Boon or Bane: Mobile Phones for Teens

_{The more time we spend interconnected via a myriad of devices, the less time we have left to develop true friendships in the real world. - Alex Morritt}

We can't deny the fact that mobile phones are indeed helpful to people of all ages. For most people, when asked what they can't live without, most would probably answer mobile phones. This is a manifestation of how mobile phones have become an essential part of our lives.

Mobile phones are mainly used for communication, but they have other uses too. For travellers like my mom @chinitacharmer, mobile phones are great alternatives for bulky cameras like DSLRs, since phones already have built in cameras which are handy. For entrepreneurs and career people, mobile phones are used mainly for communication, but also for storing important files and scheduling appointments. And of course, for students like me, they are mostly used for...gaming!

I had my first mobile phone at the age of 10, I was in 5th Grade at the time. It wasn't a smart phone so my activities were only limited to text and call. Just last January, my mom bought me a phone, a smartphone this time, as a reward for my achievements in school.

The main reason I was given a phone was for us to be able to communicate, second is for me to be able to use it for research, third for leisure. My mom is not very strict, she supports me in almost everything as long as she deems it beneficial. But lately, we are fighting over my online activities. I admit, I have been abusing the freedom I was given.

_{Gaming is life, but studying is life-er.}

I have always loved games, whether online or offline. As I have mentioned in my previous posts, I am a basketball player. I train four times a week. But during my vacant time, ever since I had my phone, I play online games. Right now, I have about seven games in my phone. I could play games the entire day.

Just this evening, my mom and I had a petty fight. She asked me to wash the dishes but I didn't listen because I was busy with my phone. As a result, she confiscated my phone and told me I couldn't use it until bedtime. She also asked me to write something about it, as a reflection of my mistake. So here I am writing this post.

I still believe that mobile phones are good for teenagers; however, there should be proper monitoring from the parents, just like what my mother is doing. The sad thing about teens today is that there are a lot who don't respect their parents anymore. One contributing factor to this problem is their exposure to violence through several social media sites, and violent games as well, in which I am guilty of. So to lessen the negative effects that mobile phones or any gadgets bring, parents should be firm in imposing certain rules that would ensure that their kids would not abuse their gadgets.

So, are mobile phones boon or bane? I say both. They have positive and negative effects to us, teens, but as long as the parents and the kids are responsible, we can maximize the positive effects, and minimize the negative effects.

Thank you for reading my reflection. And to my mom, I'm sorry.