“I spend more time looking down at my phone than I do talking to people.”

Narda Espinoza and Abbie Kennebrew reflect on the impact cell phones have not only had on their social interactions, but of those around them. 

“Today, phones have become a total distraction to the point where it affects everyday life with teenagers. It has became an everyday thing that we do not know how to live without,” says Narda.

Recent iPhone installation, Screen Time, sets in perspective how much time we truly spend on our cell phones by tracking categories surrounding Entertainment, Social Networking, Productivity, Creativity, and Education. Results, gained from multiple students, have shown that Social Networking and Entertainment are the top categories teens spend their time on.

Despite acknowledging the negative impact of phone use, Narda and Abbie are not immune to the temptation of spending hours and hours on social media.

Narda has reportedly spend 6 hours and 5 minutes per day, compared to Abbie’s 9 hours and 21 minutes, on Tumblr, Twitter, Snapchat, and Youtube.

Cumulatively, Narda spends 15 hours on Tumblr and 2 hours on Twitter, Snapchat, and Youtube for the whole week.

“I get easily distracted with social media and other things that I forget my homework and end up staying up late to do it,” admits Narda. “I also find myself shying away and not talking to people because I’m always on my phone.”

Similar to Narda, Abbie also often finds her cell phone being the cause of her procrastination when it comes to her academic life.

“I don’t really like homework so I use my phone as a distraction. I let myself procrastinate on my phone to avoid my responsibilities at school,”says Abbie.

Abbie averages 9 hours and 21 minutes a day on her mobile device. Her most used apps include Game of Sultans, which she rakes in 9 hours and 4 minutes per week, Tumblr with 5 hours and 30 minutes, and Netflix in third place with 5 hours and 8 minutes. Last but not least, Safari, which Abbie spends 4 hours and 25 minutes on.  

“I have a habit of completely ignoring people just to play a game or scroll through Instagram or listen to music”. 

Despite the negative connotations associated with phone use, the girls credit them for advancing technology. 

“I think the fact that the entire world can fit into your pocket is what’s awesome about phones,” says Abbie. Narda also adds that “having an object that can do most of the work for you is cool. It basically allows me to have everything in my hand.”