78% of Teens: One Addiction: Sandy Latour

 78% of Teens: One Addiction

Instagram, Flappy Bird, We Heart It, Facebook. Sound familiar? Time spent on mobile apps has now surpassed web consumption. As teens, we are so dependent on our smart phones that living without them wouldn't be an option. Applications are addictive, passing so many hours to none would be impossible and we need it to contact friends and family.


Firstly, applications make it hard to leave one's device. It becomes a habit to check notifications often. Time flies by when surfing the app in question and you never get bored. If you do, there is a countless number of applications that you can either download for free or buy at  low costs. From minutes to hours you can't get enough! New apps are always available, feeding the addiction and pushing it to continue. Not including web browsing, users spend an average of 81 minutes daily on mobile apps. These are definitely a reason why teens spend so much time on cellphones.

Secondly, completely getting rid of teenager's smart phones would be impossible. Going from about two hours to none is too much to ask. How often do you spend your evenings on your cell? Five times a week? Every night? It's addictive. Taking them away would be like taking away a drug consumer his drug or an alcoholic his alcohol. Electronic devices pass time and are such loyal friends. Never do they disappoint us. Of course, they are sometimes slow, but that happens to everyone. Parents, consider cellphones as toys. When we were little, they gave us a toy to play with and now they are always repeating to get off it. Senseless right? Plus, the newest technology, such as Iphones, are very costly and are the most demanded by teens. Spending time on it is a simply way to thank the person who paid for it.

Finally, cellphones allow teenagers to contact friends and family anytime. Let's face it: family, especially parents, are always worried about you. Since they need to be updated with your life and reassured about your safety, texting or calling them will bring comfort. Social networks are important pillars in a teens social life and contacting friends. You want to be there for your friends, even if you can't be physically present. Texting allows for fast communication when emergency news need to be known. Taking away one's smart phone is not a possibility since we depend on it and depend on our friends and family to have them too.

In conclusion, teenagers cannot live without their cellphones. Mobile apps are addictive and keep you from being bored. Morevoer, teens spend so much time on them that removing them would be painfull. Lastly, friends and family need a way to contact you and for you to contact them. It is time for parents to realize that we live in the 20th century.