Jean M. Twenge made many claims about social media usage today and how that is effecting this  generation negatively. She claimed that this generation is shaped by the smartphone and social media. I believe this to be true because kids now do not hangout with their friends and play outside anymore, they play games indoors on their ipads. She then went on to claim how social media and smartphones are linked to the increased rate of depression. Researcher Jean M. Twenge states, “the more time teens spend looking at screens, the more likely they are to report symptoms of depression.” Twenge’s point is that screen time is linked to depression. She used statistics to support her claim and the idea of it made me think of how many people I know with depression, around my age that just sit on their phones and social media but was that because of their depression or did it cause it? After doing research, Twenge states that, “teens are also less likely to date”  due to the time spent on technology, they do not go on dates. I support this because I have never had any of my friends be asked on a “real” date, people just text. It shows how many teens have strayed away from nonscreen activities. In Twenge’s view, “all screen activities are linked to less happiness, and all non screen activities are linked to more happiness.” In other words, Twenge believes that every time one goes on their phone or checks social media, they are less happy and every time one goes outside or with friends, they are happier. However, this idea conflicts with my views. I believe in a balance, I think that if you spend too much time doing one you should switch to the other and alternate, creating a healthy balance. I believe if people who are obsessed with their smartphone took a break and played outside, they could potentially be happier but they may not always be. With all of the technology now teens are going to grow up using it but it is important to watch how often they use it and make sure they do other things, not just sit in their room on their phones.