2. Structural-Functionalist Perspective & Three Main
Points
Technology is destroying the minds of teenagers through
there physical health, mental health, and the quality of
human interaction.
The Structural-Functionalist Perspective is concerned
about how illness, health, and health care affect and are
affected by changes in other aspects of social life.
3. Physical Health
Teenagers today use different types of digital devices,
such as ipods, iphones, computers, etc. It can damage
their physical health. For example, listening to music
with headphones in can be very damaging to ones ears.
The Structural-Functionalist Perspective relates to
destroying teens physical health because society has
created digital devices that when used can lead to
accidents and disasters, such as traffic accidents and
cancer.
4. Physical Health - Examples
Heavy users of cell phones have twice the accident risk
of drivers who who the phone infrequently or not at all.
Today, teenagers would rather sit and play video games
and talk online with their friends. Rather than to go out
involved in a sport; such as hockey, soccer or
basketball.
It is now easier to sit and watch videos on youtube about
nature than it is to go outside and experience what
nature has to offer.
5. Physical Health - Examples
In a study found on Prevention.com they asked ―Would
you rather give up your toothbrush or your smartphone
for one week? That’s the question that was posed to 514
Americans, and a whopping 22 percent of them would
pitch their brush in favor of keeping their phone for
seven days. For iPhone users, the percentage who
would keep their beloved high tech phone instead of
their toothbrush ups to a shocking 40 percent.‖
6. Physical Health – Video
Example
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=KmxaY_OVvWA
This video is the song ―Highway Don’t Care‖ By: Tim
McGraw, Taylor Swift and Keith Urban.
We felt that it was a great example of distracted teen
driving and causing a car accident without being too
graphic of a video. The meaning in the song fits perfectly
to how technology is causing teenagers to now put their
life in harms way over technology.
7. Mental Health
In today’s society, the mental health of using technology
combined with social media has negatively affected
teenagers self-confidence levels, and how it can lead to
illness.
The Structural-Functionalist Perspective relates to
destroying teens mental health because the social
media devices teenagers use today are now leading to
cyber-bulling which can cause mental illness such as
depression and anxiety.
8. Mental Health - Examples
A recent Stanford University study found that girls as
young as 8 that spend a lot of time mulit-tasking on
digital devices tend to have a lower self-confidence and
social skills.
According to a recent article in The Atlantic, a new trend
(particularly among teenage girls, four times more likely
than boys) is to set up a Tumblrblogs glorifying
everything from self-harm, to anorexia to suicide. There
are hundreds of results, mostly in black and white, many
showing arms and legs with hundreds of cuts from selfcutting.
9. Mental Health - Examples
One study tested whether high exposure to video games
increased aggression over time. It was found that
playing violent video games is a significant risk factor for
later physical aggression in both Japan and the United
States—for boys and girls (Anderson et al., 2008)
Mental health treatment experts at the Birmingham
Maple Clinic reported that the overuse of computers and
cell phones has a negative impact on teen’s mental
health. According to a study conducted by the
Sahlgrenska Academy of the University of Gothenburg,
young people who are heavy users of cell phones and
computers face a significantly higher risk of sleeping
problems, stress disorders and other mental health
issues, the clinic announced.
10. Mental Health – Examples
The addiction has even been given a name –
Nomophobia is the term created by British researchers
in 2008 to identify people who experience anxiety when
they have no access to mobile technology. A previous
study showed that young people are now so addicted to
their mobile phones it feels like they have lost a limb
when they are without them.
11. Human Interaction
In today’s society, the human interaction is decreasing
and there is less and less interaction between people.
People would rather talk on phones and text because it
is portrayed as being easier.
The Structural-Functionalist Perspective relates to
destroying teens by their communication skills. They
hide behind phones, computers and the social media
that surrounds them.
12. Human Interaction - Examples
Although electronic and wireless communications have
made it possible for us to handle emergencies, having
this convenience comes at a great price. Technology
such as smart phones and Blackberries rip into the
relationships that we have and makes it less
personal, as they can now hide behind their screens.
Teens today now find it harder to keep eye contact
longer as now teens are more and more shy. They also
have a harder time carrying a conversation and when
uncomfortable usually look for their phone for a
distraction.
Teens also have a difficult time talking on the phone as
they would rather send a text, than leave a voicemail.
13. Human Interaction - Examples
Today’s teens spend more than 71/2 hours a day
consuming media — watching TV, listening to
music, surfing the Web, social networking, and playing
video games, according to a 2010 study of 8- to 18-yearolds conducted by the Kaiser Family Foundation. The
study also found a particular rise in time spent on mobile
devices and an overall increase of about an hour and 20
minutes since 1999.
With the amount that teens now spend consuming
media this leads less time spent being active and
spending time with family.
14. Human Interaction – Video
Example
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=rRtXAKQrTGk
The video is off the show The Doctors with guest star
Jillian Michaels.
The doctors video explains how teenagers are addicted
to social media devices.
16. Conclusion
In conclusion, technology is slowly destroying the minds
of teenagers through there physical and mental health.
Also their quality of human interaction is slowly fading.
The Structural-Functionalist Perspective main is how
illness, health, and health care affect and are affected by
changes in other aspects of social life. This theory is
shown throughout out presentation and how it deals with
technology and the minds of teenagers.
17. References
Ahuja, M. (n.d.). Retrieved from
http://articles.washingtonpost.com/2013-0313/news/37675597_1_teens-cellphones-video-games
Ebben, P. (n.d.). Retrieved from
http://boston.cbslocal.com/2012/02/07/how-technologyimpacts-physical-and-emotional-health/
Human Kinetics (n.d.). Retrieved from
http://www.humankinetics.com/excerpts/excerpts/technol
ogy-can-have-positive-and-negative-impact-on-socialinteractions
Alleyne, R. (n.d.). Retrieved from
http://www.telegraph.co.uk/technology/news/9714616/M
obile-phone-addiction-ruining-relationships.html
18. References
Human Kinetics (n.d.). Retrieved from
http://www.humankinetics.com/excerpts/excerpts/technol
ogy-can-have-positive-and-negative-impact-on-socialinteractions
Mooney, L., Holmes, M., Know, D., & Schacht, C.
