Addicted is a word to describe it. A bunch of schools are taking action with this severe problem, banning phones from classrooms is simply just not enough anymore. Kids still try to sneak phones in, going to any length just for a little screen time. It has really become an issue. It’s hard to find a child these days without a phone in their hand, no matter what age.

The growing addiction concerns parents, educators and others everyday.  Kids using their phones during the school day not only affects their grades and school performance, but also affects their ability to focus and critically think.

Senior, Molly O’bryan says, “ phones are becoming a big problem because when I need to do my work I get distracted and I find myself looking at my phone instead of doing my work, then my work is late and it turns into a problem for me to worry about.” 

More so the constant use of cellphones can impact children’s mental and physical health, it is making kids lazier and lazier each day. Studies have shown too much screen time can lead to an impact on sleeping, anxiety and depression in adolescents.

I asked junior,  Lydia Morin, how does your cell phone affect your daily interaction with other people? She responded, “my cell phone is one of the ways I communicate with my friends and family, so it’s kind of necessary to talk with people like my sister for example, who now goes to college at CMU.”

Parents are trying various strategies to get this problem fixed. Some are setting screen time limits, while others encourage going outside or getting more involved in sports or other activities. However, finding the right balance to curb this addiction with phones in this world where technology is so deeply rooted into our everyday lives, is a problem no one has an anwser or soultion for.