The Effect of Cellphones on Youth

The negative impacts of cell phones and more specifically, smart-phones, on teens are becoming clearer every day. From issues concerning brain cancer to issues of cyber-bullying, or texting and driving, phones today pose a range of potential risks to young people. As the following discussion will clearly show, cell phones pose a true danger to young people, but that danger can be minimized through education and behavioral changes. By learning to respect the potential dangers of cell phone use, young people can protect themselves against a range of possible harms.

Evidence for the potential negative impacts of cell phones can be found through a wide variety of sources in a number of disciplines including (but not limited to) medicine, psychology, social psychology and law enforcement.

Studies have been conducted to assess the impact of cell phones on young people across a spectrum of health and sociological areas including: social networking, peer status, driving, sleep, and susceptibility to cancer. Concern over dangers has even impacted public policy.

According to Kurt Soller in the article: “Kids, Put Down Your Cell Phones!” (2008), as early as 2008, the Toronto Department of Public Health issued a statement that “advised teenagers and young children to limit their cell-phone use’ (Soller 16). This statement was issued due to concerns that extended exposure to microwave radiation may be a cause of increased risk of brain cancer. The article goes on to state that the negative impacts of cell phones “come from long-term, frequent use: an hour a day of talk time over more than 10 years…With all phones, the threat of damage decreases as the device is moved away from the face” (Soller 16).

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While no definitive link between cell phones and brain cancer has been established, there is sufficient cause of concern.

A far more sever danger is texting while driving. According to Michael E. Bratsis’s article: “Curbing Texting While Driving” (2013), scientific research supports the conviction that texting while driving is as dangerous, if not more dangerous, than drinking and driving. Bratis writes: “Sending or reading a text takes a driver’s eyes off the road for an average of 4.6 seconds. At 55 mph, that’s like driving the length of a football field blindfolded’ (Bratsis 70). Car accidents continue to be a leading cause of death among young people and almost one half of high-school seniors admit to texting while driving at least once a month. Even if a teen is able to refrain from texting and driving, they may still wind up driving while fatigued. This is due to the fact that many young people sleep near their phones to answer texts and calls around the clock, disrupting their sleep patterns and risking chronic fatigue, which impairs reflexes and judgment.

Some suggest that the claims that cell phones are dangerous are overblown. They say that cell phones allow for young people to have contact with loved ones, with friends, and with help during potential emergencies. These people often claim that smart phones are good for young people because they allow them a measure of independence and personal power. Those who suggest that cell phones are merely harmless tools must reckon with the reality that texting and driving, cyber-bullying, and brain cancer are all potentially lethal outcomes of spending too much time on a cell phone. In addition to these obvious dangers, there are issues of self-esteem, time-management, schoolwork, personal privacy, and cyber stalking to be considered when it comes to the use of cell phones by young people.

Obviously, the dangers are very real. Rather than being merely helpful tools, cell phones are hazardous devices. The best thing we can do as individuals and as a society is to be aware of the dangers and spread this awareness as far and as wide as possible. By minimizing call times, refraining from texting while driving, and remaining cell phone for at least part of each day, young people can protect themselves from the most serious risks associated with cell phones.

Works Cited

1. Bratsis, Michael E. “Curbing Texting While Driving.” The Science Teacher, vol. 80, no.1, 2013, p. 70.
2. Soller, Kurt. “Kids, Put Down Your Cell Phones!” Newsweek, vol. 152, no. 08, 25 Aug. 2008.p.16.