Teen Phone Addiction

Alyssa Price, Reporter

Do you ever feel lost without having your phone in your hand or even around you? Well this is a common sign of phone addiction. According to CNN.com, 50% of teens admit they are addicted to their phones.

Alondra Zaragoza, a sophomore at Morton West, proves to be under this 50 percent percentage, “I honestly feel like I can’t go without looking at my phone for 20 seconds because I’m that addicted to it.” Zaragoza is always on her phone which makes her feel like she never pays attention to her surroundings. Zaragoza’s biggest distraction is Snapchat, “I like watching Snapchat stories mostly. It passes the time when I’m bored and have nothing to do.” Even when there is extra time in class, Zaragoza admits to going on her phone after class as well. When considering friendships and relationships, Zaragoza believes phones could ruin new or existing relationships, “Since I barely get off my phone, I don’t pay attention to the person I’m hanging out with.”

Another student that believes she needs her phone on her at all times is Jasmin Mora, a senior at Morton West. Mora states, “I’m pretty much on it the whole day. I never go a day without it.” Mora cannot go without checking her phone for 10 minutes because she is so use to being on it. Mora believes that the benefits of having a phone include the availability of texting and calling. When bored, phones hold the advantage of having apps and games to play.  Although Mora is addicted to her phone, she also believes there are some negatives against phones, “People aren’t so social in real life because everyone texts now these days.” Mora usually checks her phone every morning right when she wakes up. Mora states, “I feel like I’m missing something so my phone makes my morning complete.”

Joanna Andrade, another senior at Morton West, feels like she mostly needs her phone to listen to music. Andrade states, “I love listening to music. I can just listen to music anywhere I go.” On the other hand, Andrade actually disagrees with Mora and feels like phones can actually help friendships and relationships instead of ruining them. Andrade states, “I think phones help because you can message anybody that lives somewhere else and can connect with them other than not being able to without a phone.” Andrade believes that a benefit of having a phone is that she has the ability to capture pictures. Andrade feels like pictures capture moments that she can now view and remember forever. Although Andrade sees a lot of benefits of having a phone being still aware that there are also negatives. Andrade states, “It can be a big distraction. Sometimes when I do my homework, I would check my phone and be on it for 2 hours.”  When discussing Andrade’s preference between texting or face to face conversations, Andrade states, “I would rather text because I don’t want to leave my bed and communicate.”

Margret Wong, a senior at Morton West, feels like a phone is a really good source of entertainment. Wong states, “I can be on my phone for hours and never get bored.” Unlike Mora, Wong can resist checking her phone for 30 minutes. Wong states, “I need my phone on me all the time or I feel like something is missing.” Wong believes that contacting people has become  easier due to phones. Wong states, “I went out one night with my friends and I forgot to do a chore, so I texted my brother right away to ask him if he can do it.” Wong also agrees that phones are a big distraction. When trying to complete homework, Wong would occasionally give herself breaks to be on her phone however, a majority of the time, those breaks turn into hours.

Love them or hate them, the cell phone has become a part of society that is not going any where soon.