Cause Effect Essay

Cause & Effect Essay: Cell Phone Usage
Look around next time you attend a big concert: More people are focused on balancing their phone over their heads than listening to the music. Cell phones can be a positive technological tool; yet, if used in the wrong way, can become quite a problem in today’s society. Common things that people do not even think about such as misinterpreting the meaning of a text message, texting or playing games on your phone during a math lecture, getting frequent headaches, or even calling someone while driving, ultimately could have a negative impact on one’s daily life. These common things include the following: interpersonal communication, the effects on academics and youth, health risks, and driving distractions. Solutions that not everyone will be willing to take include: limiting usage on phone, getting smaller data plans, and taking away phone when it becomes a problem.

Cell phones have not only become a method for communication, they have evolved into an entertainment gadget. Because these small, hand-held computers seem to do it all, young kids beg and plead for a cell phone. The average age for teens to receive their own cell phone is between 12 and 13. But that doesn’t mean you won’t see even younger children with phones. About 3 percent of children receive their cell phone under age 10, and 6 percent get them at age 10. Cell phones are a way that teenagers feel they can communicate with other individuals. According to one study, 84 percent of teens say they like that cell phones make it easy to talk to people. Additionally, the study states that 69 percent of teens say their cell phone is used as a form of entertainment and 47 percent say their social life would end without their cell phone. ("Cell Phones Key to Teens’ Social Lives, 47% Can Text with Eyes Closed.")

While cell phones provide an efficient and easy way to communicate with friends, family, and co-workers, excessive use can take a toll on your health. Mobile phones use transmitting radio waves through a series of base stations where radio frequency waves are electromagnetic fields that cannot break chemical bonds or cause ionization in the human body, says the World Health Organization (WHO). ("5 Reasons Why Cellphones Are Bad For Your Health.") Text bullying has become a serious problem among adolescents and teens. It can have devastating consequences, and parents may not even know it's occurring. Text bullying is sending mean, embarrassing, untrue, or hurtful message to or about someone using cell phone text messaging. This can also include sexting, or sending sexually suggestive text messages to someone or about someone. ("Text Bullying.”) If it was not for the cell phone, automobile accidents would greatly decrease, saving lives and money on car insurance. Cell phones have given us the ability to get ahold of anyone at any time no matter how far apart. Despite how nice this may seem, it does cause a lack of face to face communication. The mobile phone has become a primary mode of socializing for teens and they will often avoid contact with peers that don't have mobile phones, according to a study by Context. ("SafetyWeb.") People will become more nervous when talking to someone in person because they are not used to talking to someone without using text messages. You cannot tell the tone someone is using by text messages, they may mean one thing, but a person could take it totally different because you cannot actually hear the other person’s tone of voice like you could if you were having a conversation in person. This could lead friends to become enemies and hate each other just because of a misunderstanding that would not have happened if the conversation took place face to face. Cell phones may be great since people do not have to talk face to face, but that does cost humans the pleasure of face to face communication. Cell phones could be an English student’s worst nightmare. In English, spelling is a major part and if you cannot spell then you will most likely do terrible on your essays. While texting, I never use commas, bother to spell words correctly, and I never use punctuation. Also, texting causes people to avoid spelling out full by using acronyms or abbreviations such as saying wat instead of what or brb for be right back. You use these words while texting so often that you forget to do it correctly in class, causing you to lose points on an assignment. ("English Language." )

Some solutions that can be made to avoid some of the dangers of cell phones are not having an unlimited plan. An unlimited plan has no limit, making it easy to just sit on the phone all day. Get a family plan that shares the data, calls, and message usage and make anyone that goes over pay for the bill. Another solution, use a cell phone with younger teens as a prize for doing well in school for example; but, punish them when you notice their grades getting bad. Turn your cellphone off at night and keep a house phone for any emergency.

In conclusion, most people usually think about the negative effects of cell phones because of all the cool features they have. One cause of brain cancer is said to be from the radiation cell phones give off. Car accidents and pedestrian accidents can be caused from distractions due to texting and talking on the phone. Face to face communication was the only way to talk before the telephone, but now face to face communication has been lost. Most people do not care about grammar, but if you are in an English class, texting can significantly affect your grammar. Cell phones also cost money, which everyone does not have a lot of. Smartphones may be made to connect us to the world, but what they're also doing is disconnecting us from the moment. As you're sharing photos, earning likes and trending on Twitter, you're missing out on living. We have become so obsessed with recording every moment that we are missing the exact moment we want to relive later.

Works Cited
"English Language." The Negative Effects Of Cell Phone Usage English Language Essay. N.p., n.d. Web. 05 Nov. 2014.

"Text Bullying." - Bullying Statistics. N.p., n.d. Web. 02 Nov. 2014.

"SafetyWeb." Help Protect Your Child's Online Reputation From Damage. N.p., n.d. Web. 03 Nov. 2014.)

"5 Reasons Why Cellphones Are Bad For Your Health." Medical Daily. N.p., n.d. Web. 02 Nov. 2014.

"Cell Phones Key to Teens’ Social Lives, 47% Can Text with Eyes Closed." MHarrisInteractive. N.p., 23082008. Web.