Elena Cadenas

English 137H
Professor Babcock
11/4/2015
How Young is Too Young to Have a Cell Phone?
It was published this past April that 53% of children own a cell phone by age six
(Study). Some phone companies are specifically marketing their products to young kids,
such as Sprint with their WeGo devices (Boerma). Depending on family values, some children
may be fighting their parents to get a cell phone. Before the cell phone was created in 1973,
children spent their time outdoors, or playing with friends inside (Keith). Forty-two short years
later, over 90% of Americans own cell phones, a little less than half being under the age of 18
(Lenhart). There has been a shift in the age of children owning cell phones causing many social,
emotional, and physical implications.
When looking at this shift, the average age of cell phone owners can be observed in
increments of four years. The typical age of children owning a cell phone in 2004 was 17
(Lenhart). This number dropped to 13 in 2008 and in 2012 the age recorded was 10 according to
Pew Research Center. Now in 2015, the average age of children owning a cell phone is 6
(Study). According to the observations, the age at which children receive cell phones
approximately decreases by four every four years. If this trend continues, infants will be getting
cell phones within the next six years. This is highly unlikely, but the trends display that this
absurdity is a possibility.
A trend in the 1950s was mandatory family dinners. Children would come home from
school and would be free until 6 p.m. when dinner was placed on the table. This family time

created bonds that strengthened the family unit. Family discussions at the dinner table now are
very different. What was once an interaction without electronics is now bombarded with
technology. Cell phones linger under the table, the child trying to keep it out of sight of the
parents, or all members of the family are using their mobile devices. When not talking, or
stuffing ones face with mashed potatoes, what else is there to do but check Twitter? Many
people think they can multitask while eating dinner and talk to their family while texting friends;
however, it has been proven that multitasking is really just switching ones attention between
multiple things rapidly (Hamilton). This distracted focus is no way to create a close-knit family.
Along with the deterioration of family connections, people who have grown up with cell
phones act differently than the generations who were introduced to cell phones at an older age
(Hyman). The generations who have grown up with cell phones have become accustomed to
using their phones all of the time. They use it as a primary way to contact their friends and
interact with them (Lenhart). This changes the expectations for social interactions. Social
interactions transform into cellular interactions. Cellular interactions do not follow the definition
of social interactions, yet people think that they are having quality interactions through cell
phone interactions and that these cellular interactions are just as effective as social interactions. A
social interaction is the ability of two or more social beings to come into contact, and
communicate or acknowledge one another, each being aware of the other (Moffitt). With cellular
interactions communication may be occurring; however, there is no physical contact between the
people.
The best modes of communication utilize all senses because the more information given
to the brain, more emotion develops (Sherman). No matter what a person is doing on their cell
phone, only one to two senses are being utilized. With texting it is sight, and with phone calls it

is sound, and video chatting uses both. In person conversations utilize four out of the five senses:
sight by seeing the person, sound by hearing their voice, smell by smelling the pheromones given
off by the person, and touch by touching the person. Being able to actually see each other gives
comfort to all involved in the conversation. The person talking is comforted to know that the
other person is there to support them and that they value their thoughts. Hearing a person is one
way to become familiar with a person. It eases the body when a familiar voice is heard because
neurotransmitters are sent out from the brain to bring comfort to the body. Pheromones are
chemical signals given off by a person that changes another persons behavior towards them
(Pheromones and Smells). Pheromones are transmitted through smell and play a large role in
initial attractions of people. If a person is getting to know someone over the phone and they
really enjoy talking to them, but then when they hang out in person there is no connection, then
the connection only exists through the phone. Touch is one of the most powerful senses when
expressing emotions. This sense creates more positive interactions and a deeper sense of
connection with others (Chillot). When children are developing, being nurtured by their parents
is one of the most important things when bonding and feeling loved (Chillot). This interaction
creates an attachment that cannot occur in a conversation over the phone.
Discipline cannot be conveyed over the phone eitherespecially over a text message.
Yelling at a child over the phone may have some effect, but not as great of an effect as if the
punishment was occurring in person. The full anger of the parent is not conveyed over the cell
phone because of the lack of sensory stimuli the child is receiving. Parents do not accept the
wide use of cell phones in various locations. The younger generation that has grown up with cell
phones thinks that it is acceptable to use them everywhere. 50% of teenagers think that it is
acceptable to use their cell phones at a restaurant (Lenhart). Normally people do not go to

restaurants by themselves, so this means that they would be taking time away from interacting
with the people they are eating with to interact with others. If a woman was on a date and the
man was using his cell phone a lot, then she would most likely not go on another date with him
because she did not have his undivided attention (Hamilton). Since people are receiving cell
phones at a younger age, resulting in the acceptance of use in a variety of places, this mans
behavior may soon become socially acceptable, negatively changing social interactions.
Along with dating someone, if the relationship is to end, what is the right way to break up
with a person? A new trend is for relationships to end over the cell phone. People will either call
or text their partner to give them the hard news. It is shown that the younger generation is more
likely to end a relationship this way (Moffit). This is not very considerate of the other persons
feelings because when they get the heartbreaking news they may not be with other people to
comfort them. Just because the relationship is over does not mean the other person should not be
treated fairly. Relationships can also be jeopardized because people expect quick responses to
text messages, or they expect people to answer the phone. If a person does not respond in a
timely manner, then the other person can get irritated.
Since people do not want to irritate others, they check their phone frequently. The
average person checks their phone 110 times a day (Woollaston). This is to check to see if they
got a message, call, or just to check the time. The younger generation checks their phone more
often than the older generation. This results in the younger generation being impatient. The one
benefit of the younger generations obsession with their cell phones is that they are less likely to
lose them. Having the huge responsibility of owning an expensive device with a lot of personal
information on it makes it crucial for them not to lose it.

One reason parents buy their children cell phones is to teach responsibility (Study). It is
a privilege to own one, so it is the childs responsibility to make sure they keep good care of it
and not lose it. The thing that parents fail to understand is that giving children this valuable item
at a young age does not establish that it is a privilege to own one. If everyone owns one then it is
just a common occurrence. Since it has become so common for children to have a cell phone,
parents do not want their kid to be the one left out. They want their children to be able to keep in
touch with their friends. The other main reason parents say they gave their child a cell phone is
for safety reasons (Study). If they are not with their child then the child could at least call or
text the parent to let them know where they are, or if their kid is in a risky situation they can call
someone for help.
What parents need to consider when determining the age their child has to be to own a
cell phone is the health impacts. Is the cell phone really safe for the child? Cell phones give off
radiofrequency radiation (Are). This radiation is emitted from the cell phone and is absorbed
by the brain. The younger the person using the cell phone, the less developed their brain is,
which results in a greater absorption of the radiofrequency waves (Are). The absorption rate
of a five year old is 4.49 watts/kg, whereas an eighteen year olds is 2.93 watts/kg (Save).
This is due to the lack of development of the skull and brain of the child. The skull of a five year
old is .5 mm think, while the skull of an adult is 2 mm thick (Save). The brain is not fully
developed until the age of 25 (Bastir). The younger children start to use cell phones the more the
radiation impedes their brain development and has a possibility to cause tumors. The World
Health Organization states that a cell phone must be 20 centimeters away from a persons head to
reduce radiation frequencies.

In addition to keeping the cell phone away from ones head, it should not be stared at for
long periods of time. When staring at a screen, digital eye strain can occur (Borreli). Digital eye
strain is when a person is physically discomforted from staring at a screen for longer than two
hours (Hill). Spending significant amounts of time staring at a screen causes blink rates to
reduce. This results in dry, itchy, or burning eyes and can cause a headache. The vision council
concluded that along with the reduction of blink rates, the people who have digital eye strain
often experience changes in tear fluid, which is a problem similar to people with dry eye disease
(Hill). Digital eye strain can be caused by the reflection of light on the screen, or by the blue
light that is emitted from the screen. Lenses have been created to combat this problem. The
lenses have melanin to act as a filter of the light reducing the strain on the observer (Hill). Even
though treatments have been created to combat digital eye strain, many people are not going to
wear the lenses to reduce a discomfort in their eyes.
People also deal with the stress that comes along with owning a cell phone. Cell phone
users are always on edge because of the constant vibrating of their phones, or of other peoples
phones (Borreli). If a person is working on homework and their phone continuously buzzes, then
they will become even more stressed out and will end up looking at their phone, distracting them
from their work. When spending time with friends and only one persons phone is not buzzing it
stresses them out that no one is texting them. When this happens, the sole person whose phone is
not buzzing will endure negative emotions, making the mere presence of a phone cause negative
feelings (Borreli).
Negative feelings caused by cell phones can be sickness related too. The increase use of
cell phones increases the risk of illness (Borreli). According to the University of London, 92% of
cell phones sampled had bacteria on them. The bacteria is spread when a person touches their

phone with their hand and then does not wash their hands before touching their face, or eating.
The germs harbored on the cell phone can also reach a persons face when the phone is placed
against the persons cheek when answering a phone call. Grease and oil from a persons face also
contain germs that can grow on the surface of the cell phone.
Not only do germs affect the body, but the mere presence of a cell phone has negative
effects on the body. Chronic pain is one of the negative health effects of cell phone use. Pain
develops in the joints of peoples fingers from texting. Along with the pain in a persons fingers,
they can develop pain in their neck and back. Many people hold their phones at a comfortable
level for their arm, but this actually causes more pain in the end. Staring at a phone at this angle
causes a curvature in the neck that ruins the persons posture. To prevent this people can hold
their phones up by their face to keep their spine aligned (Borreli). This may look funny, but if it
can prevent future pain it may just be worth it.
People care about what others think about them, which will most likely lead them to not
partake in the treatments for the negative health impacts of cell phones. Due to the ever growing
demand of cell phones, companies could be looking for ways to create a device that reduces
these negative effects. A safer cell phone would make the decrease in the age that children
receive cell phones a little less daunting. Since cell phone companies are the main advocates for
promoting parents to purchase cell phones for their young kids, they should be the ones to
advocate for a change. Instead of focusing their time on the creation of new devices, they should
be advertising to increase the age children are receiving cell phones. They are the parents main
source of information about the impacts that cell phones have on children. Parents may think that
they are doing the right thing by giving their kids cell phones at young ages, but maybe before

they make this decision, they should seriously consider every possible effect that this decision
can have on not only their child, but also society.

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Woollaston, Victoria. "How Often Do You Check Your Phone? The Average Person Does It 110
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