Re: "The Big Myth About Teenage Anxiety"

To the editor

Richard Friedman (NYT, 9.9.18 The big myth about teenage anxiety) is right to point out that there is no available research to prove - or disprove - the notion that an epidemic of anxiety exists among teenagers and that some academic research - correlating brain regions that are active in individuals who are 'addicted' to technology - is uninformative in this regard.  I believe, though, that it is highly problematic to argue that some parents,teens and young adults simply worry too much and should recognize that our brains are 'resilient and more resistant to change than we think.'

It concerns me when I see a young mother strolling down the street with her infant while looking down at her phone rather than engaged with her newborn.  The technology has co-opted a deeply biological and psychologically driven motivation to attach and engage the newborn. It concerns me when people walk down the street glued to their phones rather than engaged with their environment - one that can include a visually impaired individual on a collision course.  It concerns me when teachers lament their inability to get their students to pay attention in the classroom. The list goes on.  I do not see this as an epidemic of anxiety - rather an incursion of technology in the relational realm in ways that are (objectively in my mind) deeply problematic. 

People develop powerful relationships with their cellphones and the technology it provides. Like any transformative tool, it has its risks.  I think we do well to realize that the technology industry is fueled by for profit businesses invested not in the emotional or intellectual well-being of the public but in maximizing profits by getting people to stay connected to their devices.  For this reason alone, a healthy skepticism is warranted in evaluating the impact of technology on mental health.

Respectfully submitted

Larry S. Sandberg MD