I have never known a world without smartphones. The instant I came into this world, my photo was texted to family. As I grew, phones evolved from helpful tools of connection to all-consuming weapons of disconnect.
Eyes became glued to screens, seeking validation from social media, craving easy dopamine in scrolling and relying on the comforts of distraction to escape reality. We have become addicts. But what would happen to the world if we removed the very thing we rely upon?
North Dakota recently passed legislation to ban phone usage during the school day, hoping to limit distractions and improve mental health and relations. Theoretically, this sounds ideal. But is it practical? Our generation has grown up with phones, so we use them for our productivity, setting reminders for homework, communicating with parents when involving a teacher is uncomfortable, staying updated about extracurriculars and studying using apps. Eliminating phones inhibits these benefits.
I doubt this legislation will improve mental health. When teens claim their devices after school, they will return to their old habits. Phones must be eliminated entirely to fix mental problems. Conversely, relations could improve when screens aren’t hindering socialization. However, improving mental and social health is only possible through intrinsic motivation, not removal of the scapegoat.
Teenagers need to be reminded phones are not evil. Actually, all of society needs to hear this. Our generation is condemned for the phone addiction we grew with, but this epidemic affects everyone.
We need to stop fearing smartphones and realize the criminal is our dependence. This new legislation cannot solve our problems, because it ignores the root cause. It unfairly places blame on teenagers when adults have a problem, too, which only leads to rebellion.
The only rehab for our addiction is innermost motivation to put the phone down, thus protecting one’s own mental health, relations and education. The world runs on technology, but we cannot allow technology to run us.
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Joanie McCormack, 15, is a sophomore at Legacy High School. She is the daughter of Jesse and Cheryl McCormack, members of Capital Electric Cooperative.
