The ability to communicate is important in today’s mobile society. One communication option is a cellular phone. Having a cellular phone, also known as cell phone, offers you different features. Some features include storage capabilities, a camera and its small size. These, and others, are some reasons why a cell phone is good to have.

However cellphones have become a real plague in our society. Not only have they been proven to hurt your health, they can also hurt society.

Everywhere you look, you see people walking down the street with their eyes glued to the small screen in their hands. Gone are the days of Beauty and the Beast, where Belle was a book worm, and had her nose stuck in great classics.

Cell phones have also created less unity with families and the people around them. While waiting for food at a restaurant, a person will be looking at their work e-mails, and in turn make the other person feel less important. Another uncomfortable and rude situation is when a person invites a friend over, and the entire time she/he is waiting for a text or is texting another friend. The next generation (or so) is not going to ever be able to connect with another person, confront someone, or talk to someone face to face. People skills will have rapidly declined, because when a person is writing, he or she feels safe. He is more secure and more confident that he would be in person

Staring at your mobile device can cause problems in your vision later in life. Screens on mobile devices tend to be smaller than computer screens, which mean you are more likely to squint and strain your eyes while reading messages. According to The Vision Council, more than 70 percent of Americans don’t know or are in denial that they are susceptible to digital eye strain.

The high frequency of cell phone use can have negative effects on our stress levels. The constant ringing, vibrating alerts, and reminders can put a cell phone user on edge.

In a study conducted at the University of Gothenburg, Sweden, researchers examined if there is a direct link between the psychosocial aspects of cell phone use and mental health symptoms in young adults. The participants of the study included 20 to 24 year olds who responded to a questionnaire, in addition to a one-year follow-up.

Researchers found high mobile phone use was associated with stress and sleep disturbances for women, whereas high mobile phone use was associated with sleep disturbances and symptoms of depression in men.

“I use my phone every day, using YouTube, playing games, and using social media. I can honestly say however, that I don’t get any work done and it gives me stress because it distracts me from doing my school work”, Landon Pace said.

Overall, excessive cell phone use can be a risk factor for mental health issues and becoming unsocial in young adults.

The ability to communicate is priceless and a cell phone increases that ability, but at the same time decreases it. When it comes time for a job interview, you cannot just send a resume in or how about a college interview. Cell phones make it easy it to communicate in times of emergencies, and in general they make life more efficient. In the end though, the updates and new features have completely ruined society more than anything: texting, internet, music, etc.

“They’re ruining our generation. It’s kinda like our whole entire generations lives revolve around this tiny little screen, and we don’t even care about the outside world anymore. Why do we do that?”, Cheyenne Zilko said.

So what do you think of cell phones now?