The majority of students at Morton East use their cell phones for more than five hours a day contrary to teacher recommendations.  But, then, so do some teachers.

In a random survey of 10 Morton East students and 10 teachers, 8 students and 4 teachers reported using their phones for more than 5 hours a day.  According to “20 Ways Your Cell Phone Harms Your Health,” by Emerald Catron, it is possible to become addicted to your cell phone. Smartphone withdrawal can cause symptoms like anxiety, insomnia, and depression. It increases the production of the stress hormone cortisol, which causes increased heart rate and blood pressure. Currently, in teens, 48 percent of those who looked at their phone for more than five hours a day had considered suicide. Oddly, kids, these days do not have as much empathy as they used to. A study at the University of Michigan found that college students from this decade are 40 percent less empathetic than college students from 30 years ago. The drop in empathy is because of the increased exposure to more media and social media. Digital multitasking may seem effective, but it may be making you less focused in the end. A student conducted by Microsoft showed that the average attention span of participants was only eight seconds. A goldfish has an attention span of nine seconds. Before smartphones in the year 2000, people had an attention span of about 12 seconds. According to the National Safety Council, cell phones are involved in 27% of car crashes in the United States. Looking down at your phone all day can put a lot of pressure on your neck and spine and lead to a condition called tech neck.

“There’s no question that cellphones, and in particular smartphones, have become an integral part of our lives. Not long ago, smartphones were viewed as a luxury item, where they are now considered an essential tool. The immediate access and communication that smartphones provide us undoubtedly have had positive effects-whether it is the ease of sharing images, the ability to connect to the internet, or to make video calls, there are many ways in which smartphones have improved our lives. On the other hand, smartphones have also had profound negative impacts on our lives. Where once we had to go to the library to use a computer, we now always have full-blown computing devices in our pockets. This has led to a reliance on technology as well as an addiction to technology. There is research to suggest that cognitive processes are affected when you use a smartphone (e.g., memory and attention). For example, research has suggested that you are more likely to remember something when you look it up in a book vs. using your phone. Also, smartphones have impacted our reading abilities. Many tend to “cherry-pick” when they read. This is in part because when we read things on our phones, content is usually compressed into smaller nuggets of information. We are also becoming addicted to our phones. There is research to suggest that notifications on our phones and social media/networking apps activate similar reward systems in our brains to addictive substances. This leads us to be constantly checking our phones for something to stimulate us and this takes us away from the world around us. Along with this, we are more easily distracted than before. A small notification can lead to a series of behaviors that take us away from the moment and the external world. All of this, in turn, has affected our abilities to communicate with each other face to face,” psychologist Michael Ryva said.

Even though phones have a positive impact, they may be doing you more harm than good.

“I’m not a doctor, but studies show there are a few issues with excessive phone use. One of the biggest I think is that it can mess with your sleep cycle. Your hypothalamus in your brain tells your body to get sleepy when it’s dark. When you stare at phone screens or other screens a lot during the night, it can trick your brain into thinking it’s not time to sleep. This can make it hard for someone’s brain to “turn off” and fall asleep. A lot of people are already struggling with getting quality sleep during the pandemic due to lack of a routine, so this could certainly add to the problem,” teacher Ryan Fischer said.

In other words, limiting phone usage before bed can prevent sleep deprivation.

“Sometimes I hear a notification sound, and when I go to pick up my phone there is no message it’s all in my head. When I go to sleep, my phone is always on my counter so that I do not miss any messages. I spend about 5 hours on my phone a day. My phone is important to me because I communicate with friends and family, and I need it for school but sometimes I lose track of time on it,” senior Jahir Rodriguez said.

Although phones may have a positive impact, it is a good idea to take a break.