Every day, students use their phones in class, watching TikTok, playing games, causing missing work to pile up. It is an ongoing issue that students and teachers have grown accustomed to, due to having a piece of technology constantly near them.

This has a direct tie to long-term issues as young children have grown accustomed to having technology from a young age.

When I was younger, I would play games and hang out with my sisters or my neighbors. Children now receive phones by middle school, and many have no interest in outside activities with their friends and family.

In school, phones cause a lack of concentration. Researchers at the University of Toronto found that just the presence of a cell phone makes students distracted. People are unconsciously waiting for their attention to be shifted to their phones, whether it is waiting for a call or text, which subconsciously creates a distraction that people constantly have when their phone is near them, Professor and Researcher Kristen Duke told NBC 4 Washington.
People need to put down their phones more to be adequately connected and aware of their surroundings, instead of being continuously distracted by their phones.
A phone or tablet addiction is becoming more and more common. This causes sleep disturbances and loss of outside interest. It has also become the root of mental disorders like anxiety and depression, and rates have been spiking in recent decades with the rise of technology.

A study done at the University of California, San Francisco, showed small but consistent results tied to symptoms of depression and a list of symptoms that can lead to disorders like ADHD, causing attention deficit/ hyperactivity. Screen addictions will create generations of anxious and depressed teens and future adults.

I believe phones are incredibly helpful in many cases, whether it is for safety or to take a break. If you are having a stressful day, there are ways to cope and find relaxation outside of using your phone; however. For those who always use their phones in stressful situations, it might feel helpful in the moment, but this may worsens a person’s stress cycle and may cause phone dependency.
Looking around the school, it is evident that people find the most interest in their phones. People seem to care less about those around them and more about the phone in front of their face. This causes a tear in many relationships and prevents students from finding strong and lasting friendships in and out of school.

So many people could benefit from restricting their use of cellular devices to make stronger connections.
It is important to be mindful of the time spent on a phone and what you miss when you are on your phone. Everyone would benefit from being more in the moment and not on the screen.