Have teenagers “replaced drugs with smartphones?” Last year, the annual Monitoring the Future survey revealed that other than marijuana, the use of illicit drugs among eighth, 10th, and 12th graders reached its lowest level in the survey’s 40-year history, and many are speculating smartphones to be the cause.

Have teenagers “replaced drugs with smartphones?” Last year, the annual Monitoring the Future survey revealed that other than marijuana, the use of illicit drugs among eighth, 10th, and 12th graders reached its lowest level in the survey’s 40-year history, and many are speculating smartphones to be the cause. One expert theorizes that smartphones are “a portable dopamine pump,” a conclusion echoed by a 17-year-old who said using social media on her phone “really feels good” like a “chemical release.”(The New York Times)