Are Smartphones Impacting Our Relationships?

As a teenager I for one have stayed up at night on my phone or other electronic device texting, playing games, or scrolling through social media. Lot of people actually have this problem and it affects our quality of sleep. Using technology before bed worsens sleep quality. The sleep quality is lowered because technology keeps the brain alert, wakes you up during the night, and prevents you from powering down at bedtime.

Though there is positive effects to having a smartphone, and many people in the world are fond of the device, smartphones have moreover increased the isolation of friends and family due to the daily consistency. According to

“Can you remember the last time you were in a public space in America and didn’t notice that half the people around you were bent over a digital screen, thumbing a connection to somewhere else?” (Fredrickson, 2013, pg. 1). In a world today where sending a text message containing the message “I luv you,” is equally powerful to that statement said in person to your significant other. Today’s generation is surrounded by the constant need to have technology and mainly cell phones at your fingertips. Gone are the days when people would talk to one another whilst standing in line, now it is all about having and using your cell phone to pass the time. All of this takes bondage on having an interpersonal relationship with each other and conversing

“According to 2014 data from Pew Research, 90 percent of American adults carry a mobile phone and more than 58 percent of people carry smartphones that offer not only voice and text communication, but also internet, email, and social media access.” Mobile Devices Are Detrimental to Personal Relationships from the point of view of Mobile Devices on Personal Relationships. Whether it is checking your phone at the dinner table, or googling a math question, technology becomes a world, easy to be sucked into. Every day we turn to technology to fix our problems or to ease our mind, but why are we so obsessed with such a time sucking thing? It is safe to say, as a society we rely too much on technology because we are too obsessed with

“…are symptoms of how technology captures our attention and disrupts our connections” (Goleman 5). The more people are on their phones, the smaller the opportunity is to look someone in the eyes and have a human moment—to talk, to share, to comfort. Living in Seattle, I’ve used public transportation plenty of times and in all those times, I’ve noticed no one is looking at one another or outside—everyone is glued to their own phones. Go into a crowded room full of people—regardless of age—and the majority will be on their phones instead of communicating with one another. “You know it’s not right to check your phone when you’re with someone, but it’s addictive” (Goleman 8). While some may see nothing wrong in constantly checking your phone, the majority recognize it is an issue, but decide to overlook it. The ability people have in quickly overlooking a major issue, despite age or gender, proves the level of addiction towards our technological

In Mandy Oaklanders article “How Your Smartphone is Ruining Your Relationship” she states that Smartphones are ruining relationships. I agree, smartphones can be a big distraction. They can get in the way of relationships.

There are a lot of things that probably keep us from sleeping at night. The most common three are the cell phone, television and computer. David Cloud, CEO of the National Sleep Foundation reports, "While these technologies are commonplace, it is clear that we have a lot more to learn about the appropriate use and design of this technology to complement good sleep habits."

In the article "Kids With Bedroom Smartphones Sleep Less: Study" written by Alan Mozes explains the effects of sleeping near technology and how it affects our body. The article explains how technology affects our sleep time since everybody uses it before going to bed.

Some people agree that smartphones help relationships. Smartphones can help keep you in touch with your loved one. If you haven't communicated with them for a while, then you can use your device so they won’t feel like you don’t care or forgot about them. I agree with Mandy Oaklander in her article, “How Your Smartphone is Ruining Your Relationship” when she stated that some suggests that there’s a positive influence and that being in easy, intimate touch with a partner

Technology separates people because it nurtures addictions. For example, in her CNN article, Sandee LaMotte says that the overuse of cell phones has made people addicted to them, and as a result, has negatively affected people’s relationships with friends and family. Specifically, she says that people can get ‘nomophobia’ characterized by anxiety when they don’t have their phone on them. This can cause depression, which in turn distracts people, and affects relationships, because no one wants to have face-to-face conversations. LaMotte quotes Caglar Yildirim, who created a scale to test addiction ‘ “[Overuse of phones] might negatively affect your social life and relationships with friends and family," [...] those who score high on the test tend to avoid face-to-face interactions, have high levels of social anxiety and maybe even depression” ’ LaMotte believes that addiction to phones can reduce physical time with other people, to an extent at which it can harm relationships, and slowly tear people apart. In another example, in her 2011 social media article, Deborah Mackey that addiction to phones and social media can limit the amount of time people spend with each other. Mackey states that a large percent of people use their phones while with friends or family, and many even use their phones at meal times.

The first effect of not getting enough sleep because of looking at a screen is how you're more likely not to be as active as normal. If you stay up looking at a screen and not getting any rest your body isn't going to function as well as if you did get some rest. " Studies have shown that being exposed to the blue-and-white light given off by phones, laptops,

Studies have shown that using technology can reduce how much sleep you get. Exposure to screens at night can suppress an important hormone called melatonin, which spreads nighttime information through your body. “When we use these devices before getting ready for bed, they suppress the nightly release of melatonin in the brain and shift our circadian clock. Melatonin is the hormone that helps you fall asleep and stay asleep” (Tech Timeout para 4). In other words,

Are smartphones bad for relationships? Almost everyone has a smartphone nowadays, but how does it affect our relationships with others? In the article “Smartphones and Relationships” by Mandy Oaklander of Time Health, Mandy states that smartphones are destroying relationships.

Today, most research done on technology’s effect on sleep has been focused on how technology makes sleeping more difficult. Technology can become a distraction and keep your brain active as a result of using it before going to sleep. The National Sleep Foundation even discovered through a poll that “nine of 10 Americans reported

My family is almost always on their phones, whether it's at the table, anytime I try to do something or during some other important things. My 16 year old, half sister, Rebeka is always on her phone, even when we went to visit our grandparents in Burley, Idaho. At the end of summer, all she was doing was texting her boyfriend and online friends. My sister, Devon and I tried to get her to go outside, so we can go to the park. I wanted to practice basketball with her, but she was on her phone. She was on her phone most of the time, so we barely went to the park. We would’ve went more, but our grandparents live in a creepy and some what dangerous neighborhood. Since we couldn’t get outside much Devon and I got bored watching the tv and playing on our tablets or phone. I finally told her that she has to go to the park or I would literally drag her to the park. She was on her phone most of the trip and it took memories that were sopposed to be fun out of the trip.