Students are using their phones now more than ever during school hours.

In a random survey of more than 120 young adults, 40.8% said they use their phones at least 4-5 hours per day; only 24.6% said they use their phones 2-3 hours per day, and a whopping 23.8% use their phones more than 5 hours per day! According to mobilestatistic.com, if you spend just 90 min a day on your phone you will end up wasting 23 days of your life of that year. Meaning if you live to the average 71.5 death age you will end up with 4 years of your life looking down into a cellphone screen.

On a side note, I had to have a survey of at least 100 people before my journalism class (4^th hour) and I still hadn’t even completed the questions that would be due in 3 hours. I completed a 3 question survey and within an hour of posting it on my personal social media I had received more than 120 responses from young adults. This made me realize how many students actually are on their phones during school and how much attention they give to their phone rather than class.

“I don’t expect them to not be on their phones because that is not realistic, but to put it simple it impacts students negatively. Students should use it as a reward not reward themselves constantly.   [Students] do better when they use their phones when they have time,” Mr. Sorenson, a Morton East math teacher, said.

Young people, adults, and elders are swiping their lives away. Americans are using their phones now more than ever, in a random survey of over 180 Americans, 67.8% of people with cellphones in the last 5 years are using their phone now more than they did 5 years ago.

“I’ve soon come to realize that even though I have easier access to my phone, and it has been a source of communication, it has become a bitter sweet influence in my life. Looking back 5 years ago I see that I am more on my phone than ever before coming to the point where I have become addicted,” said Kathia Ramirez a college student at College of Dupage.

According to eMarketer.com, an average American spent 3 hours 24 min on their phone in 2017 while in 2018 an average American spends 3 hours 35 min on their phone, an 11 min increase a day.

“My sister is in Kindergarten and already has computers in class.  These kids will grow up not having social skills, but will have great skills on technology. It can be good, but I believe it will be worse for a kid’s future.  Kids are becoming more addicted than ever,” said Hector Perez a Morton East student

Counting TV time, tablets, computers, and any other interaction with media, according to nypost.com, Americans are spending at least 11 hours a day involving all of media interaction. Yearly time on screens is increasing and kids going out to play is decreasing dramatically.

“I am a mother of two girls, and I hate the fact my daughters have so many electronics because of my husband. The 3 year old has an IPhone 6 and a tablet while the 6 year old has an IPhone XR and a tablet also. They use all of this while having the TV on, that they don’t even pay attention to one thing at a time. They don’t even listen to me anymore,” said Marilu a Melrose resident and mother.

You decide if you either want to waste your life looking down into your phone screen or go out into the beautiful world that there’s so much for us to explore and live for. Tell a person you love them instead of posting it on their timeline; capture a beautiful moment in your head by memory, instead of photographing it on Instagram.  Now, go out and live your life to the fullest.