By: Katelyn Shaw

When you wake up in the morning, the first thing you do is grab your phone. Even when you walk outside, everyone is on their phones. 

Phones are a staple in our society. We can call and text people from miles away. Phones just make life easier. We can call in a take-out order and have food and packages delivered right to our door. But phone usage has gotten a little out of hand. Adrian Legg is 19 years old and has had a phone since 5th Grade he said, “I’m glad I have my phone because I can keep in touch with my family back home and my friends who went to other colleges.”

When we didn’t have phones, we would have to walk up to people and talk to them. Now, we can be beside each other and not say a single word or even make eye contact. Eye contact is very important when talking to people. Eye contact builds trust, shows attentiveness, and enhances memory. Without eye contact or physical speaking, how are we supposed to know if our friends are our friends? Adrian Legg said, “ I think eye contact is important because it shows that you are being present in a conversation and not just blowing the person off.” 

Phones can be distracting. Phones affect your ability to focus and your productivity. This can be concerning in the college environment because we’re here to succeed in school and not be distracted by our phones. Distraction induces stress and leads to poor sleep habits, which are not helpful in a college environment. Adrian Legg said, “It’s not only my phone that’s distracting me from my school work it is video games as well, which has a big impact on my sleeping habits.” 

Phones can also be destructive to our mental health. Constant notifications and trying to stay connected can lead to high anxiety and stress. Social media can lead to feelings of self-doubt and depression. Social media is where we get a lot of our information and is also where we can get misinformation. 

Phones also store a lot of our personal information. Everyone who has a phone is a target for hackers. This should raise concerns about what information we actually are putting into our phones and who can see it. Adrian Legg said, “ My phone, in particular, has never been hacked, but I have had friends that have had to make new Instagram accounts because their phone was hacked, which is unfortunate because Instagram has a big impact on our generation. If the person who hacked their Instagram posted something inappropriate, it could ruin relationships, and the person might just block them, not knowing that it wasn’t them, it was the hacker.”  

Physical health is also a big concern for our future with phones. Long periods of use can lead to issues like eye strain, poor posture, and neck injuries. Excessive phone usage can also lead to carpal tunnel, a condition that occurs when the median nerve in the wrist is compressed. 

Our phones also have a big impact on our environment. The production and disposal of phones contribute to some environmental problems, including the extraction of minerals, energy consumption, and electronic waste.  

I’m not trying to say that we need to get rid of our phones, though we should put them down and have real conversations with people. The world is going to keep turning whether you’re on your phone or not. It’s up to you to decide what you want to do with the time you have left on this earth.

Photo by Katelyn Shaw