Written by Brianna Bobo

Do phones really have that big of a hold on society today? 

The answer to that question is a definite yes. I can’t say I’m not on my phone as much as the person next to me. But there are times when I have sat back when hanging out with a group of my friends and we aren’t even talking to each other, they’re all looking at their phones. When I’m told to put my phone away by a teacher I do so, but I have seen many instances where it is like students are very addicted to their phone. They can’t even put it away for a moment when the teacher wants to explain or talk to the class. This is why we have a phone rule, but students still aren’t caring. Teachers have to ask over and over and over again for students to put their phone away and a kid will huff and puff and pretend to put their phone away but they just hide it under the desk. Students can’t take their eyes off their phone for a moment to listen to a teacher trying to explain something so they can better understand what they are doing in class.

You can find examples everywhere  about what phones are doing to younger generations and how everyone is going to turn out. The younger generations are born and surrounded by technology so quickly. I know parenting can be hard, but the amount of times I see a parent put a screen in front of their kid so that their kid is distracted is alarming. I understand having to do things, but to use technology to keep their young minds occupied is just ruining their brains more. Cell phones have such a huge hold on society I would be scared of what it would look like if phones disappeared out of nowhere. Statistics show that young minds know the effect of technology but yet they still use it and add to the negative effects. 

Friendships and relationships vs. technology is like a war. One thing gets mixed around on social media and it creates a huge argument. AI is getting more out of hand every single day. Now students can take pictures of things and make it look different just by typing what they want it to look like. Which will cause speculations amongst friendships and relationships, not knowing the difference between AI and real is getting harder by the second. Looking around and seeing people get more addicted to technology makes you just wonder what this world is going to turn into. 

The bullying online never stops, someone posts a picture and they think they look good. Half their friends comment all good things hyping them up, then you scroll the comments and see the most wretched comments, like how could someone comment on another human being they don’t even know. It is insane!

Do we need technology? Do we need to continue creating more and more technology constantly? There are pros and cons to everything. But how much do they weigh each other out? I understand we need technology to communicate now because no one knows how to talk to someone without using technology. I also understand that due to technology there have been many breakthroughs scientifically. It can be very easy and helpful having technology by your side. But it comes with downsides when you get addicted to your phone and you can’t live without it for a second. I think a phone can be useful to an extent. Keeping you safe when you’reyour out and alone, but using it 24/7 is not necessary and I’m glad that the schools are doing something about it so students can actually learn.