Parents and Teen Usage of a Cell Phone Essay Example

Have you ever fallen asleep messing around with your phone or electronic device? Have you ever looked up to see that it was 3:00 A.M.? In all honesty, we all have. When you wake up in the morning, you’re too tired to do anything. Teens don’t have much control over the impulse to use their phones when they shouldn’t.

Many teens have a hard time staying awake in class. This is due to sleep deprivation. According to, “Are Phones Making Us Zombies” Mackenzie Carro says that 43 percent of teens get less than seven hours of sleep when they’re supposed to get nine. With your parents helping control how much time you spend on your phone, you can get that nine hours of sleep you need.

Notifications can also deprive you of sleep. In the reading, Carro mentions that 72% of teens sleep with their phones nearby. Carro found this information from a website called,” Statistics: National sleep Foundation.” This is a problem because notifications can wake you up in the middle of the night. What your parents can do is tell you to turn your phone on Do Not Disturb. Or they can take your phone at night and give it back in the morning.

Phone addiction is the cause of all these problems you are having. The author explains what you can do to stop this addiction. She says that you can: 

1. Move your social media apps to the last screen on your phone, so you can’t see them when you turn it on.

2. Leave your phone in a different room while you sleep.

3. Put your phone in your bookbag or purse while out and about.

4. Reward yourself with phone time when you’re finished doing chores, homework, and studying.

5. Use a tracking app to set limits for how much time you’re spending on your phone.

All of these things can help with the problems you’re having with sleep deprivation and notifications.

I know it is way more fun to be able to use your phone without your parents controlling what you do on your phone and how you do it. You can earn highest rank, check out new stuff you think is cool and more. But doing all that all the time can cause you to lose sleep due to notifications and staying up all night playing on your phone. But there are health issues that come with it. Issues like decreased brain development, growth, and can cause cancer and tumors as well.

Now that you know what can happen if you become addicted to your phone, make the decision to talk to your parent or guardian to help you with these problems. If you are unable to get this help, take the initiative to help yourself. And before you know it, you’ll be happier and healthier.