic media use with psychosocial development and the executive function among 3- and 5-year-olds, particularly related to total screen time, TV shows viewing, and application use were assessed by the authors, who concluded that cognitive and psychosocial development in children 12 months later was positive when exposure to these media lasted less than 30 minutes a day. 16

In a study conducted with 2,840 students in South Korea, children with depressed mood were more likely to use the internet to socialize, exchange ideas and talk about their concerns as a way to meet their friendship needs. The Internet can be beneficial for children, who can take advantage of online opportunities for socialization and friendships based on common interests. 17

The studies analyzed, in general, show that children currently spend a significant amount of time on the Internet or other means of information, and consider that this exposure can have positive and negative impacts on children’s cognitive development and learning skills.

As for the negative impacts of this habit in childhood, the higher frequency of internet use is associated with a significant decrease in verbal intelligence, mainly related to language skills and concentration/attention abilities. One study reported frequent internet use by children as related to decreased memory performance. 18

Another issue that must be taken into account is the number of games emerging all the time with new elements of fun and entertainment to attract children. An alert should be raised, however, about destructive websites such as the Blue Whale Challenge, which target vulnerable children and young people, threaten their physical integrity and are completely unethical, leading to the gradual destruction of society. 19

On the other hand, researchers have identified, among the most frequent purposes in allowing children access technology declared by parents, the promotion of problem-solving skills (56.7%), learning of basic mathematics (53.8%), developing hand-eye coordination (46.2%), introduction to reading (51%), language (47.1%) and science (26%), as well as entertainment (56.7%). 20

Based on the studies selected, we point out an unexpected result for parents: the problematic use of electronic devices at an early age can have children show low levels of openness to experiences, increasing the level of emotional instability, impulsive or other behaviors related to attention. Then, we must reinforce that exposure to media must be carefully pondered by parents and guardians as to avoid media dependence and misuse.

Problematic internet use (PIU) is associated with less openness and agreeableness, as children with higher levels of PIU end up with a deficit in social skills and difficulties in establishing interpersonal relationships, which can lead to being less open and visible, or less friendly externally. It was also found that these children tend to experience negative emotions and use the internet as a means of feeling better about their everyday problems or unpleasant feelings. Relationships were also between problematic video game use and behavior problems, specifically related to thoughts, attention, and aggressive behavior. 21

In order to bypass the negative effects of inappropriate use of the internet, one cannot ignore, on the one hand, the positive side of these technologies. Technology is extensively available and it is almost impossible to remove it from children’s daily lives. 22 But the negative effects mentioned during the discussion deserve the same attention, as the authors place parental control and moderation as key factors. 23 In this sense, there is a directly proportional link between parental participation and attention and a less harmful relationship between children and technologies, especially regarding social factors. 24

Currently, children spend their lives immersed in the world of digital media, and research has consistently shown the growing, early and diversified use of this media. Children exposed to electronics tend to develop a desire for continued use, creating a potentially harmful cycle. Even more worrisome are the effects of digital media on young children by disrupting parent-child interaction, which is critical to a healthy emotional and cognitive development. 25

There are potential benefits of digital technology as a tool to enhance early childhood development, creativity and social connection, but it is imperative that parents monitor what their children are consuming and help them learn from it. 26

A review of the literature about media reported an adverse association between screen-based media consumption and sleep health, mainly due to delays in bedtime and reduced total sleep duration. The underlying mechanisms of these associations include:

• Time replacement, that is, time on screens replacing sleep time and time spent other activities.
• Psychological stimulation based on media content.
• Effects of light emitted by devices on circadian timing, sleep physiology, and alertness. 27

There is, therefore, and evident need to identify the warning signs of excessive technology use in this age group and define the appropriate limit of daily screen time. Children can make a balanced use of technologies, taking advantage of them without exaggeration, favoring communication and the search for information that is relevant to learning.

It is important to emphasize that pre-judgments about technology-dependent children should be avoided, and knowing their feelings about themselves, as well as the factors that bother them, is important, as well as having a sensitive listening to form a vision of ideal approach in this condition of technology dependence by means of suggested strategies to effectively face these difficulties. 28

Although this review has important and interesting results, some limitations must be listed. First, there the number of studies identified with the criteria of our work was limited. Also, most of the studies were observational. Therefore, experimental research must be carried out as a means to understand the cause-consequence dynamics between media and their implications for child development. Further studies with larger samples and specific age groups, which would be relevant to increase statistical power, are needed.

The analysis of the articles showed positive and negative factors associated with the use of technologies by children. The main losses caused by technology use in childhood are excessive time connected to the internet, worsening of mental health, and changes in the circadian rhythm. The articles mentioned as negative factors the development of intellectual impairments, including verbal intelligence and attention, emotional instability, internet addiction, binge eating and physiological changes.

The main benefits of the use of technologies by children found were the strengthening of friendships and the possibility of greater social connection. For the preschool age group, there is evidence of improvement in cognitive and psychosocial development. Thus, in order to have technology as an ally for healthy child development, parents and guardians should limit the time of use and control the type of content seen and shared by children.

Currently, preventing internet use is an unrealistic measure, since parents and guardians also make great use of technologies. However, because of the new settings imposed by the COVID-19 pandemic, many services have moved towards digitization, including education and social interaction. Internet use nowadays is a reality for all age groups and makes this study relevant; measures aimed at optimizing its use and reducing risks must, therefore, be adopted. Once again, we emphasize the importance of parents and guardians as moderators and update training of health professionals to better guide them.

Further studies are suggested so the notion of risk-benefit of internet use and its long-term consequences for child development is kept up to date.

The study did not receive any funding.

RFK Jr.'s exit shakes up 2024 race. But how much does his endorsement actually help Trump?

CHICAGO − The abrupt exit of Robert F. Kennedy Jr . and his endorsement of Donald Trump has shaken up the 2024 White House race with just 74 days until Election Day − but whether it's a boon for the Republican presidential nominee remains unclear.

Though polling suggests former President Trump could benefit from the suspended campaign of the independent Kennedy − a conspiracy theorist, environmental advocate and son of the late liberal icon Robert F. Kennedy − political analysts question whether it's a major gain.

"It has very little impact in the national polling," said David Paleologos, director of the Suffolk University Political Research Center. "The question is, what will the impact be in the swing states? And from what we've seen, it's probably going to be marginal."

Given the growing negative perceptions that voters have about Kennedy , his endorsement poses a risk to Trump, who is no stranger to courting controversy.

In long, rambling remarks Friday announcing he is "suspending" his candidacy, Kennedy said he is throwing his support to Trump. He made clear his opposition of Vice President Kamala Harris and used a long windup to his speech to rail on the Democratic Party.

Kennedy said his name will remain on ballots in some states but he will "remove" his name from about 10 battlegrounds. Yet he still suggested a farfetched scenario in which he somehow emerges as a negotiated president if Trump and Harris tie in the Electoral College.

More: The Kennedy family (with one notable absence) joins President Biden at the White House

For much of the election cycle, Democrats labeled Kennedy an "election spoiler" whose candidacy was meant to help Trump by peeling votes away from President Joe Biden. But after Harris took over as the party's 2024 nominee, polling started showing that Kennedy was doing the opposite: hurting Trump more than the Democrats.

Even before Biden's exit, a USA TODAY/Suffolk University national poll in June found Trump the second choice of 32% of Kennedy supporters and Biden the second choice of 18% of Kennedy supporters. Another 26% said they were unsure who they would back besides Kennedy, and the remaining respondents moved to other third-party candidates.

More: RFK Jr. tried to set up meeting with Kamala Harris to discuss Cabinet role

The poll found 42% of Republican voters viewed Kennedy favorably, along with 36% of independent voters, compared with just 17% of Democratic voters.

More recently, a survey of seven battleground states by the Cook Political Report last week found Trump was the second choice of 45% of Kennedy voters in these crucial states, compared with 26% for Harris. Yet the poll found Kennedy with support from only 5% of likely voters across these states, down from 8% in May.

Kennedy, who winded down regular campaign events weeks ago, has led a campaign that has often bordered on the bizarre. There have been revelations that he placed the carcass of a dead baby bear cub in New York's Central Park a decade ago and that doctors found a dead worm in his brain . He faced new sexual assault allegations dating back to the 1990s and was blocked from the ballot in New York after a judge ruled he provided a false residency .

More: Robert F. Kennedy Jr. 'contracted a parasite' during travels, his team says after NYT report

Since announcing her candidacy, Harris has performed moderately better in polls that feature third-party candidates than head-to-head between only her and Trump. For example, a Marquette Law School poll of registered Wisconsin voters this month found Trump leading 50%-49% in a head-to-head matchup but Harris leading Trump 45%-43% with other candidates like Kennedy and liberal academic Cornel West added to the mix. Kennedy had support from 8% of registered Wisconsin voters.

Kennedy, however, is not popular among the majority of Americans, polling suggests. The Cook Political Report survey of swing states found that Kennedy is viewed unfavorably by 45% of likely voters nationally and favorably by 39%.

And his share of the electoral vote has been sliding in polls for months. Kennedy is polling at 4.5% nationally, according to the Real Clear Politics average of polls, down from 11% in early May. It follows a historic trend of third-party candidates polling better in the spring than closer to the election.

On the other hand, in states like Pennsylvania, Michigan and Wisconsin that could be decided by only thousands of votes, any shift could be critical.

Paleologos said he expects the Trump and Harris campaigns will fine-tune their outreach efforts to identify the former Kennedy voters that each can pick up.

More likely to benefit Harris are the 18% of Kennedy voters who were independent women in the USA TODAY/Suffolk University poll in June and the 13% who were 29 years old or younger. More likely to help Trump are the 16% of Kennedy voters who received trade or vocational education and the 15% who were independent male voters, a group he performs better among than Harris.

"The smart campaign will have separate operations for each of those micro-targeting focuses," Paleologos said.

Harris' campaign chair, Jen O'Malley Dillon, during a panel talk this week in Chicago hosted by Politico , downplayed the effect Kennedy's exit will have on the race

"We are very confident the vice president's going to win, whether she's running against one candidate or multiple candidates," O'Malley Dillon said, pointing to Kennedy's polling slide after his peak last spring. "The more the American people have heard from him, the more we see that they don't like him that much and they think that what he's saying is more extreme."

But the Trump campaign touted the endorsement as potentially critical in helping the Republican nominee win key swing states. Trump campaign pollster Tony Fabrizio, in a memo Friday, said the number of votes likely to swing from Kennedy to Trump in certain states like Arizona could be greater than Biden's 2020 victories in those states.

"So, when you hear or see the Harris team and/or the Democrats try and spin otherwise, now that the data clearly paints a different picture," Fabrizio said. "This is good news for President Trump and his campaign – plain and simple."

In a statement, Democratic National Committee senior adviser Mary Beth Cahill said "good riddance."

“The more voters learned about RFK Jr. the less they liked him," she said. "Donald Trump isn’t earning an endorsement that’s going to help build support, he’s inheriting the baggage of a failed fringe candidate."

Cahill is a longtime Democratic strategist who previously worked as chief of staff to the late-Sen. Ted Kennedy, a Massachusetts Democrat and uncle of Robert F. Kennedy Jr.

Reach Joey Garrison on X, formerly Twitter, @joeygarrison.

Suggestions or feedback?

MIT News | Massachusetts Institute of Technology

• Machine learning
• Sustainability
• Black holes
• Classes and programs

Departments

• Aeronautics and Astronautics
• Brain and Cognitive Sciences
• Architecture
• Political Science
• Mechanical Engineering

Centers, Labs, & Programs

• Abdul Latif Jameel Poverty Action Lab (J-PAL)
• Picower Institute for Learning and Memory
• Lincoln Laboratory
• School of Architecture + Planning
• School of Engineering
• School of Humanities, Arts, and Social Sciences
• Sloan School of Management
• School of Science
• MIT Schwarzman College of Computing

Study reveals the benefits and downside of fasting

Press contact :, media download.

*Terms of Use:

Images for download on the MIT News office website are made available to non-commercial entities, press and the general public under a Creative Commons Attribution Non-Commercial No Derivatives license . You may not alter the images provided, other than to crop them to size. A credit line must be used when reproducing images; if one is not provided below, credit the images to "MIT."

Previous image Next image

Low-calorie diets and intermittent fasting have been shown to have numerous health benefits: They can delay the onset of some age-related diseases and lengthen lifespan, not only in humans but many other organisms.

Many complex mechanisms underlie this phenomenon. Previous work from MIT has shown that one way fasting exerts its beneficial effects is by boosting the regenerative abilities of intestinal stem cells, which helps the intestine recover from injuries or inflammation.

In a study of mice, MIT researchers have now identified the pathway that enables this enhanced regeneration, which is activated once the mice begin “refeeding” after the fast. They also found a downside to this regeneration: When cancerous mutations occurred during the regenerative period, the mice were more likely to develop early-stage intestinal tumors.

“Having more stem cell activity is good for regeneration, but too much of a good thing over time can have less favorable consequences,” says Omer Yilmaz, an MIT associate professor of biology, a member of MIT’s Koch Institute for Integrative Cancer Research, and the senior author of the new study.

Yilmaz adds that further studies are needed before forming any conclusion as to whether fasting has a similar effect in humans.

“We still have a lot to learn, but it is interesting that being in either the state of fasting or refeeding when exposure to mutagen occurs can have a profound impact on the likelihood of developing a cancer in these well-defined mouse models,” he says.

MIT postdocs Shinya Imada and Saleh Khawaled are the lead authors of the paper, which appears today in Nature .

Driving regeneration

For several years, Yilmaz’s lab has been investigating how fasting and low-calorie diets affect intestinal health. In a 2018 study , his team reported that during a fast, intestinal stem cells begin to use lipids as an energy source, instead of carbohydrates. They also showed that fasting led to a significant boost in stem cells’ regenerative ability.

However, unanswered questions remained: How does fasting trigger this boost in regenerative ability, and when does the regeneration begin?

“Since that paper, we’ve really been focused on understanding what is it about fasting that drives regeneration,” Yilmaz says. “Is it fasting itself that’s driving regeneration, or eating after the fast?”

In their new study, the researchers found that stem cell regeneration is suppressed during fasting but then surges during the refeeding period. The researchers followed three groups of mice — one that fasted for 24 hours, another one that fasted for 24 hours and then was allowed to eat whatever they wanted during a 24-hour refeeding period, and a control group that ate whatever they wanted throughout the experiment.

The researchers analyzed intestinal stem cells’ ability to proliferate at different time points and found that the stem cells showed the highest levels of proliferation at the end of the 24-hour refeeding period. These cells were also more proliferative than intestinal stem cells from mice that had not fasted at all.

“We think that fasting and refeeding represent two distinct states,” Imada says. “In the fasted state, the ability of cells to use lipids and fatty acids as an energy source enables them to survive when nutrients are low. And then it’s the postfast refeeding state that really drives the regeneration. When nutrients become available, these stem cells and progenitor cells activate programs that enable them to build cellular mass and repopulate the intestinal lining.”

Further studies revealed that these cells activate a cellular signaling pathway known as mTOR, which is involved in cell growth and metabolism. One of mTOR’s roles is to regulate the translation of messenger RNA into protein, so when it’s activated, cells produce more protein. This protein synthesis is essential for stem cells to proliferate.

The researchers showed that mTOR activation in these stem cells also led to production of large quantities of polyamines — small molecules that help cells to grow and divide.

“In the refed state, you’ve got more proliferation, and you need to build cellular mass. That requires more protein, to build new cells, and those stem cells go on to build more differentiated cells or specialized intestinal cell types that line the intestine,” Khawaled says.

Too much of a good thing

The researchers also found that when stem cells are in this highly regenerative state, they are more prone to become cancerous. Intestinal stem cells are among the most actively dividing cells in the body, as they help the lining of the intestine completely turn over every five to 10 days. Because they divide so frequently, these stem cells are the most common source of precancerous cells in the intestine.

In this study, the researchers discovered that if they turned on a cancer-causing gene in the mice during the refeeding stage, they were much more likely to develop precancerous polyps than if the gene was turned on during the fasting state. Cancer-linked mutations that occurred during the refeeding state were also much more likely to produce polyps than mutations that occurred in mice that did not undergo the cycle of fasting and refeeding.

“I want to emphasize that this was all done in mice, using very well-defined cancer mutations. In humans it’s going to be a much more complex state,” Yilmaz says. “But it does lead us to the following notion: Fasting is very healthy, but if you’re unlucky and you’re refeeding after a fasting, and you get exposed to a mutagen, like a charred steak or something, you might actually be increasing your chances of developing a lesion that can go on to give rise to cancer.”

Yilmaz also noted that the regenerative benefits of fasting could be significant for people who undergo radiation treatment, which can damage the intestinal lining, or other types of intestinal injury. His lab is now studying whether polyamine supplements could help to stimulate this kind of regeneration, without the need to fast.

“This fascinating study provides insights into the complex interplay between food consumption, stem cell biology, and cancer risk,” says Ophir Klein, a professor of medicine at the University of California at San Francisco and Cedars-Sinai Medical Center, who was not involved in the study. “Their work lays a foundation for testing polyamines as compounds that may augment intestinal repair after injuries, and it suggests that careful consideration is needed when planning diet-based strategies for regeneration to avoid increasing cancer risk.”

The research was funded, in part, by Pew-Stewart Scholars Program for Cancer Research award, the MIT Stem Cell Initiative, the Koch Institute Frontier Research Program via the Kathy and Curt Marble Cancer Research Fund, and the Bridge Project, a partnership between the Koch Institute for Integrative Cancer Research at MIT and the Dana-Farber/Harvard Cancer Center.

Share this news article on:

Press mentions, medical news today.

A new study led by researchers at MIT suggests that fasting and then refeeding stimulates cell regeneration in the intestines, reports Katharine Lang for Medical News Today . However, notes Lang, researchers also found that fasting “carries the risk of stimulating the formation of intestinal tumors.” 

Prof. Ömer Yilmaz and his colleagues have discovered the potential health benefits and consequences of fasting, reports Max Kozlov for Nature . “There is so much emphasis on fasting and how long to be fasting that we’ve kind of overlooked this whole other side of the equation: what is going on in the refed state,” says Yilmaz.

MIT researchers have discovered how fasting impacts the regenerative abilities of intestinal stem cells, reports Ed Cara for Gizmodo . “The major finding of our current study is that refeeding after fasting is a distinct state from fasting itself,” explain Prof. Ömer Yilmaz and postdocs Shinya Imada and Saleh Khawaled. “Post-fasting refeeding augments the ability of intestinal stem cells to, for example, repair the intestine after injury.” 

Previous item Next item

Related Links

• Omer Yilmaz
• Koch Institute
• Department of Biology

Related Topics

Related articles.

How early-stage cancer cells hide from the immune system

Study links certain metabolites to stem cell function in the intestine

Fasting boosts stem cells’ regenerative capacity

How diet influences colon cancer

More mit news.

Study: Transparency is often lacking in datasets used to train large language models

Read full story →

How MIT’s online resources provide a “highly motivating, even transformative experience”

Students learn theater design through the power of play

A framework for solving parabolic partial differential equations

Designing better delivery for medical therapies

Making a measurable economic impact

• More news on MIT News homepage →

Massachusetts Institute of Technology 77 Massachusetts Avenue, Cambridge, MA, USA

• Map (opens in new window)
• Events (opens in new window)
• People (opens in new window)
• Careers (opens in new window)
• Accessibility
• Social Media Hub
• MIT on Facebook
• MIT on YouTube
• MIT on Instagram