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Ian Jones
Ms. Anderson
Hour 5
May 28, 2014
CELL PHONES: RUINING OUR SOCIETY
Living without a cell phone is like being zapped back to the Stone Age for most people,
but there was a time not too long ago when cell phones did not exist. About forty-one years ago
the cell phone was introduced, forever changing the face of society (Fox News). However, this
introduction has led to numerous bad things, making people wonder if cell phones have
destroyed our modern day society. The impact of cell phones can easily be seen through all of the
car crashes, social anxiety of the younger generation, and the laziness of people. These issues
would not be as big as they are today if cell phones were never invented.
Before the age of cell phone, driving under the influence of alcohol was the worst thing
that could be done while driving. Cell phones have since taken the lead for most dangerous thing
to do while driving. According to About.com and OnlinesSchools.com, texting while driving
makes a crash twenty-three times more likely than someone not texting while driving with a
BAC level of .08 make a crash only eleven times more likely than someone sober (About.com;
OnlineSchools.com). This chance is noticeably larger; the reason behind this is because while
texting, the drivers eyes are taken off the road, meaning the driver is not paying attention, when
intoxicated, the drivers eyes are still on the road, meaning that the driver is somewhat paying
attention (Masters). Texting while driving has also passed driving intoxicated for cause of most
teen deaths. According to Newsday.com, about 3,000 teens die annually because of texting while
about 2,700 teens die because of intoxication (Newsdays.com). Furthermore, about 300,000 teens

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will get injured due to texting and only about 282,000 will get injured due to intoxication
(Ricks). These deaths are not even the biggest problem with phones and driving; now about 70%
teens think that it is alright to text and drive because they think that there is no way that they will
be the one to cause a crash (Marino). All of these injuries, deaths, and skewed thoughts are the
direct cause of cell phones; none of these would have occurred if cell phones were not invented.
Back in the day, children would talk to each other like it was nothing, as the way it should
be. Now, due to cell phones, children are becoming more and more antisocial. It is stated in
DWI: Driving While Intexticated that 82% of Americans age sixteen and seventeen own a cell
phone. It can be inferred that most of them are texting, growing more antisocial with each text.
Children and teens also see cell phones as an escape (Suval). What happens when a child if put
in an uncomfortable situation? The child will pull out their phone and pretend to text. Three
million people agree to doing this, whether it I s on the bus, waiting in public, or just walking by
someone on the streets (Christian). This action may seem like no problem, but it is making
children unable to have face to face conversations. Studies show that cell phone usage is linked
to social anxiety, along with lower grades and a negative outlook on life (Wood). In addition to
all of the social anxiety, cell phones also open a door to cyber-bullying. Cyber-bullying is not the
same as normal bullying as it can happen at any time, it is not face to face, and pictures can also
be involved (stopbullying.gov). The lack of face to face conversation is the key to how cyberbullying can hurt people more than regular bullying. When people bully each other in person,
they normally will take a beating for it, but that does not happen behind the screen. The child
being cyber bullied will still have the same effects of regular bullying: decreased self-esteem and
increased anxiety. However the person who is cyber-bullying also suffers from the same effects
(Cuncic). Children who suffer from social anxiety will cyber-bully for two main reasons: it

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makes them feel better about themselves and they are too scared to do it in person. Now because
of cell phones, children can no longer keep a face to face conversation going and many fall
victim of social anxiety.
Going outside to play used to be one of the most fun things children could do, but yet
again cell phones have changed that. Since their introduction, cell phones have been responsible
for decreased physical activity, increasing laziness. In 1980, around the introduction of cell
phones, childhood obesity was at 6.5 percent, now it is at 19.6 percent (Caputo and Mackarey).
The reason children are obese is because of decreased activity and laziness. Cell phones make
children less likely to go do physical activities because they are so busy with mobile games and
texting. In addition to mobile gaming and texting, cell phones have also made our live very
simple; we no longer have to go to the bank, post office, or store as all of it is online (Rodriguez).
Obesity has also been linked to health effects such as heart failure. In a childs head, they think
Why should I go outside with my friends if I can just text them and I can play sports on my
phone so why should I do them in real life. These thoughts are the underlying reason behind
laziness. It is not that children cannot go outside and do something; it is that they do not want to
go outside and do something. Once again, his effect is linked to cell phones and how much they
are overused.
In conclusion, cell phones are indeed ruining our society. The major cause of car crashes
is texting while driving, not intoxication. Children and teens can no longer have a face to face
conversation and suffer from social anxiety. Child obesity is higher that it has ever been due to
the laziness that cell phones cause. All of these negative issues are a direct cause of cell phones.
These effects have also only taken place in the past forty-one years, what will society look like in
forty more years? If cell phone usage is not decreased soon, society could be ruined forever.

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Works Cited
"The First Mobile Phone Call Was Placed 40 Years Ago Today." Fox News.com. FOX News
Network, 03 Apr. 2013. Web. 15 May 2014.
Marino, Kristin. "DWI: Driving While Intexticated - Infographic." INFOGRAPHIC: DWI:
Driving While Intexticated. N.p., 22 June 2012. Web. 15 May 2014.
Masters, Jacob. "Texting While Driving Vs. Drunk Driving: Which Is More Dangerous? - Brain
Injury Society." Brain Injury Society. N.p., 27 Oct. 2013. Web. 14 May 2014.
Ricks, Delthia. "Study: Texting While Driving Now Leading Cause of Death for Teen Drivers Newsday." Newsday. N.p., 08 May 2013. Web. 15 May 2014.
T, Buddy. "The Cold, Hard Facts About Drinking and Driving." About.com Alcoholism. N.p., 30
Apr. 2014. Web. 14 May 2014.
Christian, Carol. "Pretending to Text in Awkward Situations." Inside East Harris County. N.p.,
13 Nov. 2009. Web. 16 May 2014.
Cuncic, Arlin. "What Is Cyber Bullying?" About.com Social Anxiety Disorder. N.p., 27 Aug.
2013. Web. 16 May 2014.
Suval, Lauren. " Does Texting Hinder Social Skills? - World of Psychology." Psych
Central.com. N.p., 2 May 2012. Web. 15 May 2014.
"What Is Cyberbullying." Home. N.p., n.d. Web. 14 May 2014.
Wood, Janice. " Students Frequent Cell Phone Use Tied to Lower Grades, Higher Anxiety Psych Central News." Psych Central.com. N.p., 7 Dec. 2013. Web. 15 May 2014.

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Caputo, Janet, and Paul J. Mackarey. "Kids, Computers and Childhood Obesity." - HealthScience. N.p., 16 Sept. 2013. Web. 16 May 2014.
Rodriguez, Donna. "Technology Is Leading to Laziness - The Roundup News." The Roundup
News. N.p., 01 Mar. 2010. Web. 16 May 2014.