To the Editor:

When you  get home, how long are you on your phone for? How long is it before you do your homework because of your phone? I take a least one hour on my phone before I do anything else; there is so much to catch up on — especially because there is no Internet at school.

Being on your phone too long can take a toll on your emotions. Do you ever lie in your bed, unable to fall asleep? Well, I know why —  because, when you’re looking on your phone, computer,or TV,  your brain is reading comments or texts, or scanning pictures or writing. Your brain is in motion and your brain takes a while to slow down and fall asleep.

So now you’r up till 1 a.m.

When you go to your friend’s house for a sleepover and you stay up all night, the next day you're tired and angry. That’s like being on your phone for too long; it affects how you act the next day. You'll mostly be angry or mad or tired after being on your phone, TV, or computer all night.

I observed my brother for three days. The first day he went up to bed at 8 and watched TV till 9;30. My mom had to turn off his TV.

The second day, he woke up and he was like a zombie. He did that every day for three days.

Then I told my mom to hide his iPad for three days. The first day, he was still a little tired.

I was surprised about that, I think that he was tired from staring at his iPad for three days.

The second day, he was cheerful, nice, and aware. I told him to tell me how he went to sleep and at what time he fell asleep. He said that fell right asleep at 9 p.m..

The third day, he was up at 6 a.m., reading in his room. I thought that these end results were amazing. Kids stay up late mostly to wait for the last text or just lose track of time on social media.

Being on your phone too long doesn't just take a toll on our emotions, it takes a toll on physical aspects, too. A side effect on being on your TV, phone, or computer for so long is sore thumbs; the joints in your fingers are going to swell and you'll have dry eyes.

On top of that, you’re prone to gain weight faster. My mom never lets my family eat in front of the TV because we will gain weight.

We already spend seven hours a day — 50 hours a week — on technology. Why can't we change seven hours a day to three hours and 50 hours a week to 20?

Kids just want to make friends. Well, technology is holding them back. Being on our phones for too long makes us tired so tired we don't want to go out with our friends and family to events. My brother never wants to go out to dinner with us; all he want to do is stay on his iPad and watch Netflix.

People might say that we are growing up in a time where technology is all around us and that technology is a great teaching tool. It is but let's not use technology in every class we are in.

I have to say that I, myself,I love technology. If I’m bored, I’ll go on my phone, or watch TV. I took a 30-day challenge where I could not watch TV for a month.  I had to resort to books, a lot of books. Let’s just say there are great books out there.  

How about you try to get off your phone for 24 hours — not 30 days, just 24 hours. If you get through that, you can get through anything.

Katherine Kelly

Farnsworth Middle School