In the past decade, awareness has grown about the challenges that technology poses for children and youth. Previously, I addressed the potential harms of excessive technology use among the younger generation: from exposure to inappropriate content to social detachment, which weakens interpersonal connections, and even rising rates of depression, anxiety, and suicides. Fascinating data from Google Global and the Israeli telecommunications company Bezeq provides updated information that reinforces these concerns and adds new layers of complexity.

This data aligns with ongoing reports about teenagers injured during dangerous TikTok challenges, the Australian parliament’s groundbreaking decision to pass a law prohibiting children and teenagers under the age of 16 from using social networks starting next year, and the Albanian government’s decision to restrict access to TikTok nationwide for a year beginning in 2025 following a youth altercation on TikTok that escalated into a physical fight, resulting in the death of a 14-year-old.

The Data Behind the Numbers: Loneliness, Disconnection, and Increased Dependency

Bezeq’s report, published earlier this year, reveals troubling findings: about 25% of teenagers in Israel report........

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