Technology has become a crucial part of Gen-Z’s lives, and some students see technology as a burden on their productivity.

“I think as a whole generation we are definitely growing up in a much more relaxed and lenient environment,” junior Tanner Parscal said. “Things aren’t as structured as they were 30 years ago.” 

Students believe their phones cause concentration issues and take up time that could be used for something more valuable.

“I feel like we can just go home and do nothing by sitting on our phones, and we don’t have to work or do anything,” freshman Dalton Pankratz said.

Although technology can affect teens’ effort to work in general, it can also benefit them in jobs as well.

“A lot of people can get jobs based on technology, it helps people interview for jobs and apply for jobs,” freshman Claire Brown said.

Pankratz thinks Gen-Z is too dependent on technology’s ability to complete basic tasks for them.

“I think our generation as a whole has become super lazy because this technology does everything for us,” Pankratz said.

Many teens see social media as a lighthearted way to post about their lives, but the risks of social media are higher than what some posts are worth.

“People can see everything, so if you’re not careful about what you post, those bad things are on your permanent record,” Brown said.

Parscal sees social media as a good way to stay in touch with his peers but says it can become tedious to keep up with everyone’s lives and posts all of the time.

“Whenever I get on social media and I see all the drama of everyone’s business, it’s easy for me to get caught up in everyone else’s lives,” Parscal said.

Some teens see the problems they struggle with when it comes to social media and are willing to work to break their habits.

“You can get taken up by social media and technology, and that affects your schoolwork, but you can also balance it,” Brown said.

High school students are especially vulnerable to trends or ideas that are popular on social media.

“It could affect others’ lives because they see these new trends and they think that they have to be involved in them,” Pankratz said. “I think it’s kind of stressful for them.”

Taking breaks from technology can benefit teens throughout high school by providing more time for their school work and other activities.

“I think it’s really good to be able to take a break from social media and clear my head to stay on track,” Parscal said.