The Cost of Excessive Cell Phone Use
Student on phone during class
According to pewinternet.org, 24% of teens are online almost constantly daily. Teens spend time online checking Instagram, Facebook, Twitter, and Snapchat. Arrowhead students can spend hours on their cell phones without even realizing it. The costs of excessive phone use can range from increased bills as well as decreased performance in school due to phone use in class.
The Arrowhead staff often encourages students to not use their cell phones during class. However, students (myself included) are quite talented at sneaking in a few texts throughout a 40 minute period.
Senior Lauren Henzlik says, “As long as I’m doing good in the class, and know what’s going on, sometimes I will check my phone during a lecture.”
Henzlik says, “Also, I have an Apple watch now too so I’m able to read my texts very easily without a teacher getting upset. But it can be hard to answer a text with the watch so I usually just read it and respond later.”
According to sanfrancisco.cbslocal.com, some universities in Australia have banned the Apple watch, for fear that the smartwatch will be used as an aid to academic dishonesty.
At the Arrowhead state administered ACT, the proctor requested all smartwatches be left in the student’s cars or placed in a bin up front.
Another danger resulting from over use of a cell phone, is the infamous and deadly combo of texting and driving. According to junior Jack Cieslak, nearly every student parked in the Arrowhead parking lot is guilty of this terrible habit.
Junior Jack Cieslak says, “I think students are more prone to use their phones while driving to change the music, but I know almost each and everyone of my friends is guilty of regularly texting and driving.”
According to edgarsnyder.com 11 teens die every day in a fatal crash due to texting and driving.
Another shocking statistic presented by edgarsnyder.com, is that if a driver is texting while driving there is a 400% increase in the amount of time that your eyes are spent off the road.
Also, health issues caused by the overuse of cellphones is often ignored. According to breezejmu.org, overuse of cellphones can cause physical health problems such as digital eye strain (which is stress on the eyes due to excessive exposure to the light coming from the pixels on a phone screen). Also, constantly looking at your phone is proven to increase stress levels and negative emotions.
“Automobiles are not ferocious…. it is man who is to be feared.” ~Robbins B. Stoeckel
