"It’s really an addiction" - Internet reacts to viral video of Atlanta Teen losing it on her mother over cutting off phone service

A viral video circulating online captured a concerning moment where an Atlanta teen lashed out at her mother at the AT&T store. The video, captured by a man at the store, showed the teen seemingly in the middle of a tantrum, wailing and yelling at her mother. The man who documented the incident claimed the child was reacting to her mother turning off her cell service.

The video shared on Shade Room was viewed over 200,000 times, with several social media users expressing their concern and bewilderment over the teen’s overreaction, stemming from losing her phone privileges.

“It’s really an addiction. I’m writing about video games and phone addiction in middle childhood for my child psychology class. It’s deeper than one could ever imagine smh.” A social media user commented.

The caption to the video shared by Shade Room read:

“Wow!! A man captured this video during a visit to an Atlanta AT&T store, #Roomies. The man claims that the child was reacting to her mother turning off her phone service.”

The video was initially shared by Instagram user, Shot By Chi Chi. The user said:

“HER MOM CUT OFF HER PHONE..I just came in for a new phone.”

In the video, the teen is seen crying and begging her mother seemingly to reconsider her decision to cut off cell service. Reacting to the video a social media user said:

"She is acting like she is going through withdrawal.”

“Embarrassing her mama like that”, another user Pecan Tan added.

“I’m so glad I got a chance to experience life before cell phones really took over. These 2000s babies are trippin,” a Social media user noted.

An overwhelming number of social media users expressed concern about the teens and their addiction to technology.

“These kids are addicted to these devices,” A netizen commented.

Atlanta AT&T store viral video raises deeper concerns

The Atlanta AT&T store incident has raised concerns about teenagers and an unhealthy obsession with their phones. Last year, a report on CNN said teens are inundated with as many as 237 or more notifications every day. Dr Jenny Radesky, a co-author of a report published by Common Sense Media said:

“Smartphones have become an always-on, sometimes disruptive force in the lives of young people.”

Jim Steyer, the founder and CEO of Common Sense Media, a nonprofit that helps parents, kids, and schools navigate media, added:

Trending

"They're constantly forced to respond socially on Snapchat or TikTok or whatever to their friends. It's a dominant factor in all of their personal lives," via NBC.

Earlier this week, an Atlanta teen was arrested for making calls to law enforcement to report false threats of school shootings. The 14-year-old Atlanta male student was arrested for allegedly making false threats, triggering a lockdown at Allatoona High School.

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