Everyone knows that technology advances every day, and nearly every teenager uses it. In 2012, Pew Internet, an organization that dedicates itself to lowering the use of electronics, revealed that 87% of Americans have and use cell phones, 45% of which are smart phones. But has cell phone use become an addiction?

Almost 80% of teenagers between the ages of 12 and 17 have cell phones, and 63% of these send approximately 60 text messages a day.

“I always need my phone,” freshman Katie McGhee said. “I try to never go anywhere without it.”

McGhee, along with nearly 13 million other teenagers, sends messages daily.

“I would say that I have an addiction,” sophomore D.J. Andrews said.

Teenage males send roughly 50 messages daily, only half the number teenage girls do. However, more cell phones now have access to the Internet, which also becomes a problem.

“I really don’t text much,” Andrews said. “But I’m constantly on my phone.”

With the Internet more connecting and entertaining than ever, students like Andrews spend much of their time on the Internet frequenting social sites such as Facebook, Twitter, and Instagram.

“I’m constantly looking at everything,” Andrews said. “I will check Facebook all the time just to see if anything has changed in the last five minutes.”

It is assumed that using phones daily cannot be a problem. However, some people text while driving, which causes distractions. The Texting While Driving Safety organization provides facts on the dangers of texting while driving

Texting While Driving Safety’s website states that five seconds is the minimal amount of time a driver’s attention is taken away from the road while texting and driving. If the driver drives at 55 miles per hour, this equals the length of a football field without looking at the road.

Text messaging takes your eyes off of the road more than any other distraction. When texting while driving, the driver is 23 times more likely to be in a car accident. In 2001, 1.3 million car accidents were attributed to texting while driving.

There are hundreds of unintended and deadly consequences from texting while driving. All of these consequences can be prevented if people refrain from using their phones while behind the wheel.