Are You Distracted by Your Phone? 

Stella

Have you ever been doing homework and all of a sudden you end up scrolling through your Instagram feed until it is 12:00 am and you have no homework done? Unfortunately, this happens to many students whilst studying. This is the exact reason why phones are a distraction to children and teens.

First off, mobile phones are extremely distracting due to the vast amount of notifications you might get on a daily basis. Some may say that it is easy to mute notifications while studying. On the other hand, you might get tempted to pick up your phone and check all of your messages. The University of Chicago states that even if mobile phones are turned off, face down, or put away, their mere presence reduces people’s cognitive capacity. It is very difficult to discipline yourself to limit your phone use even if your phone is in silent mode, however, it is proven to improve academic performance for students. 

In addition, using your phone can lead to procrastination. For example, if you are doing homework and you get a notification, you will obviously unlock your phone and check your message. You can effortlessly lose track of time and end up scrolling through your social media apps for hours. This can certainly steer students away from staying on task and doing homework. According to the PEW Research Center, 67% of smartphone owners have admitted to checking their phones for calls or messages when their phones didn’t vibrate or ring.

Finally, many teens have an addiction to their mobile phones and it impacts their academic performance. Studies have shown that students who do are not addicted to their phones earn higher test scores in school. Banning phone use can allow students to focus on acquiring foundational learning skills they need, including reading, writing, and math. 

In conclusion, it is obvious that phones do distract you. The mere presence of your phone can easily tempt you to pick up your phone. Phones should be limited or out of sight when studying or working.

Alvie

 Have you ever been told “Put down your phone please” or “You’re addicted to your phone!” Well, I’ve most certainly have. I’ve been flustered with those phrases countless amounts of times by my parents. This is told to too many kids. Most parents believe using your phone is disappointing or too distracting. In my opinion, all you need are strategies or ways to lower your phone usage. You are not distracted by your phone!

 Students may be unfocused or may procrastinate when having their phones near them but all issues are preventable. There are multiple strategies that are easy to do and use if you want to be more productive with your work and phone usage:

First of all, you can mute your notifications or even turn them off. That way, you won’t be able to hear or see distractions that may interfere with work and other activities. All you have to do is go on to an app and switch off the notifications and abracadabra, you can now work without hearing the constant DING!

 Charging your phone or putting an alarm to a specific percentage or time is a way to cut down on phone usage. If you charge your phone to maybe 50%, 75%, or even 100% you can set a rule that once it’s out, it’s out. With alarms, setting an amount of time helps so when you hear a RING!; You know your time is up.

 Thirdly, using your phone teaches yourself self-discipline mostly because it’s your choice whether you choose to be addicted or distracted by your phone. You can either choose to scroll through Instagram for most parts of the day or decide to limit yourself to a certain time constraint. 

As you can see, you have a choice and are not addicted to your phone. Having your phone just makes you more disciplined as no one is forcing you to put down your phone, even if you have rules. Limiting your phone usage is a piece of cake and is easy for everyone.