Even though teens can learn responsibility from having a cell phone, specifically a smart phone, there's a more negative influence that affects teens' in their health and social skills.
Texting can lead to lack of sleep, or tired teens. According to Dr. Gaby Badre, "...addiction to phones is becoming common and youngsters feel under pressure to be interconnected and reachable 24 hours a day." Most times when teens text their friends about something their going through (good or bad), you're going to want to know what's going on; that's why teens feel that they need to be interconnected and reachable all the time... especially at night, that's the time when everyone likes to talk about their problems. Also, teens are always searching for the latest trends and celebrity gossip by going on their phones, and checking out twitter and instagram for the latest news on "pop culture" (modern popular culture transmitted via mass media and aimed particularly at younger people). Dr. Badre suggests to "Restrict phone use and institute cell-phone free slots during the day, adolescents need to have 9 hours of sleep each night." Without 9 hours of sleep, teens won't be able to stay awake in school or be energized for any activities they attend during the day. Although, with those cell-phone free slots during the day and enough sleep, teens could be doing activities with friends or just taking a nice stroll in the park. Sounds more fun than sitting on a couch and staring at a bright screen all day.
Cell phones can harm teens health. According to www.dnaindia.com, "The excessive use of cell phones can lead to an increased risk of cancer, brain tumors and many other health hazards. More so in cases of teenagers/children." Cell phones aren't only affecting teens' sleeping hours, but it's also putting their user's lives in danger. www.dnaindia.com also states, "A 400% increase in the risk of brain cancer among teens using cell phones. Teenagers/children are more vulnerable to cell phone radiation. The younger the child, the deeper the penetration of electromagnetic radiation, as the children's skulls are thinner." Most teens should know the consequences of staying on your phone for a long period of time, it could cause severe damage to your body, especially for the younger ones. We can prevent these health problems by limiting our time on our cell phones each day.
Cell phones and texting are destroying how people talk face-to-face, relationships, and overall social skills. According to wlhsamplifier.com, "Teens are becoming more uncomfortable with any active and live social actions or confrontation of any kind, and are turning to their cell phones to do the work for them." Without any social skills, teens won't feel comfortable in the future when they have to take interviews for jobs or make presentations in college. wlhsamplifier.com also states that "Texting and social media are becoming the new phone and face-to-face confrontation. As teenagers continue to text their way to the top, innate social skills, grammar and spelling are threatened by fast moving thumbs and not enough characters." In a world behind a screen, teens are missing what's going on around them.
Put down the phone. Mute it, lock it away, or turn it off. When you leave your phone behind and have an actual conversation with someone, you might just find yourself learning something new and saving your own life.
