Jeff Thaller

Jacob Thompson

Kadin Cook

Mr. Gross

English 12B

Cell Phones: The Unhealthy Truth

One of the most unhealthy things for the average person on a daily basis is something that

most do not notice. Cell phones are taking over and are now becoming unhealthy physically and

emotionally to everyday citizens. They are also ruining social lives and sleep per night. Most do

not realize this because they are constantly addicted to their devices. Some physical and

emotional issues include back problems or anxiety. There are many reasons to discuss but overall

cell phones are extremely unhealthy for the everyday user.

Cell phones may seem incapable of it but they cause physical health problems if used too

long without breaks or just too long per day. Back problems are the main physical issue that

comes from the overuse of cell phones. Jayne Leonard shows how harmful they are when she

says “According to 2015 statistics, 45% of young people aged 16 to 24 now suffer from back

pain as their spinal disks are put under pressure”. Physical doesn’t just have to be muscles and

bones. In this case an even larger harmful side effect of too much use is the strain on the eyes.

Leonard also states that “​Direct exposure to blue light – like the one that comes from cell phone

screens – can cause damage to the retina of the eye” and that this can lead to the extreme of

losing central vision. Another effect that isn’t quite as common is weight management and the
struggle to manage it for those who are extremely addicted to their devices. In one study at a

college university Leonard observed that ​“ Those who spent ​up to 14 hours daily​ on their phones

were less fit than participants who only averaged about 1.5 hours of use”. All three of these

physical issues can be obviously seen as coming from the overuse of electronics. Ashley Mateo

of Shape.com states how fitness tracking apps can not only help people work out these days but

they can also help them eat right improving physical shape. Brian Mastroianni of CBS News tells

of how 46% of americans download fitness apps and then never use them or delete them. This

shows how these people do not actually become dedicated and the apps become useless for good

health.

Other than physical health cell phones can lead to emotional stress, actual medical issues

mentally and even just put people on edge. Anxiety and depression are directly correlated to the

mental health of the user. Leonard includes information from a recent survey by Northwestern

University noticing “​The average daily use for a depressed person was 68 minutes, compared to

just 17 minutes for someone who has better mental health”. (Leonard). Similar to anxiety and

depression but a bit different is the issue of stress. Stress comes from us having a cell phone that

allows us to be constantly “available” to incoming calls and text messages from anyone at

anytime. Leonard mentions people constantly receiving and responding to incoming texts causes

a rise in stress level that leads to phantom vibrations (Leonard). Phantom vibrations are when

people continue to think they get texts by feeling their phone buzz even though nobody has

texted them. According to Dr. Michelle Drouin, a professor at Indiana University-Purdue

University in Fort Wayne, Indiana, 89% of the undergraduates in her study had experienced

these phantom vibrations about every two weeks on the average (Rosen Ph. D.). These are all
proof that actual mental health problems and irritations can come from the overuse of cell phones

and the constant “availability” that people are subject to. Though John Matisz of metronews.com

makes a valid point when he talks about Alexandre Legros’s research “The fields, he said, ‘can

alter brain activity and physical responses, opening the possibility for therapy’ for people with

neurological disorders and diseases” (Matisz). Even with this valid statement the pros are

immensely outweighed by the cons of the healthiness of cell phones.

Health does not specifically refer to pain or no pain. Health also can mean social health,

which is just slightly less as important, but cell phones can and will destroy the social life of

anyone showing its control in three main areas. First off nobody likes talking to a person and

suddenly they lose focus to look at something around them or check their phone. The expression

of somebody having the attention span of a goldfish is now somewhat true. As it turns out studies

show humans to have the attention span less than that of a goldfish (Leonard). Researchers from

the University of Essex found that people who “​discussed personally meaningful topics when a

cell phone was nearby (even if they weren’t being used) reported lower relationship quality and

less trust in their partner” (Leonard). This leads into the topic of relationships. Sarah Griffiths for

OnlineMail includes in her article how 75% of women admit devices are ruining their

relationships due to the fact that them or their partners are competing with their partners

smartphone for attention (Griffiths). This is creating an unhealthy social self in most people that

communicates with a screen and not a person most of the time, until they are face to face with

someone then they pay little attention and frequently check their phones while talking. Yardena

Arar wrote a passage for PCWorld addressing something similar to this issue basically saying

“​New cell phone services use handset features such as GPS and cameras to maintain and enhance
personal communities” (Arar). Previously explained in this article it shows that the more reason

to be on a phone talking to people still just lessens the socially healthy person in everyone and is

still unhealthy.

Finally the most obvious thing that even the addict-denying people out there complain

about and notice is the issue with sleep and cell phones direct involvement to less of this.

Keeping a cell phone on the nightstand at night may not seem like a big deal, but technology

affects sleep in more ways than many realize. Included in studies conducted by Sleep.org, the

blue light emitted by cell phones restrains the production of melatonin messing with the

sleep/wake cycle (How Technology). The human mind needs to unwind after spending all day

looking at and using technology. Phones addiction comes back to take over when it comes to

going to bed. Most think they are going to just check a few emails and find that one thing on the

web to look at real quick but then they look and it's an hour later. Technology can trick the mind

into thinking that it needs to stay awake when it really is ready to go to sleep (How Technology).

After people manage to finally fall asleep they are awoken by random chirps of texts,

notifications, emails, and calendar alarms. About 72% of children six to seventeen sleep with at

least one electronic in their bedroom which leads to getting less sleep compared to other children

according to parents. All these go hand in hand to prove how unhealthy these cell phones are

showing that they can lead to physical exhaustion and other physical problems. In response to

this Apple just created a new “Bedtime App” that allows people to receive the full amount of

hours of sleep per night with the ability to customize sleeping per night (Hughes). This is a great

solution to the problem but as shown previously, most people are so addicted to their phones that

they are kept up by the phones tricking their brains to think they need to stay awake. Henceforth
hardly anyone will continue to use this application once they want to check something on social

media or text people.

Phones and other electronics are bad for people’s health no matter how the issue is

viewed. These electronics cause physical, mental, and emotional health. They also decrease sleep

quality causing more health problems. People need to control their usage of cell phones and

realize just how harmful these devices can be. If they can manage to get this under control and

not be so sucked up into their devices for every minute waking till night then their lives will be

more sociable to actual people and much healthier.

Works Cited

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@PsychToday. "Smartphone Addiction." ​Psychology Today​. Web. 31 Oct. 2016.

@sleepfoundation. "How Technology Impacts Sleep Quality | Sleep.org." ​SleepOrg​. Web. 31

Oct. 2016.

AppleInsider. "Inside IOS 10: New 'Bedtime' Feature Helps You Get a Proper

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Bushak, Lecia, and Lecia Bushak Lecia Bushak Is a Writer and Reporter Focusing on Medical,

Science, and International News. Read More. "Smartphone Addiction: What Phone

Attachment Can Say About Our Brains." ​Medical Daily​. 17 Mar. 2016. Web. 27 Oct. 2016.

Buxton, Ryan. "Smartphone Addiction Has Turned Mobile Devices Into 'Our Other Limb'

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Lenhart, Amanda. "Cell Phones and American Adults." ​Pew Research Center Internet Science

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Admit Devices Are Ruining Their Relationships." ​Mail Online​. Associated Newspapers, 08

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2016.

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Addiction." ​Natural Living Ideas​. 01 Dec. 2015. Web. 31 Oct. 2016.