If you're like me and have had this happen to you then you know just how infuriating this can be, especially when your parents/guardians start siting "research" they read on a Facebook post about some obscure outdated study.

Sometimes they even accuse you based on what their Facebook group says, as if a middle-aged white person stuck in a midlife crisis knows more about the effects of technology on an adolescent brain than scientists and doctors.

Even if technology was bad for you, which in some cases it can be I admit, that doesn't translate to it being the root of my depression, anxiety, and whatever else we have going on in our lives.

If anything, our phones are some of the only bits of joy we have in our lives and taking that away from us will just make our problems worse.

Escapism is a form of a coping strategy which is essential to making it through each day especially for people with mental health issues.

Taking that away from us could lead to developing even more unhealthy mechanisms like alcohol abuse, drug abuse and or self-harm.

So, keep this in mind next time your kid comes up to you and tells you that they're feeling depressed, or anxious.

If you blame the problems on their phone and try to take it away without even trying to look into the deeper problems maybe you should put down your phone and look at the bigger picture.