I was in a rush to school one day, I  was a  minute away from being late. The second I parked my car I ran right out, trying to make it in time I didn’t even realize what I forgot until I got to class. I forgot my phone I have  never gone a day in school without my phone; I didn’t know what to do with myself. I thought about going back out to get it, but the lot was so far away and it was snowing out. I had no choice but to go the entire day without it. This was the most I have ever understood what was going on in my classes.

A whopping 97% of students use their phone during class for noneducational purposes. This means that only 3% of students aren’t distracted by a device throughout the day. These statistics are insanely alarming, especially coming from someone experiencing this first hand. 

You are lying to yourself if you say that you don’t check your phone every few minutes throughout the day. I know that my peers and I are constantly texting, snapping and Tik Toking during class, which completely consumes all of our attention. 

The average screen time for a teenager in America today is 9 hours. 9 hours out of a 24-hour day, and you are sleeping for at least 8 of those hours. That is more than half of your day staring at a screen and most of that time is during the school day. Almost to all teenagers are completely addicted to their devices. Most of us  can’t do anything about it. 

Why does this matter? This problem is affecting the entire world and is having severe effects on people’s mental health and grades.It is proven that “the internet is hurting students’ long term retention and resulting in lower grades on exams.” Your phone lowers your attention span for all other activities that you participate in. There has been a significant drop in test scores and grades in general since phones have been allowed. It’s not that people aren’t smart anymore; it’s simply the fact that they are distracted. Teachers complain all the time about this because they notice it as well. 

I am always on my phone in math class, half paying attention. After I scored a 55 on a test in that class, I made a promise to myself not to go on my phone at all during this period. The next math test I took I scored a 94 on. I did not study for either test. This opened my eyes to how much my device affects my personal life. I bet if any of you tried what I did, you would also see a drastic change in your next test grade. The worst part is, I know that in order to get good grades I have to get off my phone, but I feel like I can’t. Even though I know better, I do it anyway despite my efforts to try harder.

As well as having a negative impact on your grades, a cell phone also takes a toll on your mental health. Studies have shown that phone use, specifically social media consumption, increases depression, anxiety, and OCD. Way more teenagers today are depressed than ever before, and this is a main reason why. 

If you want to get your life together and be successful in the real world, you have to face this problem. You must take control of your life because you only get one of them. Want to be the best version of yourself so you can feel good about yourself? Focus on your accomplishments and the good things in life and just put your phone down. Find your true happiness. Trust me; it is worth it.

By Maddison O’Conner