Teens’ Cell Phones and a Tough Call for Parents

 

Student Research Paper by Shaila Piercey

        “After I waited for a few minutes, four boys plopped into my SUV. And in heartbreaking unison, each of them pulled out their phone, put their head down, and went silent for the 15-minute car ride home. I thought to myself: What have I done?” (Kara Baskin Boston News). Believe it or not, mobile phones were not prevalent until a few decades ago. The convenience of reaching into a back pocket or purse to grab a phone and call someone was something the Baby Boomers would not have imagined possible. To make a call outside of the home, someone would have had to make sure that they had enough quarters in order to use a phone booth. Children would wait with baited breath for the night when their parents announced that the phone rates were lower, so they could have the luxury of making a long-distance call to their grandparents. Even then, they would have to keep the phone call short so that the cost of the phone bill wouldn’t be brought up too high. Although many parents believe that it is in their teen’s best interest to buy them a phone, the consequences of having a phone at a young age can have serious impacts on a teen’s mental health, time management, social awareness, and can feed unhealthy obsessions. Thankfully, there are healthier, and safer alternatives to cell phones for teenagers. 

        One of the unintended impacts a phone can have on a teen is damaging his or her mental health. It is incredibly challenging, if not impossible to completely regulate what a teen views on his or her cell phone. With a single click, he or she can access highly inappropriate content. According to a Pew Research poll on this subject, 71% of parents say that the harm that a teen may face having access to social media outweighs the benefits. This same poll suggests that 73% of children must be at least twelve before they have a phone. Only 22% of the parents are of the opposite viewpoint. (Pew Research). Young teens should not be exposed to damaging internet feeds. Teens can also be easily swayed by social media influencers and try to mimic their destructive lifestyles. Another Pew Research poll discovered that two thirds of parents stated that one of the leading contributors to making their parenting more challenging is social media. When asked specifically what the issues are that have made their parenting more difficult, parents replied, “the impact of digital technology (26%), the rise of social media (21%), and how access to technology exposes children to inappropriate content at a young age (14%). (Pew Research). Clearly the access to social media through cell phones is harming today’s teenagers. 

It is shocking to calculate the amount of time each day a teen will use social media, and this obsession certainly has an emotional impact. Studies from Gallup News state that about half of teenagers  in the United States are on their phone at least four hours a day. The apps they are using include “Youtube, TikTok, Instagram, Facebook, and X (formerly Twitter).” (Gallup News). This article reveals that the level of social media a teenager consumes impacts a teen’s personality traits, and often compels parents to set up emergency restrictions. After conducting a study on these teens, it was reported that the teens who are considered “less conscientious…spend an average of 1.2 hours more on social media per day than those who are highly conscientious.” (Gallup News). This data shows that long amounts of time spent on social media can impact a teen’s social behavior, which leads to the next concern- the social impact of cell phones. 

In addition to affecting a teen mentally, overuse of cell phones can seriously impact a young teenager’s social behavior, and awareness. If teenagers are constantly on their phones, they will be so caught up in virtual experiences that they will withdraw from the people around them. Even teenagers are noticing this tendency. According to a Pew Research study, roughly 42% of teens say that they cannot practice good social skills as easily with a phone. (Pew Research). Too often, teenagers are passing up meaningful, face-to-face conversations with friends while staring at their phone screens. People don’t have to look back many years to remember when gathering for lunch or dinner was a regular occurrence. Family and friends would converse around meals and stay engaged with others the entire time. Nowadays, it is not uncommon to walk into a restaurant and see at least one person on a cell phone. Studies show that “44% of teens use their mobile phones at the dinner table”. (Pew Research). This can be hurtful, insulting, and uncomfortable for the people around them.

Another problem with young teenagers having phones is that they can develop an unhealthy obsession with their phones, and be stifled intellectually. Scrolling through social media websites is not a healthy way for a young teen to be spending his or her time. Studies show that 59% of parents believe that their teen is addicted to their phone. 78% of teens also check their phones pretty much hourly. (Newport Academy). This problem is growing, especially with the abundance of social media platforms. One article stated that Snapchat “boasts that teenagers use the app more than eighteen times a day.” (Newport Academy). There is the same problem with many of the other social media platforms that teens are addicted to these days. 

Although it is undeniably risky to hand teenagers a cell phone with internet access, there are some safer alternatives that are healthier for teens to use. One of these alternatives is a phone with some safety features attached. This phone “is designed without an app store- so no games, and no social media- and without the internet.” (DoSayGive). This phone also has a GPS tracking device, so that parents can know where their child is, anytime. Another option for a safer phone is a phone that is “essentially as basic as it gets when it comes to a communication device for tweens.” (DoSayGive). On this phone, the safety features are that there is “no social media, no games, no apps, and no internet.” 

        People these days should be asking the same question as Kara Baskin: What have we done?” Today’s teenagers might believe that playing games in the car such as I Spy or Mad Libs is boring and childish, but perhaps these pastimes should be revisited. Undoubtedly, they would be a better alternative to teens being absorbed with their phone and scrolling through social media for the whole ride. Surely our grandparents would not have been able to imagine a scenario where kids would text the person sitting next to them, rather than making eye contact and meaningful conversation. Thankfully, it’s not too late for parents to acknowledge what they have done and put some cell phone safety measures in place which will protect teenagers’ mental health, time management, social interaction, and general wellbeing. 

-Works Cited-

Anderson, Monica. “How Teens and Parents Approach Screen Time.” Pew Research 

Center, Pew Research Center, 11 Mar. 2024, 

www.pewresearch.org/internet/2024/03/11/how-teens-and-parents-approach-screen-time/.

Auxier, Brooke. “Parenting Children in the Age of Screens.” Pew Research Center, Pew 

Research Center, 28 July 2020, 

www.pewresearch.org/internet/2020/07/28/parenting-children-in-the-age-of-screens/.

Baskin, Kara. “The Sobering Truth about Kids and Smartphones.” Boston Magazine, 

Boston Magazine, 28 Jan. 2025, 

www.bostonmagazine.com/news/2024/08/27/truth-about-kids-and-smartphones/.

Brooke Auxier, Monica Anderson. “3. Parenting Approaches and Concerns Related to 

Digital Devices.” Pew Research Center, Pew Research Center, 28 July 2020, 

www.pewresearch.org/internet/2020/07/28/parenting-approaches-and-concerns-related-to-digital-devices/#:~:text=Fully%2071%25%20of%20parents%20say%20that%20the%20potential,believe%20the%20potential%20benefits%20outweigh%20the%20potential%20harm.

Cordon , Lee. “Smartphone Alternatives for Tweens and Teens.” Do Say Give, 18 Aug. 

2023, dosaygive.com/smart-phone-alternatives-for-tweens-and-teens/.

         Rothwell, Jonathan. “Teens Spend Average of 4.8 Hours on Social Media per Day.”