In today’s technology-filled world, it is hard to imagine what life would be like without our cell phones. According to the U.N. Telecom Agency, there are almost 6 billion cell phone users in the world today. We rarely notice how much we depend on our phones during our day-to-day activities, but the average person spends over three hours per day looking at their phone. How crazy is that! Scientists have even linked cell phones to cancer, with studies showing that people who talk on their phones for three or more hours per day are at a 50% higher of risk of getting brain cancer than someone who talks on their phone for one to two hours per day.
There are also other health factors that stem from always being on your phone. Tests have shown that extended use may cause headaches, decreased attention, shortness of temper, sleep disorders, and depression, mostly among teenagers. In this generation, phone use is one of our main modes for socializing; We find out and keep up with the latest news, all while sitting in our rooms, not talking to anyone face to face. This generation is losing its ability to socialize and communicate with others normally. There is also a risk of becoming addicted to your phone. Though this may sound like a joke, it does happen, and as a result, people feel uncomfortable in interpersonal conversations. Our generation uses cell phones so much that we need to purposefully decide to put them down, turn them on silent for a while, and then go outside and be active, hangout with friends and socialize in a physical space. Like Grandma always says “We grew up just fine without phones. In our free time, we would play outside with each other, not sit inside on our phones.”