The Effects of Cell Phones on Teenagers

Cell phones are a great invention and a popular way to communicate---half of all Americans and Europeans use one. They allow us to work on the go and stay in touch. When put in the hands of a teenager, however, they can have some effects of which adults should be aware.

Security

Cell phones provide security for teens and parents who worry about them; help is never out of reach and parents can check on their children easily.

Socialization

Young people's ability to communicate is extended---they can reach more people (including family) on a daily basis with cell phone speech and texting.

Individualization

While extending teens' ability to communicate, cell phones also limit feedback to expression to one's peers (or those on the "friends" list), making life more solitary by narrowing the variety of personalities encountered in daily life.

Emotional Attachment

Teens' natural tendency to follow trends may result in an emotional attachment to a cell phone (in its latest model) that is out of scale with its actual value. Some teens may even develop an "addiction" to the device that excludes anything not viewed or heard through it.

Virtual Life

Cell phones allow only verbal, disembodied relationships at a time when adolescents should be working on developing a sense of their own---and others'---physical space.

Limits

Texting and short, spontaneous conversation limit development of the ability to converse in complete thoughts and form complete sentences.

Safety

Cell phones are a distraction---a hazard for new drivers, people who lack adult experience, reaction ability and spatial perception.

Resources

• Psychological effects
• Adolescents and cell phones
• Teens, cell phones and automobiles