In the 21st century, cell phones play a huge role in everyone’s day-to-day life. Most of the phone usage in the world ranges from (12-17) year olds, and almost everyone in that age range is in either middle school high school. There are approximately 237 million people in the United States with a cell phone, so you most likely won’t see that many people without a phone.

On every iPhone, there’s a setting you can activate to check how long you’re on your phone each day. It has different categories that lets you see what your most active on. You go into settings, scroll down until you see “Screen Time,” click on your name on top, and select “Last 7 Days” and it will display the hours and weekly time your phone has been used. It will also show the top three frequently used categories.

Student Jorge Castro, a senior at Taft High, says his grades are “… alright, A’s, B’s and one D.” He doesn’t “…spend a lot of time on homework, but I do all my work at school.” Castro also said he doesn’t think his grades would improve if he used the amount of time on his phone and dedicate it to studying. Jorge Castro spends a total of 4 hours and 7 minutes a day on his phone. The total amount he spends a whole week is 33 hours. He spends at least 16 hours and 36 minutes on “Social Networking,” 12 hours and 11 minutes on ‘Entertainment’, and 4 hours and 6 minutes on “Other.”

Rodrigo Rodela, a sophomore in high school, felt that if he used the amount of time on his phone and dedicated it to studying his grades “…would stay the same.” His current grades are grades are decent,” and he, “spends 30 minutes each day studying.” Rodrigo spends a total of 7 hours and 5 minutes a day on his phone. His weekly hours are 49 hours and 35 minutes a day. He spends 31 hours and 19 minutes a week on “Social Networking,” 6 hours and 45 minutes on “Entertainment,” and 3 hours and 41 minutes on “Gaming.”

Rene Torres, a senior at Taft High, felt differently about his phone usage and its effect on her grades. His grades “…are average,” and he “spends about 3 hours studying a week.” Torres feels that “If I stopped using my phone as much my grades would improve, yes.” Rene Torres spends at least 9 hours and 18 minutes a day on his phone. His weekly total was 65 hours and 10 minutes. He spends 23 hours and 3 minutes on “Social Networking,” 16 hours and 57 minutes on “Other,” and 7 hours on “Games.”

Many of the people I interviewed had “Social Networking,” as their number one most used category, ranging from 16 hours to 31 hours. Why do so many teenagers spend so much time on social media? Why do they decide to be on their phones instead of studying for an upcoming test or read a book they need to finish?

That’s why, right now, instead of browsing through any social media network, I would recommend picking up a book or studying for something that you have upcoming. We should all stop using our phones so much and be more social.