This is an archived article that was published on sltrib.com in 2013, and information in the article may be outdated. It is provided only for personal research purposes and may not be reprinted.
As a high school student, I understand how hard it is to put down the cellphone, with Internet, email, social media, music and games available on smartphones.
The average teen spends seven-and-a-half hours a day using electronic devices — smartphone, computer, television. At a restaurant, I saw a 14-year-old girl on her phone the whole time: before the food came, after it came — even while she ate!
Parents need to convince their teens that there is more to life than technology. They need to set limits on the amount of technology their teens can use.
An overdose of technology leads to unhealthy lifestyles. In the past 30 years, childhood obesity has doubled and for adolescents it has tripled.
If we don't stop, future generations may end up like the people in the movie "WALL-E": in wheelchairs with robots doing everything for them.
Rachel Shubella
Salt Lake City