A phone falls from a hand and everyone panics. But if a friend falls, laughter fills the air. This is an era where cell phones dominate. Whether it is a 9-year-old or a 90-year-old, everyone has a cell phone and it’s never far from their hand.

Cell phones have taken over our lives. Whether we are at home, in the classroom, or in the bathroom, keeping our cell phones nearby is obligatory. 

Albert Einstein once said, “I fear the day that technology will surpass our human interaction. The world will have a generation of idiots.” 

Many Seward County Community College students admit they are addicted to their phones and constantly feel the need to keep their cellphones with them. 

A freshman nursing student, Brianna Dominguez, who is a concurrent senior at Liberal High School, insists that she has never been without her cell phone. She uses a lot of social media but she also uses it to do her school work. 

Dominguez does have limits on when she uses her phone, though.  

“For In-person classes, I don’t use my cell phone,” she says.

Bryan Symons is a history major who also works at the library. He watches YouTube on his cell phone. The maximum period he has gone without his cell phone is 30 to 60 minutes a day. 

“I’m somewhat addicted to my cell phone because I always have it on me and I always need to know where it is,” Symons admits.

Instructors report that students will be on their phones during class. Ever since COVID hit and classes started via zoom, it has gotten even more difficult for instructors to prevent students from using their phones. The phone sits just a little “off-camera,” so it’s easy to scroll and get distracted.

Some instructors indulge students with classroom activities that involve using their phones but it doesn’t curb the constant checking of notifications. Many times, students are seen using their phones for social media and texting in class.

Rahman Monzur, microbiology and nutrition instructor, says, “We can’t control students. If they want to use their phones for texting in the classroom then they will. So, during class activities when they are unable to answer due to being on their phones, they lose participation points and they also don’t perform well in exams.” 

It is difficult for students to live without cell phones. It is a part of daily use. But there can be a limit to daily use. Reducing the use of cell phones does not only help with addiction but also with concentration