Cell phones are a distraction to teenagers and have major long-term effects on the youth of this country. Students are increasingly distracted and affected daily. The problem with cell phones is they cause students to be isolated, anti-social, distracted, unfocused and emotionally detached from friends and family. This is a major problem because many students who overuse phones are emotionally immature and often don’t take care of themselves. Most parents and caretakers would agree with this stance and they see the decline in teenager’s ability to focus and maintain strong social skills.
One reason why phones cause distractions is because they make young drivers get distracted on the road while driving. Technology and scrolling on cell phones causes drivers to look down on their phone while driving. Researchers have consistently linked texting or otherwise manipulating on a cell phone to increased risk of getting into a car crash. Distracted driving is a serious problem that needs attention. Many parents are very concerned about their children’s safety as well. A study done at Peterson Law shows how parent’s who take precautions for their teen’s while driving and limit their phone access significantly bring down the risk of potential crashes. Some examples are, telling them not to multitask while driving, or installing apps on the phone that disable social media and other entertainment apps.
Another reason cell phones distract students is that it emotionally separates teens from their friends and family. Technology is a distraction to teenagers because it causes teens to become anti-social, therefore they are not forming strong bonds with their caretakers or friends. Different habits that could cause antisocial behavior are reduced face to face interactions, decreased communication skills, online validation and even cyberbullying. Cell phones are causing teens to rely strictly on their devices and many teens are not able to even fall asleep at night without their phones by them. Teenagers are also found staring at their phones at restaurants, instead of talking with their family at the dinner table. While some people may argue cell phones are crucial to the digital world we live in today, yes. I do agree that in some scenario’s phone’s do make for a pretty handy device. For example, face timing relatives who live hour’s away, or watching hilarious videos on the internet. However, the usage of phones is becoming more than it ever has been in the past. The Behavioral Health Partner’s argument states, “Excessive use of cell phones has been attributed to an increase in both physical and mental health issues including eye strain, neck pain, back pain, depression, loneliness, mood disorders, and sleep disturbances.” Overuse of cell phones is emotionally unhealthy and not good for the youth of our nation.
Another problem with the distraction of phones is that teens are more likely to get lower grades in class and don’t perform as well in school if they don’t regulate their screen time and distracted phone scrolling. A study done at Central Michigan University states how students felt tense and restless when not using their phones and this was considered a sign of addictiveness. The constant distraction causes teens to not pay attention in class. The teenagers are spending time scrolling social media sites or online movies on their technology devices, instead of listening to the teachers. Many students don’t get good grades because they are zoned out playing on their phones or chromebooks. This overuse of technology is not healthy, and distracts students from focusing on the teacher.
The solution to this problem of cell phones being a distraction is teaching teenagers self-awareness and how to monitor screen time. Adults need to teach teenagers how to disconnect. Education is also a solution because teenagers need to be taught the importance of face-to-face interactions. Teenagers need to be able to carry on solid conversations and have healthy social skills by the time they start their own careers as adults. Another solution is encouraging offline habits and extracurricular activities to teenagers. They need to have something else to go outside and focus on, instead of always being on a screen or using technology for everything. If educators and parents would teach these important self-awareness skills to teenagers, the overuse of technology would be less frequent. Education is the key to helping teenagers navigate the digital world we all live in today.
