Cell phones are a form of communication, but for teenagers phones have even more meaning. Teenagers take their phones everywhere, including to school, to bed, to religious services, and it seems they would even take it into the shower if they could.

All of this focus on phones begs the question: are phones distracting teenagers and taking over their lives?

It is very clear that phones are rapidly going the way of the pager as Smartphones continue to dominate the mobile market. According to CNET news study conducted in 2013, “70 percent of teens aged 13 to 17 now use smartphones, and 79 percent of young adults between the ages of 18 and 24 own a smartphone.

CNET also reports that, in 2012, 58 percent of American teens owned a smartphone, and in 2011 only 36 percent did.” While cell phone ownership by teens grows, so too does their influence in the market.

Today’s smartphones have many uses since they are really a handheld computer.  For teens, a smartphone holds the key not only to communication, but also to what is required to be social in today’s age.  According to Pew Research Internet Project, “63% of all teens say they exchange text messages every day with people in their lives.”  This number makes it clear that teens and phones certainly do mix.

Freshman Kayla Pratt states, “I love to use my phone, even in class, but the most common app I use is kik and text message. On average, I send out about 100 texts in a day to keep in contact with everyone.”

Ms. Gafford , an English teacher and year book sponsor at Paint Branch High School, made it clear to all hers students,“I do not tolerate the use of cell phones in my class. If I see your phone, I will take it”.

Senior Herawe Kebede claims that “the most common app I use is Netflix. I’m constantly on my phone, but I try not to use it when I’m doing my homework.”

Both of these students see their phones as a positive part of their lives, but both admit that the most common negative impact of a phone is that it becomes a distraction.  They also admit that this can be hard to balance.

Senior Herawe Kebede states that “I turn off my phone or give it to someone to hold in order to deal with distraction.”
Another downside to cellphones is the effect they have on cyberbullying. According to Common Sense Media, the common apps parents need to know about that are taking over their kids’ lives are “Twitter, Instagram, Snapchat, Tumblr, Google+, Vine, Wanelo, Kik Messenger, Ooovoo, Ask.fm, Yik Yak, WhatsApp, Omegle, Yo., and Whisper.”

The vast majority of teens use these apps appropriately but, for those who do not, tragedy can strike.

At Paint Branch High School, there was a tragedy with apps being used inappropriately. Studens were bullying on the app Yik Yak .The app was anonymous; therefore, no one knew what a student was saying , so students continuously bullied each other under the cover of an app.

Yik Yak is an anonymous social media app. It is available for iOS and android, and it allows people to anonymously create and view “Yaks” within a 10 mile radius. Yik Yak was originally made for college students who show a little more maturity.

Dr.Rogers, the Principal of Paint Brach, shut the app down in the PB radius because she claimed, “Too many kids were getting bullied and I will not condone this behavior.”

Kebede understands the impact of social media and sees the issue as something that most teens deal with.  “Social-media bullying is not going to end because, once you have your cell phones and Internet, you have the access to bully. It’s not all teenagers but, for the most part, I’d say at least 50% of teenagers with cells phones have cyberbullied before,” says Kebede.

Of course, cellphones are not going anywhere, and for teens, the positives seem to outweigh the negatives.  Cell phones give teens the ability to do homework with the help of the Internet or provide a calculator to complete math work.  They also allow teachers to engage kids in class in various ways, including conducting polls. It even gives teacher’s access to text you when an assignment is due or a reminder on how to do it. Cell phones are, ultimately, positive for teens, especially for those who use them well like freshman Aaminah Matthews, who states, “I read with my phone and talk to my friends.”