It used to be you go to school, you have a nice day and come back. For some it used to be that maybe you get bullied at school but you get through a day, and when the school day is over you can escape it, your home is refuge from the bullying. Now with phones added into this equation, there is no escape, no matter how far away you are from the bullies they can still get to you. So how safe is it really to own a phone?
Middle school can be a tough time for kids as they are constantly changing, physically and mentally. Most kids are given a phone when they are in middle school. To a kid receiving a phone is like winning a lottery ticket. The main reasons why kids are given a phone is because of safety reasons, it’s a way parents can be aware that their kids are safe wherever they are, but are the kids really safe? Approximately 9 in 10 teens have a phone, and around 1 in 5 are victims of either cyber bullying or text bullying. Only 1 out of 6 adolescents parents are aware of the intensity of cyberbullying, and therefore don’t consider the risk in handing a phone to their child.
Imagine this: You are a pedestrian waiting for the light to go green. In front of you see cars zooming past at full speed. To your right you see that most cars have stopped waiting for the traffic light to go green, in the distance you see car on your right heading straight towards the junction but did not seem like it was in the condition to stop. The driver was a teenage boy was driving his car at full speed but was paying absolutely no attention to the road in front of him as he was on his phone and seemed to be getting distracted. You can guess what this led to next. He drove ahead blindly, and ran a red light, a big truck rammed into the passenger side of his car, and his car rolled over several times, breaking glass and inflating the safety bag. He was dead. If only he was not on his phone. If only he payed attention the the road ahead. If only, but he did not.
Phones have not only made it easier for teens to get bullied but have also led to many driving accidents. 56% of teens have admitted to talking on their phones while driving, and 13% of teens have admitted to texting while driving. According to statistics teenagers are the most involved in car accidents. Irresponsible behaviour such as the one listed above, and lack of respect for the necessary safety precautions have been the main reason for the cause of such accidents.
These are definitely some very significant issues with some teens owning a phone, but is it the phones fault of the teens fault? Do parents need to take aways their kids phone because of these reasons, the answer is no. Michele L. Yabarra of Internet solutions for kids inc. agrees, she said, “There is no reason to become distressed or take kids cell phones away.” there is no reason to get too worried but parents should definitely be more aware of the way their teen uses their phone. Phones were made for communication, now they have become much bigger and have more than 1 purpose but that does not mean that it is okay for people to use their phone irresponsibly. Alongside the parents, teens should also start to take more responsibility, and be more cautious of their phone use. If you are getting bullied via your phone report it to your parents, they can help you. All in all, there is no harm in using a phone as long as you use it safely.
By: Aarushi Sachdeva
Middle school can be a tough time for kids as they are constantly changing, physically and mentally. Most kids are given a phone when they are in middle school. To a kid receiving a phone is like winning a lottery ticket. The main reasons why kids are given a phone is because of safety reasons, it’s a way parents can be aware that their kids are safe wherever they are, but are the kids really safe? Approximately 9 in 10 teens have a phone, and around 1 in 5 are victims of either cyber bullying or text bullying. Only 1 out of 6 adolescents parents are aware of the intensity of cyberbullying, and therefore don’t consider the risk in handing a phone to their child.
Imagine this: You are a pedestrian waiting for the light to go green. In front of you see cars zooming past at full speed. To your right you see that most cars have stopped waiting for the traffic light to go green, in the distance you see car on your right heading straight towards the junction but did not seem like it was in the condition to stop. The driver was a teenage boy was driving his car at full speed but was paying absolutely no attention to the road in front of him as he was on his phone and seemed to be getting distracted. You can guess what this led to next. He drove ahead blindly, and ran a red light, a big truck rammed into the passenger side of his car, and his car rolled over several times, breaking glass and inflating the safety bag. He was dead. If only he was not on his phone. If only he payed attention the the road ahead. If only, but he did not.
Phones have not only made it easier for teens to get bullied but have also led to many driving accidents. 56% of teens have admitted to talking on their phones while driving, and 13% of teens have admitted to texting while driving. According to statistics teenagers are the most involved in car accidents. Irresponsible behaviour such as the one listed above, and lack of respect for the necessary safety precautions have been the main reason for the cause of such accidents.
These are definitely some very significant issues with some teens owning a phone, but is it the phones fault of the teens fault? Do parents need to take aways their kids phone because of these reasons, the answer is no. Michele L. Yabarra of Internet solutions for kids inc. agrees, she said, “There is no reason to become distressed or take kids cell phones away.” there is no reason to get too worried but parents should definitely be more aware of the way their teen uses their phone. Phones were made for communication, now they have become much bigger and have more than 1 purpose but that does not mean that it is okay for people to use their phone irresponsibly. Alongside the parents, teens should also start to take more responsibility, and be more cautious of their phone use. If you are getting bullied via your phone report it to your parents, they can help you. All in all, there is no harm in using a phone as long as you use it safely.
By: Aarushi Sachdeva
I like the use of similes and posing a question at the end of the lead to introduce the main issue. Something that you could work on is grammar, because there are a few parts which need commas and I would also include where you got your evidence from. Overall, I think you did a very good job of addressing the main idea and showed that teens should use their phones in a safer way.
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