Cell phones have invaded almost every aspect of people’s lives. Many people say teens have an addiction to their smart phones, and I could not agree more.

The average teen spends around nine hours on media, according to Common Sense Media, a nonprofit organization.

“There is a definite difference because of the addiction to phones, less interaction,” said chemistry teacher Heather Green.

In addition, smart phones emit blue light, which sets back the human body’s melatonin production more than any other wavelength. Melatonin is a hormone that controls the human body’s day/night cycle. The impact on sleep could explain the negative mental effects of phones.  

In school students use their phones all the time, including during class instruction, which can negatively affect grades. Completing snap chat streaks, checking social media, responding to friends’ or parents’ texts is often an necessary distraction. 

Spending that much time on a cell phone affects the human body negatively. For example, multiple studies have been published online that show a connection between social media use and increased amounts of  loneliness, anxiety, depression, and narcissism. Or prevent progress with social skills and even lower self-esteem.

Social skills are crucial to education and the way we communicate to each other. Without the ability to intelligently spread ideas and beliefs, we will not grow as people. The complexity of human communication is a defining difference between man and animal. The dwindling sophistication of human speech should scare teens, but unfortunately, it does not.

Let’s say a student applies for a job and lacks social grace. The employer is more likely to hire the person that is more sociable. It could hurt one’s ability to negotiate for higher pay or for a lower price on a car or house.

Social media may be fun now, but in five years, teens may realize that too much time was wasted on posts that have vanished into cyberspace. They may also find themselves struggling to have a productive life, addicted to a phone that provides no monetary return.