Imagine we could go back in time to those days when cell phones didn’t exist. Would we be able to handle it? Would a day without our phones be the end of us? Living in a first world country in which technology has advanced so much that phones have become smarter than many of their users, many Americans are dependent on their phones.

Some people are even addicted to their phones.   Junior Daniushka Dominguez, who claims that she is addicted to her phone, said, “I almost cried when I found out my phone was disconnected.”

Junior Emely Mondelo said, “If you have an urge to look at your phone for no reason, then that’s a problem.”

Junior Andrew Pacheco said, “Now we have a whole new world in the palm of our hands.”

Phone addiction can be harmful. “Students don’t sleep enough because they use their phones at night,” said junior Erick Figueroa.

Sophomore Carmen Izaguirre said, “Most of my siblings don’t even communicate with each other at the dinner table because they’re so focused on their phones.”

Monica Bravo, a junior, said, “We aren’t learning as much since instead of doing the work, we just Google the answers. Yes it makes the work easier, but reality is that it’s harming us because we don’t learn.”

Nevertheless, many teens can’t stand a day without their phone. “I got my first phone when I was ten,” said junior Angel Sabillon. “I feel alone if I don’t have it.”

Freshman Alondra Gaitan said, “I’ve been using a phone since I was nine, and I remember feeling incomplete one day when I didn’t have it.”

“Entertainment is the main reason some people use their phones,” said sophomore Jaloni Clarke.   Senior Christine Brouri, who uses her phone all the time, seems to agree. She justifies her addiction by saying, “We like to entertain ourselves on social media and we may learn things through YouTube.”

Junior Ashley Obando also believes phones can be educational. She said, “We like to use social media to see what the latest news is.”

For some students the type of phone matters. Mariely Chavez, a senior that loves iPhones, stated, “iPhones are faster, I take better pictures with them, and they look better.”

Junior Ricardo Davilla said he needs to have an iPhone because of the way it’s set up and because it’s popular.

On the other hand, senior Tania Frias said, “I prefer Androids more because almost everybody has an iPhone.”

For others, however, the brand name does not matter. Hari Moreno, a junior, said, “It doesn’t matter what phone I have as long as I can call and text.”

Eric Jimenez, a junior who is okay with any phone he has, stated, “I don’t need a phone for anything but for emergencies.”

Sophomore Laura Martinez doesn’t care about what type of phone she gets because she’s thankful for the phone she has and other people wish they had a phone.

Some students even pay their own phone bill. Fabricio Aviles, a sophomore, said, “I pay my phone bill because I feel more independent.” Senior Maria Morales pays her own phone because she likes to help her parents out.

Senior Ashley Perez has her own reasons for using her own money. “I pay my own phone bill,” she said. “That way my parents won’t threaten me by taking it away for misbehaving or doing anything we don’t agree on.”