"I fear the day that technology will surpass our human interaction. 

The world will have a generation of idiots"  --  Albert Einstein

Smartphones have a mind of its own, it lures humans into its screens and brainwashes the human brain to believe that the world inside the screen is more important (Gleeson). Even with its powerful abilities, there are still large majorities of the population that owns such a device. Due to the large amount of users, the reliance on smartphones is vastly increasing. The reliances and heavy usage of smartphones are creating an obsession in a wide range of ages, especially in teens. As one living in the Age of Technology Advancement, we cannot ignore the conveniences of smartphones. Smartphone usage is currently a controversial topic as many argue the problems smartphones are arising but ignore it due to the fact that they cannot resist the conveniences of it. One problem that should be addressed today is the declination of a healthy human lifestyle due to heavy smartphone usage. This however does that mean smartphones should be obliterated. Instead, to prevent this disruption, it is necessary to find the right balance between smartphone usage and a healthy lifestyle. Through finding the right balance, one will be able to maintain a healthy lifestyle and relationship with their smartphone.

As of 2014 Ericsson, network experts, researched that 2.6 Billion of the population in the world are smartphone users (Boxall). Andy Boxall mentions that Ericsson estimates that the number will rise to 6.1 Billion by 2020. As the number of smartphone users continue to increase in the world, currently in America 90% of the population are cell phone users and about 58% of those being smartphone owners (Segran). With such a large amount of users, studies have shown that users are heavily impacted by smartphones, especially in teens and tweens. Parents of teen smartphone users are most concerned about the convenient access to the internet smartphones provide. The internet leads to many negative issues such as cyberbullying, sexting, and many more. Another problem that is concerning is social interaction skills. Studies have shown a declination in social interacting amongst one another to be declining each year as technology continues to advance. With heavy reliance on smartphones, a large amount of time is invested in using the smartphone. This is causing psychological problems such as anxiety and depression to increase which is causing an increase in sleep deprivation amongst teens. Even with these concerns, there are still many positive outcomes. Through a touch of a button, smartphones can enable a huge variety of information. One can access their email, the GPS, call, text, social media, and get answers to questions right away. The conveniences of smartphones have made life easier. Through its conveniences, studies have shown that smartphones help one reduce stress because it takes users into a different dimension, away from facing reality. However, because of these conveniences our healthy lifestyles have started to be disrupted. 

Parents are often second questioning whether or not to purchase the newest smartphone device for their child, teen. The reason being the potential dangers the internet arises. Cyberbullying, sexting, and online predators are the top concerns to parents of teen smartphone users. Due to these dangers parents are often against smartphones, preferring the flip-phones or better yet no phones. The biggest concern that is focused on in this paper is cyberbullying. Cyberbullying Research Center defines cyberbullying as something that " ...  takes place using technology-driven communication tools ... " They state that "smartphones allow for access to social media platforms as well as texting, and provide a host of benefits ... however, some misbehaviors are also enabled through these devices" (Smartphone Apps and Bullying). Social media often is the source of where cyberbullying and harassment occur. With smartphone's instant access to social media studies have shown an increase in cyberbullying and an increase in psychological behaviors. A true story of a girl whose life was taken because of the dangers of the internet is a result of internet access of a smartphone. Amanda Todd was the teen girl who was cyberbullied and sexually harassed on social media which resulted in her committing suicide. With an increase in smartphone users, Dave Pierzchala states that it is " ... [giving] teens greater unsupervised access to social networking sites than ever before" (Shaw). Dave Pierzchala conducted a study which showed, " ... that bullying has moved from face-to-face, to cyber-bullying, to mobile-bullying" referencing that due to the increased smartphone usage in teens cyberbullying is now becoming mobile-bullying, which is the same concept of bullying (Shaw). Due to the conveniences of smartphones it is now even easier to cyberbully someone. 

As a student how many internet safety classes have you attended? How many of the lectures have you been forced to go sit in hours for by the school? It cannot be stressed how dangerous the internet can be. Cyberbullying, harassment, sexting, and online predators are not something taken seriously enough during the teenage years. This is due to the fact that we have never encountered one but there are many people that surround us that go through the pain of it. With smartphones giving instant access to the internet, internet safety is a major concern for everyone, especially teens. The solution to avoiding the dangers are not to, " ...  [unplug your kid's computer or [shut] down their smartphone" but rather is to provide them, " ... education and strategies to keep children safe online" (Shaw). Through emphasized on strategic ways to protect themselves will be the best method in enforcing internet safety. Education through real-life stories, guest speakers, and first-hand experience of the hazards of the internet will be the most efficient way for one to understand the dangerous. Humans, especially teens, are stubborn in which it is hard to state a problem without allowing one to be in the situation. Through first-hand experience educating the dangers of internet safety will be more successful. Also education of internet safety should start early in school, as smartphones and other devices are available to people of all ages. One reason for Amanda Todd's death was that she, " ... learned too late about the dangers of the Internet" (Shaw). If she was given the education at an earlier time she might have been able to prevent the tragedy. Cyberbullying Research Center proposes, "Speak up. Speak out" allowing app developers to note what is happening to their apps (Smartphone Apps and Bullying). Through writing  --  blogs, comments, articles  --  people will be able informed that " ... they are contributing to a culture tolerant or even supportive of cyberbullying" when they purchase the app or use the app (Smartphone Apps and Bullying). Humans are not cold-hearted being in which we do not care about the dangers of others. We do not want to see others suffer through the unjust behavior of another  --  cyberbullying, sexual harassment, sexting. With increasing smartphone users, only through the form of action and education will the dangers of Internet be prevented. 

From the long hours of smartphone usage, we are now drawn into smartphones. We cannot back away from it. This is starting to cause one of the biggest skills that we as humans need, social interaction. In order words, we are becoming more antisocial even though we are constantly using Social Media to stay social. Renny Glesson in one of his Ted Talks he mentions the small tricks that we do during a social event, having a lunch, or having a conversation just to check our phones. He mentions that the notification on the phone is more important that the person that is right beside you, the smartphone is brainwashing our brain to believe that only the world inside the screen is important. Gleeson shows pictures in which they demonstrate cases where humans cannot tie back from checking their smartphone. In one of the pictures there was a couple that were holding hand in one hand and was scrolling on their IPhone with their other hand (Gleeson). This has happened when my friend was out on a date with his girlfriend and Snapchatted me the whole time they were out. Another scenario that is the most popular in college environment is scrolling on social media before class starts. Instead of socializing with your peers you look on social media so you do not have to worry about maintain a conversation with someone you are not close friends with. Melissa Ortega says in an interview with The Huffington Post that as a child psychologist in New York's Child Mind Institute that she will often encounter, " ... high school kids who [she does] see will [check] their phones constantly ...  as an avoidance strategy" so that they can " ... see if they got a text message in the two minutes they were talking to [her]" (Bindley). The avoidance strategy Ortega mentions is like the avoidance college teens make in order to avoid socializing with someone they are not close with. This is causing one to not know, " ... how to handle conflict face to face" and with smartphones the, " ... [dependency] on devices can make it ... harder for children who are already struggling socially" (Bindley). In the long run this will impact social interacting skills such as during interviews. Therefore, social interaction should not be decreasing, humans should be connected. A pediatric occupational therapist, Cris Rowan, states that, "as children and parents are attaching more and more to technology, they're detaching from each other ... .as a species we need to connect ... that's just a fact for any living organism; it doesn't do well when it's on its own" (Bindley).  With the lack of social interacting, it is causing a deterioration in creativity. As Albert Einstein said, "I fear the day that technology will surpass our human interaction. The world will have a generation of idiots." Without smartphones and its abilities, the human brain has been surpassed. 

Rather than just recognizing that there are problems arising with social interaction skills, a solution should be created. Only through creativity will smartphones not outtake our healthy human lifestyle. Stephanie Burg-Brown proposes that through the having and purchasing the right apps on our devices would help maintain the perfect balance. She recommends for one to dedicate time away from their smartphone even if it is just for a few hours. This would allow one to be able to spend time doing smartphone-free activities that are stress-free and happy. Her proposed apps to help balance the smartphone time usage included: Speak to it Assistant, Crunch Time, InstaPaper, Daily Routine, and many more (Burg-Brown). These apps are designed to help one minimize the time spent through easier access for saving data and searching for information. With a shorter period spent on smartphone, more time can be spend doing activities that do not include smartphone, such as outdoor adventures. Thus helping one maintain a healthy relationship with smartphone and lifestyle.

With heavy amounts of smartphone usage, whether it be for leisure or for work an obsession is arising. It has been shown that there is a strong correlation with cell phone obsession caused by stress due to work and the environment. A graduate research class in ETEC543 Technology Learning I, attending California State University, San Bernardino researched ways that college students rely on their cell phones and explored the problems caused by over usage of cell phones. The research showed how addiction to cell phones is affecting college students' social life, academic, and professional performances. Through analysis of other studies and their own methodology, the research data collected showed a correlation with stress and anxiety college students get with increased smartphone usage and lack of sleep. It showed that due to the conveniences of smartphones- searching the internet, texting, listening to music, and watching movies  --  college students tend to have a higher obsession with smartphones (Li, Kang and Huang). Smartphones are impacting the lifestyle of students, not only through causing lack of sleep but also through psychological concerns and importantly changing the healthy lifestyle without smartphones. A research conducted by Professor Sarwar and Soomro showed the impacts of smartphones impacting society, which is causing transformation in the culture, social life, technology landscape and modern society. The research showed that, "smartphone is impacting the social and family life and creating frictions in our lives  ... . [and is] responsible to blur the distinctions between the work and family life" (Sarwar and Soomro). With a lack of distinction for free time, disrupts a healthy lifestyle. Thus the obsession in smartphone occurs because one is unable to tell whether or not they are working or not. 

Psychological problems come into play as smartphone usages increase. Studies have shown that due to the increase in smartphone usages problems such as anxiety, depression, and sleep deprivation. Studies have shown with results " ... [indicating] that depression, anxiety, and sleep quality may be associated with smartphone overuse" (Demirci, Akgonul and Akpinar). Kadir Demirci that the correlation between sleep quality and depression and/or anxiety is because, " ... [smartphone] overuse may lead to depression and/or anxiety, which can in turn result in sleep problems" (Demirci, Akgonul and Akpinar). In another research conducted to show correlation between anxiety and smartphone usage resulted to show that, "Addiction proneness and social anxiety significantly predicted high cell phone use, as expected (Sapacz, Rockman and Clark). Social anxiety increases due to one feeling the need to use it. Many believe that a reason for large amounts of smartphone usage is due to not wanting to feel left out  --  social connectedness. A graduate research class in ETEC543 Technology Learning I, attending California State University, San Bernardino researched ways that college students rely on their cell phones and explored the problems caused by over usage of cell phones. The research showed how addiction to cell phones is affecting college students' social life, academic, and professional performances. Through analysis of other studies and their own methodology, the research data collected showed a correlation with stress and anxiety college students get with increased smartphone usage and lack of sleep. It showed that due to the conveniences of smartphones- searching the internet, texting, listening to music, and watching movies  --  college students tend to have a higher obsession with smartphones (Li, Kang and Huang). Smartphones are impacting the lifestyle of students, not only are causing s. A research conducted by Professor Sarwar and Soomro showed the impacts of smartphones impacting society, which is causing transformation in the culture, social life, technology landscape and modern society. The research showed that, "smartphone is impacting the social and family life and creating frictions in our lives  ... . [and is] responsible to blur the distinctions between the work and family life" (Sarwar and Soomro). With a lack of distinction for free time, disrupts a healthy lifestyle. Thus the obsession in smartphone occurs because one is unable to tell whether or not they are working or not. 

The problem is we are getting obsessed with our phones unknowingly. Just sit down and think about how many hours you spend on your smartphone. Do you listen to music often? Do you sleep with your phone tucked under your pillow? Do you freak when your phone is about to die? Is everything you need on your phone? If you answer yes to 3 out of the 4 according to Stephanie Burg-Brown, you are obsessed with your phone, like an addiction. So the question now is  --  how can that be fixed? Nigel Marsh in his Ted talk states that the best way to have a balance is to solve your problem yourself and do not wait for the government to solve it  --  because they won't. He states that through writing a time schedule for the day or even going to the gym will help maintain a healthy lifestyle (Marsh). The idea is for you to be occupied with something that is not work related  --  which is your smartphone. Your smartphone instantly receives work related notification which is why there is a blur in " ... distinctions between the work and family life" (Sarwar and Soomro). Even though there are obsessions, communication with family and friends have been easier. Apps like Skype, FaceTime have made it " ... possible for us to remain connected with our friends and family all the time" (Sarwar and Soomro). Without the easy communication imagine how hard it would be for you to talk to your parents whenever you want or FaceTime your friends when they are not close by. 

Therefore, rather than just recognizing that there are problems arising with smartphones a solution should be created. Only through creativity will smartphones not outtake our healthy human lifestyle. Stephanie Burg-Brown proposes that through the having and purchasing the right apps on our devices would help maintain the perfect balance. She recommends for one to dedicate time away from their smartphone even if it is just for a few hours. This would allow one to be able to spend time doing smartphone-free activities that are stress-free and happy. Her proposed apps to help balance the smartphone time usage included: Speak to it Assistant, Crunch Time, InstaPaper, Daily Routine, and many more (Burg-Brown). These apps are designed to help one minimize the time spent through easier access for saving data and searching for information. With a shorter period spent on smartphone, more time can be spend doing activities that do not include smartphone, such as outdoor adventures. Psychological concerns that arise need to be treated as soon as possible. If you think you are having anxiety or depression, make sure to seek your doctor as soon as possible. 

Sleep deprivation can be solved with limiting the use of smartphones. To make sure one is not effected by smartphones during the night it is best to keep your phone away from you. If your phone is your alarm you can use an actual clock to be your alarm. If not, you can turn your phone onto night mode  --  in which notifications will not disturb you. Through limiting usage of smartphone there will be: 1) an increase in social interaction 2) decrease in psychological problems that arise due to smartphones; 3) decrease in sleep deprivation that is caused by smartphone; and 4) no blur in work-life lifestyle. Thus, allowing one to have a healthy lifestyle.

Even though smartphones can cause cyberbullying, obsession, decrease in social interaction, and psychological problems, there are ways to prevent them. With giving yourself smartphone-free activities, managing your apps, managing your work-life lifestyle, and managing your sleep schedule you will be able to have a healthy balance. Once you find that perfect equilibrium suited for you then you will be able to live a healthier, and happier life. It is now time for you to take action, and find out what is the right balance for you. Don't let your smartphone control your life, you control your own.

