It is likely that you know someone who is always glued to their phone and cannot go more than a few minutes without it.
This has become a major problem among teens and adults.
A survey in 2018 reported that teens are at risk for mental health issues due to an increase in screen time. Half the children who were surveyed are addicted to their phones.

Experts say that when teens go on their phone during the day, it is more likely when they are having anxiety or feeling signs of depression.

Half of the teens that participated in the survey spent more than five hours on their phones and have stated that they either contemplated or attempted suicide.
Although the use of technology can be harmful, sometimes it can actually be very convenient, especially in the world we live in today.

People use social media to spread awareness on world issues, like the Australian fires and the targeting of Uyghur Muslims in China.
The adolescent brain is always moving rapidly and attaching to new things.

Having a phone is very harmful for many children because they may be exposed to abusive content.

Instagram is now giving a warning when content is explicit or if it may not be safe for all viewers to watch, but there’s only so much content to be regulated and surveilled.

“It can be used for good like when you want to spread awareness about a certain topic, social media is the perfect platform for that,” freshman Brittany Linares said.

Last summer, several Instgram users changed their profile pictures to a blue screen to spread awareness about the issues concerning Sudan. That movement gained support by millions all over the world.

In a way, being on your phone is a reliable news source for many people because of it’s accessibility.

Many teens are constantly on their phones but it is sometimes seen as a coping mechanism for some.
After a rough day, many teens take a couple of hours on their phone to relax.

Going on your phone may be a way to relax for some but for others, it could lead to a decrease in confidence.

There are many celebrities that young adults and teens may look up to and compare themselves to which can lead to lack of confidence. Before social media was common, there was still TV and magazines.

Now looking at celebrities and keeping up with their lives can be very accessible which makes it harmful at the same time.
“As a teen, I’m constantly on my phone and it’s a way to talk to my friends and keep up with my favorite celebrities,” freshman Catherine Connell said. “I think teens using phones is fine as long as you don’t get too attached.”

The most used app from 2015-2020 is WhatsApp with downloads in the billions. Many social media apps also broke the charts with apps like Snapchat, Instagram and Facebook.
Although this leads to an increase in the comapny’s popularity, it is harmful to those of young age.

Spending too much time behind a screen can lead to a decrease in school performance and a drop in grades.

On average, teens spend anywhere from 2-7 hours on their phones per day. Obviously when they have more time, those hours can increase drastically.

“Often when teens use their phone it can be used as a way to lower their self-esteem but sometimes it can be used for good” freshman Ruftana Beyene said.

Even though there may be some plus sides to using your phone the down sides outweigh them by a drastic amount. It is important that you balance your time behind your screen in a healthy manner in order to avoid the negative outcomes.

“Sometimes I am on my phone and before I know it hours have passed by,” said junior Naliin Rawat. “It can be hard to realize that being on your phone is becoming a huge issue since the whole basically the whole world is doing it.”