Have you noticed that the average age of having a phone has dropped? Some kids have to wait until 13, but some have a smartphone at the age of 8! This shift brings a question, do we really need phones, or are they just a distraction?
Many teens and kids have phones for safety reasons. For example, if something goes wrong at school or while a person is out, they’re able to call either a trusted adult or the police in a matter of seconds. Phones also allow a person’s location to be shared. This is extremely useful for safety reasons. Victoria Robinson stated, “I believe in some sort of way, it is a need. like calling 911, or texting a parent to make sure you’re safe. It also helps with faster communication. But, it can be a want, since there’s games and useless things.” If anything goes wrong, a teenager can text their parents quickly, and not have to share their location, since it would already be there.
Accordingly, most phones can detect when a car crash occurs, which will notify police and get help fast. Also, people are able to keep medical information on their phone. When an emergency occurs, critical health information, like allergies, blood type, and emergency contact, can be shared on their lock screen. This allows First responders to help as fast as they can.
Phones can also be used to cure boredom. When Nouvella Bitsui was asked if we needed phones, she stated,”We need phones because we can use them for emergency uses or whenever you get bored. When you have nothing to do, you can always get on your phone to watch videos or look for something to do.” Kids, especially teenagers, get bored very often. During the summer time or on breaks, sometimes it feels like there’s genuinely nothing to do. But with a phone, people are able to look up things to do when bored. This can cause a person to pick up a new hobby. People can also just watch videos on TikTok, Instagram, YouTube, and many other social media sites to help cure their boredom.
On the other hand, phones can be extremely addicting. Many find themselves stuck on their phone all day with a screen time over 10+ hours. Yes, phones are super fun to have, but people shouldn’t be on them all the time. Being addicted to your phone can also slowly cause many issues. For example, people can lose sleep from being on their phones so late, get headaches because of the blue light, and even experience “tech neck” from bad posture. Phone addiction can also affect relationships as well. People may get used to talking to people online and neglect seeing other people in person. This can cause serious issues in a relationship. Having face-to-face time with someone is extremely important in relationships. It can also break apart connections with family and friends in the long run.
As stated in another article, The Dependence on Technology, being on your phone and social media can cause a lower self esteem. There are many people who leave negative comments under videos and posts. Seeing negative comments can cause a person to feel bad about themselves and lower their self esteem.
Ultimately, are phones a necessity? Yes. Though there are a few drawbacks of having a phone, the benefits of having a phone out weighs them. When safety is involved, it is easy to say that having a phone is a need. The majority of the drawbacks of having a phone comes from an addiction, or not knowing how to use a phone properly.
