The telephone stood as a staple for progression in the year 1876, but now 2018 brings a new generation of social technology. Phones evolved into seemingly harmless metal devices serving to amuse children and adults alike. While it is undeniable that phones have several means in which they entertain the user, social media and addicting games have brought to life a discourse among modern society. While some argue that electronics can be used for entertainment, help or just to pass time, most adults and children can agree that the usage of phones has reached a nearly unhealthy standard.

  “A majority of students rely on their phones to answer questions. That has become an addiction and now students don’t talk to each other,” art teacher Jennifer Greene said.

  Greene’s evaluation goes in hand with a study hosted by Microsoft Corporation – an American multinational technology company – which implies that the constant use and reliance on technology has reduced the student’s average attention span. The average human attention span was 12 seconds, while in just a decade it has been reduced to eight seconds. A majority of parents and matured teenagers have agreed that children and teenagers should spend a maximum of two hours a day on electronics. However, many kids are getting “up to 75 hours of media every week,” reported “Study Shows Kids Tethered to Technology” by ABC News. This 75 hours, according to the 2010 report, includes internet, TV, movies, video games and music.
  “I spend about every hour on my phone,” sophomore Erin Stapleton said.

  Staying on an electronic device can lead to problems in children and teens, students, however, need to have a clear mind at school to grow.
  “Electronics destroy student’s attention spans by pulling our minds away on what’s going on around us, this is being said by someone who uses technology for about three to five hours each day,” sophomore Toni Turner said.

  Being obsessed with electronics can cause many child development defects and can lead to an array of health problems by being in screen time. According to Psychology Today article, “Gray Matters: Too Much Screen Time Damages the Brain” by Victoria L. Dunckley M.D., screen time can mess up the brain structure and function, it mostly goes to the brain’s frontal lobe; which areas concerning with behavior, learning, personality, and voluntary movements. Many teenagers are unaware of these effects or don’t really care. They see it as part of their culture.

 “I didn’t know there were any health defects of screen time,” junior Allison Thomas said. “Because of being attached on my phone on a daily basis, I don’t want to change my phone habits.”

  Students have many accesses to a variety of sites while on the web, unblocked or not. Schools now advancing to technology use have rules students must follow. However, even though students are restricted at school of screen time on their phones, it still counts on computers. Students spending time on their phones at homes and at school has brought where being on a device is part of the natural cycle of the day, but it isn’t all teenage students, children to adults have all become accustomed to media in everyday life.  

  Warsaw school tech director, Larry Ransdell, gives tips on how students could help themselves limit the addicting devices.

  “The problem is that if you are on your phone too much, you don’t realize or you don’t want to get off your phone. You have to want to change your habits. Try not getting on your phone for one or two days, or try leaving something small in your pocket, since some seek comfort or reassuring by having a phone on you,” Ransdell suggested.