Even though the 21st century is just beginning, incredible developments in technology have been made all around the world. Computers, tablets, and smart phones are readily available to almost all people in America today. These life-changing inventions have allowed people to communicate with each other no matter where they are. Now it is possible to send a quick message to someone without any thought. Although this is a wonderful thing, it has been creating a problem that has gone unnoticed for too long.

Teenagers are definitely a guilty party when it comes to being on their cell phones too much. These people immediately take their phones out in any situation in which they want to avoid awkwardness or confrontation. Teens are extremely confident on social media and through texting, but some cannot hold a conversation with someone in real life. The youth of today is hiding behind their screens, and it is creating a generation of socially inept people.

There are currently people who struggle so much with talking to others that they would rather not eat than have to call the pizza guy to get their food. These people are so used to interacting from behind their screens that just the thought of having a real conversation with someone is unappealing. For example, in many Olive Garden restaurants, there are small monitors at each table in which customers can digitally order their food without talking to a waiter or waitress. Also, now people can order their groceries and other products straight from companies so that they do not have any unwanted interactions. The act of avoiding conversation is not necessarily the worst thing in the world. However, it is teaching people, especially young children and teenagers, that it is okay to look past the things in life that make them uncomfortable, and do something else instead. This perpetuates social anxiety and problems in relationships of all kinds.

In addition to being uncomfortable with other people, teens are tempted to be unkind to others through the use of cell phones and social media. Kids are not aware of the effects that their words have on other people because through a screen, they cannot see the other person’s reaction. They are not thinking of what they are saying because the only action they have to do to send these rude words is to type them in and hit enter.

As of right now, millions of teens and kids experience cyber-bullying in their daily lives. Teenagers have taken the concepts of anonymity and freedom of speech to the extreme, and in some ways, there is nothing that can be done about it. These people do not have to deal with any sort of consequence for their words, so they often continue to say mean things that are hurtful and harmful towards others. Kids who are victims to this bullying are often too scared to confront their bullies or ask for help, once again circling back to the fact that the youth of today is too attached to their technology.

Cell phones are not all bad. They have opened doors for many people in the realms of communication, building relationships, and creativity. Now it does not matter how far apart two people are – as long as they both have cell phones, they can communicate. If smart phones were used only for this reason, there would be no problems.  However, they are used as a mask to hide from reality with. Teenagers don’t understand the concept of talking to someone face-to-face and seeing their reactions in real life instead of through emoticons and short videos. Cell phones have enabled unnecessarily awkward and sometimes rude behavior, and it is destroying teenagers’ capabilities to function as normal humans.

There is no easy solution to this problem. There is no way to get everyone to look up from their phones and talk to people, and there is no easy way to get people to embrace uncomfortable situations and learn from them. However, without any intervention from outside parties, soon teenagers will not be able to live their lives to the fullest. Preventing excessive cell phone use is a necessary measure, but unfortunately, there is no good way to do this in the near future. However, there has to be a continuous search for a solution, and hopefully the problem is fixed before it is too late.