Cell phones
The negative side of cell phones
By Melanie Hodet
I was sitting at a basket ball game a little while ago and as I looked around at the people around me sitting in the stands, I noticed a girl that looked to be about 13 or 14 texting on her phone. I looked around at the other people in the stands the other teens that I saw were all either talking on there phones or texting people on their phones. I looked at all of the adults and they were talking to other people and watching the game that was going on. The adults seemed to be more social and outgoing while the teens seem to be anti-social. There was 3 little kids that were about 4 or 5 that didn’t know each other, but they just started playing with each other. It seemed that the adults and the young children were being social and interacting with other while the teens that we sitting at this game were being very anti -social and keeping to themselves and just texting on their cell phones. What has happened to teens? It seems that teens have become less social in public situations.
Texting in the past couple of years alone has become more popular. Phones are now coming out with full key boards in the phones. Just to make it easier for people to text. Cell phone developers are making it even easier for teens to be even more anti- social. Teens have developed different social patterns then adults have. Most adults, when they are in public, have no problem starting up a conversation with someone even if they don’t know them. That’s something that they grew up doing and seeing their parents do. But now teens have become less social around people and one of the biggest reasons is because of texting.
Why is their such a need to text people. Many times I have seen teenagers out to dinner with a parent or adult and they are not talking to them, instead they are texting friends. Are teens losing the ability to talk to adults, and even further isolating themselves from people. It seems that people that are 25 and older are completely comfortable talking and starting conversations with people. They are very social and like talking to new people face to face. Yet that’s does not seem like the case in teens.
Kids at younger and younger ages are getting cell phones. There are kids that are barley teens that are begging their parents for phones. What is a 12 year old going to do with a cell phone? Yet so many young kids have cell phones. If kids are getting cell phones at younger ages then they are going to start being more anti-social and distant from adults even younger. They don’t need to talk to the people around them when they can just sit there and text their best friends instead. Texting is having a negative effect on teens social skills.
Social skills are an important thing to have. When teenagers get older and are looking for a job they are going to have to be able to have good social skills and be able to talk to people. Not use their cell phones to talk. The language that they use in texting has started to become how teens talk. They use the first letter of every word or other short hand ways of talking. Again by talking with short hand to people that are older then them, most of the time the adult has no idea what the person is saying. If teens continue to use short hand to talk then they are going to keep isolating themselves even more from adults.
The biggest thing that has changed is the way that adults talk and the way that teens talk. People over 25 didn’t grow up with cell phones. Adults have more social skills then it seems that teens have. Now younger teens are growing up with cell phones and the ability to text others instead of engaging and interacting with other people in public or in social situations. This is creating a new generation of people that are more anti-social and isolated from others.
mwalsh @ April 10, 2008
I believe this to be true as well. I don’t think that kids or even young teens should be getting cell phones. It is the new technology, but they can afford to wait until they are more capable of owning one. They should wait until they are ready to be more independent of their parents.
You have a personal approach to this story that works very well and draws the reader in by using firsthand accounts. A few things I noticed is that you use “it seems” a lot and it makes the reader feel you are not confident in your beliefs, or are sitting on the fence about the topic. Take a stand and say “teens are more anti-social”; but to do this you’ll need to use more research on the topic and less opinion. Overall I really enjoyed the article and feel you have a very effective writing style.
I really enjoyed reading this, because it is so true. I am guilty of this a lot of the time, but I never really thought about it until I was babysitting for a 8 and 9 year old and they both have their own cell phones.. Like what is the point
I agree with this article. I feel that adults are more social and willing to talk more with others because they didn’t grow up with cell phones. Our generation grew up with cell phones and it has just become second nature to sit and text or call instead of having a conversation with the person.
I agreed with this article as well. What is happening to teenagers these days? I think that cell phones are making teenagers anti-social. These new cell phones are giving teens the “too cool”, attitude. The appropriate age for teens to get their cell phones is when they start driving so they can call for assistance when they need it.
I agree that this has become more of a problem; especially with the younger end of our generation. It will be interesting to see if the world becomes completely digital. Afterall, we can already shop online, take classes online, and chat… and then there is what your article addresses… texting verus giving someone a call or even just chating with the person next to you instead of being on the phone.