Some students admitted to spending upward of eight hours a day online, with the majority averaging around two to four hours. Some said their devices were a reasonable escape from the pressures of teenage life, while others explained they were essential for school. And still others raised an insightful question: Why is their “phone addiction” perceived as more harmful than that of the adults in their lives?
As you’ll see below, one thing was crystal clear in their reflections: These teenagers spend a lot of time thinking about their phone usage. And they have a critical lens not only on how much they use their phones, but also on how it affects their education, emotional life and relationships.
Read on for a fuller scope of the comments, but before you do, we want to offer a warm welcome to new classes from Ames High School, Iowa; Carney; Florida; Fort Mill High School; Georgia; Hightstown High School, N.J.; Nelson County High School; New Berlin, Wis.; New York; and Pennsylvania.
Please note: Student comments have been lightly edited for length, but otherwise appear exactly as they were originally submitted.
