We can all agree our generation has been affected greatly by the endless advancements in technology, and the impact is so apparent it can be spotted by sitting in a room of teenagers for just one minute, friends or not.

I could talk all about computers, video games, television, iPads, tablets… the list goes on, but I think the real problem is the 4.8in. by 2.3in. device that can literally travel anywhere with your person. I believe that phones are one of the top contributors to the decline of our social interactions. They are distracting, and make it impossible to pay attention to others.

I mean, yeah, I get it you can keep up with your friends, your family, people who are not your friends, and basically anyone if you know their name, that’s pretty important. You can see what they are doing, read about what they had for breakfast, or text them about the crazy math sub you had. But, how important are these things when you are actually in person with other friends or even the people who sent the tweet, or posted the picture.

As a 16 year old girl, and a junior in highschool, cell phones are similar to the fact about spiders, the one that goes like “you are never more than 5 feet away from a spider” or something along those lines. Just replace the word “spider” with “cell phone” and you get high school.

Believe me when I say “Hanging out” has taken on a whole new meaning.

I may have just told my friend a whole story and when they finally look up from their phone all they say is... “What?” It’s frustrating trying talk to someone when they haven’t even made eye contact the whole time, and then all they say is “Yeah”, “Okay”, or “Uh-Huh”, and you know they are paying little to no attention.

This isn’t a problem just with people my age either. Don’t get me wrong, teenagers are terrible when it comes to phones, but put me in a room trying to talk with an adult on their phone and you may as well have put me in a room trying to talk to a brick wall.

Even Brandon Kiem, an adult from a NOVA study, explains his thoughts on it as, “Perhaps it feels unnatural for people like me precisely because it is unnatural. If I'd grown up multitasking, my mind would be attuned to its rhythms and demands, and might even have benefited from them.”

Teens are still not perfect, obviously. Even at multitasking we may not be great, but adults struggle… a lot, and I know from first hand experience.

I know to never start a conversation with my mom or dad if they on their phones. I know they won’t hear a single word that I have to say. I know I’ll have to go through the whole process of repeating myself, and by the time I’m done telling them for the second time, and waiting for a response, they will probably have received another text, and I will have to wait until their essential phone conversation is over in order to get answer.

All we really need is a few things to change our increasing dependence on our phones.

We need to give people the common courtesy they deserve and take a few minutes away from our phones and give them the attention they deserve.

Take time away from your phone.

Gaze at the gorgeous mountains five feet above you.

Hang out with your friends and actually be there with them.

Put your phone down at the dinner table and hear about the crazy patient your mom had at work today.

Ask yourself what you remember most about yesterday? Most likely is was something that happened in class, or with your friends, probably not the text your friend sent you. Then ask yourself in the grand scheme of life will you make more memories on your phone, or actually going out and experiencing life?

This growing problem is easily fixable, emphasis on easy. All we need is a wake up call so let this be yours. It is okay to spend some time catching up with old friends you are not able to see anymore, or see what your cousins are doing through twitter or instagram, but don’t forget to catch up with the friends and family you can actually be with in the real world.

Works Cited

Keim, Brandon. "Is Multitasking Bad For Us?" PBS. PBS, 02 Oct. 0012. Web. 10 Sept. 2014.