By: Marissa Rock

Do you think you could live without your cell phone?? Or would you self destruct without the ability to stay in constant contact with your friends and family? Teenagers have been exposed to a lot of technology that was not around years ago, like when we were in elementary school. Texting is one such form of communication that has developed over time. Do you think you text too much or are attached to your cell phone? An anonymous survey I conducted in December of 30 PAHS students showed just how important cell phones are to our daily lives.

Only one person out of the 30 surveyed Phoenixville High School students did not own their own cell phone. According to the surveys, nobody pays their own phone bill, so we should be thankful for our parents’ generosity! Or are they just trying to keep track of us? Either way, they seem to have chosen a reliable network because 60% of students have Verizon service, 27% have AT&T, and 53% hardly ever get dropped calls. What else is good or bad about your cell phone? 23% of our students believe their keyboard is the best part of their phone, while 20% of people think the worst is that they easily crack or don’t hold a battery for very long.

Everyone has their favorite kind of phone, but the surveyed students agree that the iPhone is the best, and the second best is the Blackberry or anything with a keyboard. These phones are designed for those texting freaks out there. Texting is very popular these days and it is shown through the 57% of us that have an unlimited texting plan. The cell phone survey shows that most of our students send about 10-50 texts per day. Texting is so addicting that there are students who can’t stop, even in class! 40% of our students admit they use their phone during class and most agreed the best way to get away with it is to hide it in your bag or don’t look at the keys when you’re typing. Some don’t hide it well, however, because 43% have gotten their phone taken away… more often by teachers than parents. Texting seems to be used more often than calling, but many people still talk on their phone as a means for communication because 53% of students have free nights and weekend calling.

So could our generation live without cell phones? 57% of Phoenixville students admitted they could live without their cell phone, but a few said only if they had some other form of contact with people such as a house phone, AIM or Facebook. So maybe you can try to live without your cell phone (at least during class) for a week or even a month to see if you stay sane!

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The most popular cell phone… the iPhone