My matte black iPhone could easily be mistaken as my fifth limb, you can hardly catch me without it. A day without my phone would mean a day without texts from my friends asking to meet at the coffee shop during the passing period, no instant access to the internet, and worst of all no way to stay updated through social media.

Phones have become such an important part of our daily lives, but I think teenagers are beginning to rely on them too much. According to USA Today 73% of teens have access to a cell phone.

Our phones offer a much quicker ways to keep our friends and families updated on daily activities, but they hold us back from human interactions. Instead of walking down my stairs to ask my mom whats for dinner, i’ll stay in my bed watching Greys and shoot her a quick text, I find myself sitting in a car with five of my friends but still communicating with them through a groupchat, worst of all I am constantly having to remind myself to set my phone down during dinner and actually have a real conversation.

Teens are compelled to sleep with their phones an arms length away. I feel myself compelled to roll over and check my phone the second I feel it vibrate. Studies show that teenagers feel group pressure to stay present in text conversations until they end. Staying awake tell one in the morning texting your friends causes sleep deprivation. Lack of sleep affects students grades and their overall mood to learn.

Texting also causes great social anxiety according to psychologist Suzanne Phillips.

“The instant connection can cause feelings of elation and self-value only to be replaced by the disappointment of no response, a delayed response or the misinterpretation of a short or seemingly curt response.”

When people don’t respond to my texts instantly I find myself thinking the worst instead of logically making the assumption that they are most likely at a practice or doing homework.  

Although I would never give up my phone I find myself working to decrease the amount of time I spend on my phone and up the amount of human contact.