The Secretary
The Guardian
Kings Place,
90 York Way
London N1 9GU

Dear Ms. Taylor,

I am Qasim Hussain, a year 10 student at the London Nautical School. I wish to disagree with your article,’ Clive Thompson says the digital age is making teenagers uniquely shallow and the kids are unable to form meaningful relationships’ and I have to say I think he is right but there are other issues which neither of you address correctly.

I am writing in response to your article explaining how teenagers are indeed addicted to social networks. I will primarily discuss the concept of social media and its importance to society. Next, I will portray how teenagers are portrayed throughout the media. Firstly, social media plays a key part of life; no matter what age you are you are bound browse your Facebook feed on your way to work or school. It connects us with the scenarios in the world and informs us of many things like news, history and entertainment which helps us lot in being a more informed and aware citizen of the world. I have read your article and understand that it outlines teenager’s social means of communication and how you disagree with Clive Thompson’s views. It portrays how teenagers are using social networks. It takes a look at the consequences and impact of teens on the internet and society.

Firstly, I would like to inform you that Franson’s article relates to only a select number of teenagers. It is unjustifiable to see all teenagers as one. For instance, I know many teenagers who are not reprobates but the media fails to take this into account. Teenagers are people just like you and me and come in all shapes and sizes. I believe that it is incorrect to judge a group of people and assume their values through stereotypes. Did somebody once say that you should never judge a book by its cover? Social networking sites and other digital devices such as the PlayStation 4 and Xbox one has taken priority in teenager’s lives over their school work and studies. While this may be true we cannot dramatise and say ‘the world is drifting towards disaster’. That is simply scaremongering.

The article has been concerned with the negative effects of teenagers spending excessive amounts of time on social networking sites. The statistics are very unreliable and one sided as well a conjecture of the amount of teens surveyed was not correct to the millions using social networks. I believe that some of the information written by adults is sometimes too quick to judge, because as a teenager and relating with them I don’t see inappropriate behaviour, they might be performing actions but in a way which doesn’t harm anyone and it’s normally to demonstrate something to their friends. An experience that I have seen is a group of school boys on their way home and they had their hoods up because it was raining but every stranger that walked past seemed afraid of them and gave them dirty looks.

Speaking from my perspective I see a vast majority of teens behaviour appropriately, only communicating with people they know.Nowadays these recent social media sites are all secured and hacking isn’t a problem. I believe that many people who have these sites like Facebook have privacy settings and you can only see certain people’s information. For example,  if you’re a friend with them, then you can see that but they have to accept first. Safety is something in our society that is worrying and that has caught my attention to, similarly adults expose vital information of themselves as well. Is it adults causing the bad habits and presenting wrong ideas to teenagers?

Social Networking is a way of communicating that does not involve a lot of time, it is free and fast. This appeals most to the user’s. I believe that teenagers have grown up in a technologically advanced era, and therefore are making the most of what is available to them. What right minded person wouldn’t do that?

Throughout Franson’s article all I have seen is repetition and exaggeration. I strongly condemn this article for the idiotic ideas suggested.
In the media, all teenagers are portrayed as causing havoc, stress and are regarded as a danger in almost every report or article. Articles such as these damage the morale of teenagers and further reinforce unfair stereotypes which in turn make them more socially inadequate. You need to help to break this vicious cycle, not reinforce it.

Qasim Hussain