Teen Cell Phone Use: Friend or Foe?

It's frustrating to friends, family, teachers, coworkers, customer service workers, police officers, government officials, and many others, yet we just can't get enough of it: talking on a cell phone. American teens have managed to squeeze talk, text, and photo-message time into every minute of their days - they're on the phone at Starbucks, when they order at restaurants, in line at the supermarket, at the gym, and on the road.

Today's teens are accustomed to constant contact and information at their fingertips. A teenager without a cell phone is seen as a flashback to the Stone Age, as rare these days as a person with a cell phone just 10 years ago. In 2000, just 5 percent of 13- to 17-year olds had cell phones, compared to 56 percent today, according to Linda Barrabee, wireless market analyst for The Yankee Group. Most teens have their first cell phones by the age of 15, and in many cases as young as 13. Teens are particularly vulnerable to the cell phone craze because they are hypersensitive to the opinions of their peers and want desperately to fit in. And fitting in now requires teens to be instantly available to their friends.

The Potential for Abuse
Surveys by telephone service providers indicate that the vast majority (over 94 percent) of parents agree that cellular phones are good for teens. The peace of mind in knowing that your child is just a phone call away is priceless to most parents. But embracing the benefits of cell phones requires an awareness of the dangers that go along with it.

For example, recent reports suggest some teens are using camera phones to share nude photos or bully other students. In addition, teens frequently put themselves and others at risk by talking and driving without a hands-free headset. Despite laws in many states making it illegal to use cell phones while driving, a study by the Insurance Institute for Highway Safety found that teenagers have been largely indifferent to these preventative measures.

Worse yet, evidence suggests many teens are becoming "addicted" to their cell phones. As pay phones and land lines become a thing of the past, millions of teens are becoming completely reliant on cell phones. Because most of us carry cell phones wherever we go, the potential for overuse is extremely high.

To many teens, cell phones are a multi-tasker's paradise. They can talk on the phone during their commute home from work or school or do homework or watch television while catching up on the latest gossip. But multi-tasking can be distracting and often results in doing a poor job of completing all tasks. It also can make people feel anxious, stressed, and overwhelmed.

In 2003, Rutgers University professor Sergio Chaparro tested his students' dependence on cell phones by asking them to turn off their cell phones for 72 hours. Of 220 students with cell phones, only three could bring themselves to complete the assignment. Of those that completed the assignment, many reported feeling anxious, stressed, and insecure without their mobile phones.

Worldwide, three billion people have mobile service. In Japan, the government has started a program warning parents and schools to limit cell phone use among children. An education reform panel has requested that Japanese cell phone manufacturers develop cell phones with only the talking function and GPS, which would help ensure children's safety, without the additional features like high-speed Internet that make cell phones so addictive.

Sleep Disturbances and Insomnia
In addition to problems in school, at work, and in interpersonal relationships, teens that are hooked on mobile phones tend to experience disrupted sleep, restlessness, insomnia stress, and fatigue, according to recent studies.

Researchers at the Sahlgren's Academy in Gothenburg, Sweden, found that teens who excessively use their cell phones (more than 15 calls and/or text messages a day) experienced increased restlessness, more careless lifestyles, more consumption of stimulating beverages, and more trouble falling and staying asleep than teens restricted to five calls or text messages a day. Gaby Badre, who led the study, also warned that "There seems to be a connection between intensive use of cell phones and health compromising behaviour such as smoking, snuffing and use of alcohol."

Although highly debated, it also appears that cell phone use can be detrimental to the human body. According to a report in the British newspaper The Independent, research from the Karolinska Institute and Uppsala University in Sweden and from Wayne State University in Michigan has linked the radiation emitted by mobile phones to sleep problems, confusion, and chronic headaches. Using phones before bed appears to delay and shorten the deep stages of sleep that help us feel rejuvenated and rested. In children and teens, the study found that the sleep disturbances caused by the radiation can trigger depression, mood swings, ADHD-like symptoms, and personality changes, and can impair concentration and academic performance.

Proper use of cell phones is difficult to monitor since they are small and portable and designed to be by our sides at all times. But the damage cell phones can cause, both physically and mentally, requires that parents remain vigilant in educating themselves and monitoring their children's cell phone use. Setting and enforcing limits around talk time, monitoring usage and monthly bills, and purchasing a service plan that limits the number of text messages and minutes available are all great ways to prevent cell phone abuse.