The New Year has brought many new resolutions along with it. For many young people, one of their New Year’s resolutions would have included cutting down the number of hours wasted on any variation of technology. As we have grown up in a world where there are millions of apps at our disposal and every thought or feeling can be expressed and shared in a matter of seconds, it can be very difficult to successful disconnect ourselves from these devices. Therefore, I have written this article to ask the predominant question that many parents and politicians are contemplating. As a generation, are the Millennials addicted to technology?

According to the news broadcasted in the Republic of Ireland, there are clear concerns for their young people as a new law proposed by the Government presents the idea of all children under the age of fourteen years old being prohibited from the use a smartphone without parental permission. This shows that there is an increase in the rate of leaders and members of older generations becoming concerned with the powerful role in which technologies hold over the younger generation. Statistic support this point as social experiments show that 24 percent of participants admitting to checking their phones when driving, 58 percent of smartphone owners check their phones at least every hour and 54 percent of people surveyed check their phone "while lying in bed". These statistics show that as a generation we have become dependent on these devices to provide a source of safety and comfort and proves that we have indeed become increasingly addicted to these technologies.

Interestingly, statistics from the Daily Mail Science-tech article shows that the prevalence of internet addiction across the world averaged at 6% - approximately 182 million people. Studies, from this same website, in Europe highlight that 2.6% of people in North and West Europe are addicted to technology, in comparison to South and Eastern Europe were the rate is 6.1%. Speaking to a mother of two young children it is clear to defer that technology is both the problem and the solution within the household, stating that “technology can cause a large divide between my kids and myself as they can be very detached and uncooperative when absorbed in their iPads and games. However, it can also be a great way for us to come together and connect with our family from all over the world.” In my opinion, I believe that these devices can be good in moderation, however the levels of their usage are creating many problems within society and children’s development and therefore it should be everyone’s New Year’s resolution to shorten their utilization of technology.