For the last decade, as cell phones have continued to improve and become more advanced, human usage steadily increased along with it. With new apps, social media, and texting, people are staring at their phones all day, everyday. 50% of young people admit to being addicted to their cell phone. In addition, teens who spend five or more hours a day on electronic devices are 71% more likely to exhibit suicide risk factors, compared to teens who only spend an hour. But still with more and more research backing up the negative effects of phone usage, teenagers and adults refuse to make changes to their habits.

High school senior, Kara Allelunas, admits to using her phone for around 3 hours a day, usually spending that time on social media on apps like Instagram, Snapchat, and Tik Tok. When asked if she thinks spending a lot of time on her phone affects her, she answered, “When I’m off my phone I feel happier and more connected.” Another Pennridge senior, Julia Biresch, said she spends around 4 hours on her phone a day and also “feels  happier” when she is not on her phone for numerous hours. Mrs. Nash, Pennridge Psychology Teacher, has also noticed these changes in the moods of her students who spend ample amounts of time on their phones. She explained that with lots of screen time there is “an increase in anxiety among students as they are never able to decompress and everyone is portraying the image of a perfect life that just isn’t the truth.”

While people argue that they don’t have an issue with overuse of their phones, all they need is to take a few simple steps to monitor just how much time they spend on their phone a day and set a limit to the usage. Many professionals suggest putting on the screen time limits. Once a specific amount of time has been reached for the day, apps will not allow you to use them anymore for the rest of the day. This simple change alone can help increase your mood, sleep, and productivity.