Feature photo by: Bao Nguyen- Senior Trinity Stevenson uses her cell phone in the CCC. Many students can be seen around school on their phones, despite the schools reinforcement on the technology in August.

Many would say smartphones have become a technological advancement and a common phenomenon in the past decade. Cell phones have made an impact in the everyday lives of human beings as they allow us to communicate with our peers, help people find jobs, assist people with financial services, etc.

But, the question is, are cellphones a distraction or a benefit to the teenage community?

According to the Pew Research Center of Internet and Technology, compared to any other age group, 92% of teens use a smartphone. Also, an estimated 24% of teens are on their smartphones for a long period of time.

“I believe a lot of teenagers are very reliant on their phones and that they have to have their phones every single minute of their lives,” said Jordan Alveranga, a junior at Rangeview.

Due to the convenience of a smartphone, 56% of teens go online several times a day whether it be for browsing, researching, etc.

Senior Elian Dominguez said, “Our whole lives, we’ve been used to phones as we use them for alarms, communication, research, social media, and other apps like that.”

As the evolution of the cell phone has occurred, many teens have slowly become more and more dependent on their smartphones. 92% of teens have access to a smartphone, and the average teen receives and sends around 30 texts a day.

“We’re definitely in a new era where we can’t really go out with someone we really want to know,” said Bolu Folarin, a junior at Rangeview High School.” Eye contact and one on one conversations can’t be made without seeing who just texted me on Snapchat or who just liked my post on Instagram.”

It has been researched that  76% of teens today have smartphones. As a result, there has been a lack of face-to-face communication among teens as dependency on the device steadily increases.

“People can just log off of their social media accounts, check everything they need to check at the beginning of the day, and set time periods to check their phones,” said junior Pharoah Moss.

In this new age of technology, smartphones are becoming more advanced. As this occurs, more teens are acquiring the devices. Although cell phones have become a benefit to the teenage community, many can agree that teens should be aware of how often they’re on their phones.