Essay The Emotional Impact of Cell Phones on Teens

Teens are always on their phones. Whether it’s at the store, school, or even driving. Teenagers are losing communication skills, getting into fights more, and getting distracted in school. These are the effects of teens getting on their phone way too much.

Ever since smartphones were created, they have changed teenagers’ lives entirely. The article Have Smartphones Destroyed a Generation? by Jean Twenge, shows the ways the invention of the smartphone has changed recent generations. The article mentions the rise in teen depression and suicide, cyberbullying, and teen safety. It also mentions the decline in our social abilities, dating, and sleep. Smartphones have had both negative and positive affects on teenagers, but the negatives significantly outweigh the positives, which points to the need to put down the smartphones, as the article suggests.

The AVID weekly article says, “Do get on your phone in front of family or friends to look up important, relevant information. This shows that if we do bring in more devices then we can try teach to use phones only when needed. The quote also shows that not all teens use their phones when there is no need for using them. The Scholastic article says, “94% of teens who have a smart phone use it daily.” This quote shows that if we do bring in other devices that it would more likely be easier to use them because teens use their phones so much. The quote also supports that it would less likely happen of someone breaking the devices because so much people would know how to use the devices. The AVID weekly and Scholastic article show that teens use their phones a large amount of time but it can be a good thing and a very bad thing result

To begin with, teens should use their phones wisely by setting a limitation on the times they look at screens everyday. In Twenge’s article, she gives statistical facts from The Monitoring the Future survey, which was funded by the National Institute on Drug Abuse and was nationally representative, that “Teens who spend three hours a day or more on electronic devices are 35 percent more likely to have a risk factor for suicide, such as making a suicide plan” (Twenge). Although such instances are extremely rare, they sometimes happen, which thus should be paid attention

According to Twenge, the number of teens that go out with their friends has decreased by 40 percent compared to earlier generations. Twenge compares iGens to different generations such as Gen X (born between 1965 and early 1984), baby boomers (1946-1964) and Millennials (born around 1982-2002). Twenge emphasizes on the time teenagers spend on their phones. Social media plays a huge role in this. In accordance to Twenge, different forms of social media like Facebook, Instagram, and Snapchat are what teenagers spend more time on. According to Twenge, the more time teens spend on smartphones the greater they are at risk for suicide, depression, and loneliness. Twenge also explains how teens are not receiving an adequate amount of sleep, many teens now sleep less than seven hours. Twenge concludes the article by sharing her own experience with her children and technology, she recommends parents to limit the time their children spend on phones. (59-65)

One of the major problems in the world today is the dependency that teenagers have on their cell phones. The majority of people depend on their cell phones for everything that they do. They feel like they have to constantly check it to look at what is new on Facebook, Twitter, or Instagram. They forget to focus on the world around them and become absorbed in the online world. Some suffer from panic attacks if they don’t have their phone with them. They might not need their phone, but they have to have it with them.

With 87 percent of American adults owning a cell phone (Jerpi, 2013), it becomes obvious that cell phones have become a staple device in today’s society. Although cell phones offer convenience, they arguably come with negative affects. Cell Phones have become one of the fastest emerging technologies (Campbell, 2006). With 87 percent of American adults and teenagers owning a cell phone (Jerpi, 2013), it becomes obvious that cell phones have become a staple device in today’s society. Since the release of the first cell phone, they have immensely evolved and some would say, have become an essential to everyday life. Although cell phones offer convenience, they arguably come with negative and impactful effects on our social

According to Sherry Turkle in her essay “Growing Up Tethered,” children are too attached to their cell phones. Cell phones have began causing great issues on the teenagers in today’s society that include: not answering calls, separation, anxiety, and social media. Turkle interviewed many teenagers about certain topics that have to do with their cell phone. These teenagers brought up that they find their cell phones to be a break from their parents. Their parents find them to be a safe zone, they expect their child to answer the phone every time they call them.

Most teenagers use cell phones to access various social media platforms such as the Facebook, Twitter,

Whether you’re getting directions, calling a loved one to let them know you’re running a little late, or checking Facebook to catch up with an old high school friend, cell phones have began to dominate our technology based society due to their easy accessibility and endless uses. While “nine-in-ten Americans own a cell phone and nearly two-thirds own a smartphone,” the cell phone is has become one of the only things the vast majority of people deem necessary in their life (Rainie et al., 2015). “Ch 1: Always on Connectivity,” written by by Lee Rainie and Kathryn Zickuhr, explains how dependent adults really have become of our cell phones. “8 Fascinating Facts About How Teens Use The Internet And Social Media” elaborates

Cell phones are used every single day by millions of people across the world. But do we use them more than we should? Many people think that our generation is addicted to technology and cell phones, and I agree with them; everyone is addicted. Kelly Wallace, wrote a Times article “Half of Teens Think They’re Addicted to Their Smartphones” and said that “Most adults, teens, and children use their phones for sometimes 24 hours a day”. Thousands of teens and children fail in school or lose sleep daily because they are always on their phones nonstop. I think that I'm not as addicted to using my cell phone as some of the people that I have met, although I usually use it every day to text family and friends rather than using it for social media

Cell phone use and texting reduces the quality of interacting socially and can be dangerous for young adults too if the only way they interact is through social media and there phone, even if you do not have your phone out with you it can still reduce your social interaction. Hearing notifications from your phone like rings, and alerts can even make it difficult to concentrate. Your cell phone hurts your productivity, because people want to be reachable in case there is a emergency, but when you keep getting notifications it cuts off our productivity.

Technological advances have increased dramatically in the past 40 years. Martin Cooper invented the first cellular phone in 1973, which was called the Dyna Tec, while working for the famous company Motorola. The first cellular phone did not sell well because it was as large as a brick. So now knowing how technology has advanced, it is obvious to see why it is advancing. Although technological advances have affected both the generalized public and society’s teenagers, it seems to have had a larger effect on society’s teenagers, specifically the advances in cellular phones. Not only does cellular phone usage affect a teenager’s social life and literacy, but it also affects their health. Cellular phones have a great impact on a teenager’s social life. The following solution would also be in their best interest without them even realizing it. The over use of cell phones by teenagers will have a negative effect on their academic, social, and mental development.

A cellular phone is so addictive that if you happen to leave the house without it, you feel incomplete. According to Donna St. George, in her article written for the Washington post entitled, “Study of teen cellphone use reinforces impression that they're always using them,” she states that teens spend nearly nine hours on their phones on social media daily. George states, “The connection between American teen and thumb-tapping keypad is so strong that more than four of five adolescents say they have slept with their cellphone in or near their bed.”

With all the advancements in technology taking place there has been a lot of good that has come with it. Modern medicine, automobiles, and the cell phone which allows people to connect instantly. However with all the good things that have come with technology, there have also been bad things as well. One such thing would be cyberbullying and the addiction of smartphones. Smartphones have affected adolescents in ways previously not thought possible, such as causing poor social skills, addiction, and being used to cyberbully. Adolescents must be educated about the responsibility that comes with owning a smartphone. Smartphones should not be given to kids until they reach high school, because