Even though multiple generations have now grown up glued to the flickering light of the TV,we still can't let go of the belief that the next generation of technology is going to doom  our kids. I've spent over a decade observing young people's practices with technology.When I began my research,I expected to find lots of teenagers who were escaping"real life"through the Internet.That was certainly my experience.As a geeky,queer youth growing up in the early 1990s,the Internet was the only place where I didn't feel judged.I wanted to live in a digital-only world. To my surprise-and,as I grew older,relief-that differed from what most youth want.Early on in my research,I met a girl who told me that she'd much rather get together with her friends in person,but she had so many homework demands and her parents were often concerned about her physical safety.This is why she loved the Internet:She could hang out with her friends there.For many teenagers,technology is a relief valve.I've heard this reasoning echoed by youth around the country. This is the Catch-22that we've trapped today's youth in.We've locked them indoors because we see the physical world as more dangerous than ever before,even though by almost every measure,we live in the safest society to date.We put heavy expectations for our kids,maxing them out with structured activities and homework.And then we're surprised when they're worn out and addictive. If we truly want to reduce the amount young people use technology,we should free up more of their time.For one thing,we could radically reduce the amount of homework and tests American youth take.Finland consistently outperforms the U.S.in school,and it emphasizes student happiness,assigning almost no homework.When I lecture in Finland,parents don't seem nearly as anxious about technology addiction as Americans.We should also let children roam.It seems like every few weeks I read a new story about a parent who was visited by child services for letting their school-aged children out of their sight.Indeed,studies in the U.S.and the U.K.consistently show that children have lost the right to roam. This is why many of our youth turn to technology.They aren't addicted to the computer; they're addicted to interaction,and being around their friends.Children,and especially teenagers,don't want to only socialize with parents and siblings; they want to play with their peers.That's how they make sense of the world.And we've robbed them of that opportunity because we're afraid of evil spirits. We're raising our children in captivity and they turn to technology to socialize,learn and decompress .Why are we blaming the screens? The writer thinks Internet addiction happens today because  .
the youth are required to learn the modern technology the youth want to escape the dangerous real world the youth are fascinated by a digital-only world the youth want to communicate with each other