Data Collection Summary

Part 1
1. This survey intends to examine the relationships between teen technology use and
the extent to which it impacts their daily life.
2. The two surveys I used as references to my survey questions include a survey
from the Pew Internet & American Life Project and a survey from the National Sleep
Foundation. I also included four self-composed questions vetted by Mr. Hugus.
a. Princeton Survey Research Associates International (2009).
Parent/Teen Cell Phone Survey 2009. Retrieved from
http://www.pewinternet.org/files/old-media/Files/Questionnaire/2010/Sept09TeenParent%20Cell%20Phone-Topline-All.pdf
b. National Sleep Foundation (2011). 2011 Bedroom Sleep Poll.
Retrieved from
https://sleepfoundation.org/sites/default/files/bedroompoll/NSF_Bedroom_Poll_R
eport.pdf
3. The intended audience covers mainly high school students from River Hill, and
also extends to older adults and younger middle school students as a mode of comparison
from the standard. I intended to collect approximately 150 responses.
4. The distribution plan involves going to teachers and requesting them to distribute
the survey to their students. I went to Ms. Wester, Ms. Chamness, Mr. Tromble, Ms.
Casper, Mr. Napolitano, Ms. Appel, Mr. Bond, Ms. Mitchell, and Ms. Mariano,
throughout April and the beginning of May. Additionally, I spread the survey through my
friends and classmates to get the word out, and Sonia helped me distribute to the middle
school students.

Part 2
The data collected provided examined several aspects of the impact of technology on
adolescents. While the sample size of 129 is fairly accurate, one of the major drawbacks of the
data involves not being able to reach as many high schoolers as needed to fully examine their
technology use. Instead of targeting all age groups to compare results in a single survey, separate
surveys should be used. This method would better ensure accurate data without being skewed,
such as by including middle schoolers who may not own cell phones.
Additionally, the data collection would benefit from being moved outside of River Hill
High School and Clarksville Middle for a wider audience and therefore larger sample size.

The respondents consisted of approximately equal parts male and female, with no apparent
gender skew.

A major drawback in the data involved the middle schoolers who also participated; doing so may
have led to inaccurate results regarding the focus on high schoolers responses.

The data shows that about 9 in 10 of respondents use the internet several times a day and the rest
either once a day or a couple days per week. This number aligns with current data and confirms
that technology is present in almost everyones lives.

Respondents answered to spending time with friends outside of school mostly several times a
week, with distribution on every day and at least once a week. There are significantly less
respondents who answered less than once a week or never/cannot do this pointing to an
expected and favorable result. Teens are more likely to spend time with their friends at least once
or several days a week than less.

More than half of respondents answered to sending texts to their friends every day, with about a
fifth answering several times a week. Teens are shown to use their devices for messaging usually
every day to several times a week, as indicated by the directional skew in the graph.

More than 80% of respondents affirmed the statement I like to use my cell phone to keep in
touch no matter where I am. Only 10% disagreed, while a small fraction answered that they did
not know. Clearly, the tendency to stay connected to the outside world, or keeping in touch, is
a trait that many respondents affirm, signifying the widespread desire to use technology to stay
informed and up to date.

Almost 9 in 10 respondents affirmed the statement When I am bored, I use my cell phone to
entertain myself, while 1 in 10 disagreed. Using technology as a form of entertainment and
leisure is commonly seen among teens.

However, a little more than 50% of respondents affirmed the statement I get irritated when a
call or text on my cell phone interrupts me, while about 30% did not agree with this statement.
The decrease in agreement with the statement than previous suggestions indicates that
technology as a source of interruption and irritation is not as uniformly agreed upon as using the
phone as contact and entertainment. A larger percentage of teens disagreed with the statement,
pointing to more of the population that can avoid feelings of irritation and distraction when using
their mobile devices. The higher percentage of respondents replying dont know can point to
respondents feeling unsure of whether or not they agree, pointing to a middle ground between the
two responses.

While a little more than half of respondents affirmed the statement I occasionally turn off my
cell phone when I do not have to do so, a large percent disagreed to the statement (42.6%),
pointing to a clearer split in this valence issue. The respondents that replied disagree do not
occasionally turn of their phones when they do not have to, a facet of the need to always stay
connected with technology. However, more than 50% affirmed that they do occasionally turn off
their cell phones when they do not have to do so, which indicates that constant connection and
possibly technology dependence is not seen in a majority of the population.

A little more than half of respondents answered always to the question how often do you have
your cell phone turned on at school/work, while about 20% answered several times a day.
While most of the respondents did affirm to always having their phones on, many also affirmed
to turning phones on less often, indicating while teens mainly have their phones on at all times,
many also turn on their phones periodically. Results may have been skewed by the middle
schoolers who may not be allowed to keep their phones on.

The graph indicates a skew centered on 6 to less than 7 hours of sleep per weeknight, with
large portions also indicating less than 6 or 7 to less than 8 hours. As expected, less
answered 8 to less than 9 while only a small percentage of respondents answered 9 or more.
While not surprising, most of respondents did not fall within the 8-10 hour range as
recommended for teens by the National Sleep Foundation. The inclusion of middle schoolers in
the respondents may have additionally inflated the sleep values, as they are able to have longer
sleep times compared to adolescents.

The skew of the graph to the opposite side as the previous question indicates a shift in responses
in hours of sleep over the weekend as opposed to weekdays. About half of all respondents
affirmed to sleeping 9 or more hours, with many also responding 8 to less than 9 and
decreasing to very little respondents answering less than 6. This large discrepancy in average
sleep times of weekdays versus weekends points to a prevalent disruption of circadian rhythm in
teens.

Most respondents can say I had a good nights sleep a few nights a week, with a quarter
answering a few nights a month and less answering every night or rarely, never. While
many teens feel that they can get a couple nights per week of good sleep, a sizeable amount only
feel they have a few nights of the month, with less sure that they get good sleep every night.

More than half of respondents replied every day to using a mobile device or computer in the
hour before sleep, with about a quarter answering several times a week and few saying at
least once a week or less. The prevalent usage of technology right before sleep in teens points to
possible connections between poor sleep and device use.

More than 70% of respondents answered that they strongly agree that digital technology plays a
part in their everyday lives, an important factor in many lives.

This graph shows main distribution around the median value, with technology not indicating
much stress experienced in teens.

The graph shows even distribution between agreeing and disagreeing with the statement I feel
pressured to stay updated on news and social media, indicating that there are varied views on
technology affecting teens to stay updated. While around 20 participants felt they strongly agreed
that they felt pressure to stay updated, there are about the same number as participants who
strongly disagreed.

The findings in the data generally support the research in the paper as expected. While
teens do show influence from technology in certain areas such as using their phones for
communication with others or entertainment, they do not appear to show increased stress or
pressure to stay updated, therefore pointing to the conclusion that information overload is not
prevalent concern in adolescents, although it is present in some. The discrepancy in sleep hours
and the majority of adolescents using their phones before bedtime ties into the research on
circadian rhythm disruption. Phone screens may play into sleep disruption in hours slept on
weekdays versus on weekends. Because the purpose of the research is to assess the different
impact technology may have on adolescents, the data successfully captures the important points
in my research such as multitasking, information overload, and sleep disruption.