Cell Phone Usage Influence

The advent of the telephone signaled a new form of communication for human beings. The ability to speak to someone far away enabled individuals to feel closer to one another. For many years, the telephone served its single intended purpose, which in and of itself was enough. In somewhat more recent memory, the familiar landline became the cell phone. This advancement in the technology still allowed people to talk to one another despite the great distance. However, the ability to communicate was no longer tied to a singular location. Individuals can place and receive calls while on the road or away from home.

This novel concept, coupled with advancements in the realm of computers led to the smartphone, which now dominates the landscape. This device, with its “basic” ability to place and receive calls but now has Wi-Fi access, can play videos, games, and music, and a whole host of apps, revolutionized the initial idea of the telephone. Now, instead of a device simply intended to take and receive calls, the cell phone is a mini-computer that can touch every aspect of an individual’s life. Whether at work or on vacation, people can send email messages, check their bank accounts, post blogs, search the internet, and still place a call, all courtesy of one slim, small gadget that literally fits the palm of one’s hand. This modern-day phone has allowed people to keep in contact with each other and find entertainment in several ways. But with the benefits come the downsides, as outlined in an article that was published in website thecowl.com.

Relying on a screen

Many young people depend on their cell phones for anything and everything. This affects their social interactions and development. When teenagers depart for college and want to touch base with friends and family, they tend to focus on the said gadget. Since, in most cases, their loved ones cannot respond instantaneously, the cell phone becomes a gateway for other activities. People will watch videos, download apps, or monitor their health, all through one screen.And while these activities might seem ideal for relaxing or letting off a little steam, there can always be too much of a good thing.

According to a 2016 Common Sense Media poll, more than 50% of young Americans admitted that they are habitually dependent on their cell phones, and 25% confessed to being on their cell phone almost all the time. On some level, the dependence is understandable. Not only do parents want to keep in touch with their children, but students at various levels also receive alerts on their phones for assignments or extracurricular activities.

People of all ages

Excessive cell phone usage is not exclusively tied to the younger generation. Ninety percent of adults in the United States also possess a mobile device. Of this number, 36% admitted that their screen time takes up too much of their waking hours. In many ways, the features of the cell phone that are meant to connect individuals to the people in their lives also fuel the addiction. For example, adults, and young people too for that matter, feel a need to respond to text messages as soon as they are received. As many individuals are connected to several others via both their professional and personal lives, a large number of messages can arrive during a given day. Thus, the focus on one’s phone stems from a need to connect, but this can come at the cost of in-person interactions. Seventy-two percent of parents feel that their offspring sacrifice face-to-face contact for their cell phones; 51% of teenagers attribute this same act to their mothers and fathers.On the surface, individuals might feel frustrated when trying to converse with someone who pays more attention to a screen as opposed to the person right there in front of them. However, extreme cell phone usage does more than annoy those in one’s orbit; there are also health consequences.

Health risks and more

As of 2010, the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention has observed increases in both depression and suicide rates among young girls, both of which are tied to cell phone use. An examination of American eighth-graders revealed that those who use their cell phones most tend to feel a sense of sadness that can morph into clinical depression. A study of Facebook users determined that they experience a greater sense of sorrow the longer they linger on the platform. Not all consequences are so dire, but those who focus too much on their phones often see their friendships, hobbies, and careers suffer.

Psychologist Jeane Ranke stated that cell phone usage has played a major role in “the worst mental health crisis in decades.”The solution to this matter is seemingly simple to formulate but harder to put into practice. Even as the cell phone has become a major part of many people’s lives, curbing the usage, to some extent, is the key. People need to try to limit their screen time so that they can focus on other interests as well. While doing so might seem easier said than done, and while foregoing cell phones altogether is admittedly unrealistic, looking up from the screen from time to time can cut the addiction and its ill-effects off at the pass.