The drastic effect that the introduction of smartphones has had on the recent generation is currently one of the most widely discussed paradigm shifts. I couldn’t tell you how many times I’ve heard family members from a previous generation talk about “kids these days” and the problems that smartphones have caused. As a member of the “iGen” that Jean Twenge discusses, more commonly referred to as “Generation Z,” I’ve experienced most of the shifts that she details in the article or seen the effects on my peers. A paradigm shift is defined by Merriam-Webster as “an important change that happens when the usual way of thinking about or doing something is replaced by a new and different way.” This is exactly what Twenge talks about in her article: a fundamental shift in the ways teenagers think and behave.

Like I mentioned, I am no stranger to the theory that smartphones have completely altered the lives of teenagers, but I had very rarely seen real, concrete evidence of that shift. Obviously, personal anecdotes and comparisons between my life and my parents’ or grandparents’ lives abounded, but Twenge provides clear evidence from scientific studies that shows drastic changes in behaviors and thought patterns between generations and the correlations between the use of smartphones and several negative outcomes like depression and sleep deprivation. There have always been differences between generations, but Twenge, who has studied generational differences for a quarter of a century, says that the abrupt and drastic changes from Millennials to Generation Z was like nothing she had ever seen before:

“Around 2012, I noticed abrupt shifts in teen behaviors and emotional states. The gentle slopes of the line graphs became steep mountains and sheer cliffs, and many of the distinctive characteristics of the Millennial generation began to disappear. In all my analyses of generational data – some reaching back to the 1930s – I had never seen anything like it.”

The impact of smartphones on Generation Z was not limited to a single change – it caused effects in numerous areas. Gen Z spends less time with their friends in person than any previous generation, gets their drivers licenses later, dates less, has less sex, feels more lonely, sleeps less, and has higher rate of suicide, depression, and mental illnesses. In these ways, the change in thoughts and behaviors from Millenials to Gen Z is a clear example of a massive paradigm shift.