In short yes. I think it is completely fair to say that generation Y is addicted to the use of technology in their every day lives. Every aspect of day to day life can be brought back to the mobile phone - whether it is for work, social media or even excercising. There's an app for everything.

As the first generation to grow up with technology improving and becoming a staple in every aspect of life, it's no wonder generation Y have become inseperable from technology though. I'm 25, and so it was only in secondary school that technology started to take hold in my life - with occasional lessons on computers, a basic Nokia10 which couldn't access the internet, and sharing one computer between the family. But now - we're at a stage where we cannot live without technology. McDonalds has installed tablets for kids to play on whilst they eat. Paperback books just aren't as convenient as a Kindle. Paying for a chocolate bar by tapping Apple Pay on my phone is so much quicker than grabbing a pound coin out my purse.

Yes, generation Y is addicted. But no, it's not really their fault - it is just how society has changed.

Yes, definitely. I have a dog and it is very frustrating that it’s hard to walk down the street without a risk of someone bumping into her because they are staring at their screens as they walk. Probably at least a third to half of people walking on the street are using their phone in some way, and on buses it’s nearer to 80%. Only one or two of them will be talking on them, most will be checking it in some way. Even if they don’t have signal, ie on the underground, they play solitaire if nothing else. My younger brother, growing up in the 90s, used to have no other entertainment than his Nintendo. He never read a book for pleasure and didn’t like to watch TV with the family. Maybe it is just his character but my nephew is now the same - I have been in the same house with him often but literally have not seen him for years as he doesn’t come out of the room because he’s playing on his computer. His mum brings food into him and he only goes to the toilet when he is absolutely desperate. His mum says he has no problem in talking to people online, he likes to play multiplayer games like Call of Duty and has a headset that he uses to speak to people on in the context of the game. My niece, who is his sister, sometimes messages me but when I see her in real life she says almost nothing.

One problem reported by contemporary employers is the difficulty younger people have in focusing fully on their work because of a desire to be connected to what their friends are up to on social media. It might seem excessive to call use of technology addictive, but research shows that when people engage with Facebook, the search for messages and information leads to an increase in dopamine levels. Dopamine is a pleasure chemical, a 'reward' that the bran gives you which it also experiences with food, sex, and exercise. While those 3 activities are innate biological drives, social media absolutely is not - digital media is designed to hook you in, and there are scientists who argue that the brain's neuroplasticity - ie its ability to alter itself - means that it is being shaped as a result of our interaction with digital technology. The sheer volume of online data is overwhelming - look at your Facebook page and you'll be presented with multiple stimuli, many times that you'd experience on television where at any one time a single communication is happening. Advertisers used to talk abot 'jolts per minute'. Now, they refer to 'jolts per second' with regard to the stimulation we receive.

Well, Today I think that maintaining a healthy balance with technology as a teenager is sometimes hard. There are plenty of other things vying for your teen’s attention, making it difficult for them to remember good habits and prioritize chores, school, and sleep. Thankfully, if their mobile devices are what is keeping them from getting rest, as the parent, you can help. It is always easier to help your children and teens to maintain balance in their lives with mobile devices when you use a parental control software. All I can see is that the Internet has completely changed the way we operate. It has shrunk the world, and completely changed the way industries, the economy, entertainment, and communication work forever. You can’t “just turn it off” and pretend that what happens online isn’t real, because it is real. It isn’t that teens are dedicating themselves to social media instead of living their lives. It’s that social media is their preferred tool for communicating, sharing, and all the other things teens do as they grow into young adults.