Osment 1 Colin Osment Ms.

Bethany May Composition II 19 April 2013 Hold on, I need to take this call Dependency and the Overuse of Cell Phones Have you ever taken time out of your day to stop and look around you and notice what is going on? Chances are you will notice a majority of people are talking on, texting, or have their face buried in their cell phone. Much of society has become dependant on the cell phone and uses it constantly. Cell phones have grown in popularity over the recent years, especially with the advance in technology and what all can be put into a handheld device. With this increase in technology cell phones are consuming a good amount of peoples time during the day. The time we spend on our cell phones can take away from more important areas such as studying, work, spending time with family, and is even hampering our face-to-face interactions with each other. Also, as the years pass we begin buying our children cell phones at younger ages. Are cell phones becoming too much of a distraction in society or are we just keeping up with the latest technology? Many problems present themselves with the overuse of cell phones, however with a few simple steps we can reduce our use and dependency on these devices. With the growing use of cell phones one of the major problems that has developed is texting while driving. Over the past couple of years the number of accidents related to texting and driving has increased dramatically. Forty-Nine percent of all commuters say that they have sent a text or an email while driving.

Osment 2 Sixty percent of these people say that they never sent a text while driving three years ago (The Issue). This shows that the problem is on the rise and needs to be stopped. A study shows that people who text and drive are actually twenty-three times more likely to have a crash than someone who is not distracted while behind the wheel (The Issue). Another issue that has risen is the decline in face-to-face interactions with people in society. With the increase in technology people spend most of their time tweeting or surfing Facebook trying to keep up with the latest gossip, rather than taking the time to actually talk to their friends to inform or inquire about what is going on in each others lives. A statement was made by Mark Glaser that defines the situation well, Glaser says, The unspoken subtext of checking text messages in front of friends is: Somewhere else there is someone who I care about more than you. I want to know what they have to say more than what you have to say to me now. (Glaser) Not only is the overuse of cell phones hurting the act of face-to-face interactions, but it is also causing attachment issues. Psychologists say that people often show signs of addiction to their cell phones much as a drug user would show. People are often so worried about missing out on something that they will even sleep with their cell phones right next to them. This leads to a problem with sleep, which could eventually lead to problems at work or school (Gibson). The final issue to address is the age at which we are buying children cell phones nowadays. In 2010 a Pew Internet and American Life Project study revealed that seventy-five percent of kids ages twelve to seventeen own a cell phone. The majority of kids (66%) got their first phones before their fourteenth birthday

Osment 3 (Lucio). The major case that the parents of these young children make for buying their pre-teen child a phone is a safety measure. Parents worry that they will not be able to contact their children when they need to; therefore they purchase their child a smart phone. However do these parents consider the freedom they are giving their children when buying them a smart phone? By purchasing a smart phone for a young child you are allowing them the freedom to surf the web, which we all know contains many problems within itself that a young child should not be exposed to. Fifty percent of children age twelve to seventeen send an average of fifty text messages a day and texted more than they talked an the phone (Olsen). This extensive use of texting can lead to the detachment from society as mentioned before. Therefore, the freedom that we give children when it comes to cell phones should be closely monitored to avoid social problems starting at a young age. These issues are major problems that surround the use of cell phones, but they can be solved through a few simple steps. First, when it comes to texting and driving we must ask ourselves is it really worth it? Is it worth possibly crashing your car or even the loss of life just to answer that text? AT&T has started a program that is called It Can Wait to spread the knowledge of the dangers of texting and driving. The goal is to reduce the number of accidents and deaths that are caused by distracted driving every year (The Issue). By simply waiting until we reach our destinations to answer that text or email, we could potentially save hundreds or thousands of lives every year. Just remember, next time your phone rings when you are driving, just tell yourself it can wait. There are however those people that would say they can safely text and driving, but whom are they kidding. Statistics

Osment 4 show that when answering or receiving a text message it takes your eyes off the road for an average of 4.6 seconds. At speeds of fifty-five miles per hour, you could travel a football field in the length of that time (Distracted Driving). No one can safely text and drive, it is just a matter of time before something bad happens. The next issue is one that the majority of society is succumbing to with the rise of popularity in cell phones. We are losing face-to-face interactions with every passing year as people begin texting more and talking in person less. Very often you will hear someone say, Just text me, we can catch up. Could you not honestly take a few minutes out of your day and catch up right then face to face? If you look around when you are walking around campus, at your job, or even at the store, chances are most people will be looking at their phone and possibly will not even notice you. With all the data plans available people are constantly on the Internet, tweeting, or checking their Facebook during their daily activities. A very simple and cost effective way to solve this issue is to limit the amount of data that you have on your plan. Most of the data we use can wait until we are at home and on a computer. Try paying for just enough data to occasionally send an email that might be necessary or possibly something that might be job related. Do we really need to be checking twitter every thirty minutes or looking up videos on YouTube in class? By spending less time connected to our phones, we will find it significantly easier to build relationships with people and actually take an interest in the happenings of our friends and families lives. The final issue might be one that is a bit tougher to solve because it involves parents giving their young children cell phones. If a parent thinks that you are

Osment 5 telling them not to give their child a cell phone it might anger them because they feel you are trying to control how they raise their children. The problem does not arise in the parents giving a child a phone to keep in contact with the parent. The problem stems from giving the child a phone that is capable of surfing the web and is up to date on all the latest technology. A solution to this problem can be relatively simple. If you are worried about the safety of your child, but do not want them having the freedom to surf the web all day, there is a phone made with a limited number of buttons and only the capabilities to call a few numbers. That way you can know where your child is at all times while not having to worry about the troubles lurking on the Internet (Olsen). You should wait until you feel that your child is at a mature enough state to handle the freedom of web access on a cell phone before handing it over to them. Research the options when it comes to buying your child a cell phone and know what all is out there. The problems mentioned play a major part in owning a cell phone, but by following a few of these simple proposals, we can eliminate the issues. In past generations cell phones were not a big problem, if one at all, so lets not center our lives on a handheld device. The solutions are not costing you anything, but could actually be saving you money. The average smart phone owner spends $107 a month on cell phone bills (Gibson). Imagine if you cut out most of your data how much money you could be saving. In the area of texting and driving you would not only be saving money by not having the increased chance of a wreck, but you could also potentially be saving a life. By following these few steps we can create a better, more socially connected society not only for ourselves, but also for our children and

Osment 6 future generations by not being completely dependant on a cell phone to get us through our day.

Osment 7 Works Cited "Distracted Driving." distraction.gov. N.p., n.d. Web. 15 Apr 2013. Gibson, Ellen. "Smartphone dependency: a growing obsession with gadgets." usatoday.com. Associated Press, 27 Jul 2011. Web. 9 Apr 2013. Glaser, Mark. "How Cell Phones Are Killing Face-to-Face Interactions." pbs.com. N.p., 22 Oct 2007. Web. 10 Apr 2013. Lucio, Valentino. "Kids start using cell phones at younger ages." sfgate.com. N.p., 15 Oct 2011. Web. 11 Apr 2013. " Mobile Device / Cell Phone Statistics." statisticbrain.com. N.p., 23 Aug 2012. Web. 14 Apr 2013. Olsen, Stefanie. "When to Buy Your Child a Cellphone." nytimes.com. N.p., 9 Jun 2010. Web. 8 Apr 2013. "The Issue." att.com. N.p., n.d. Web. 12 Apr 2013.