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Cristina SierraENC 3417 Professor Tripp7 April 2015 Literacy of Cell Phone usage over Generations As generations have progressed and gone by we have only become more and more literate in technology. There was a time when cell phones didnt even exist, and then once they were invented only those that were very fortunate owned one. As time progressed most adults begun to own a cell phone; I remember like it was just yesterday when my fellow classmates started to get their first cell phone; it all became the most common in about the 6th-7th grade, so I was about eleven or twelve years old. Everyone began to have one and if you didnt have one you were the odd ball out and were judged for being the less fortunate and so called loser for not having something that everyone had. As new generations have evolved weve gone from children almost in their early teens receiving their first cell phone to the generation that children receive their first cell phone in elementary school. Theres now the generation after that, that plays on a cell phone and has started to use one as young as a toddler. What has technology done to influence generations differently now?The first call on a cell phone was made forty-two years ago today, its so hard to believe and to think about, but it doesnt even seem like it was that long ago. It was in 1973 to be exact and the cell phone weighed two pounds. This picture above is of Dr. Martin Cooper, the man that made the first call on a cell phone. To think that cell phones were once that bulky and weighed that much; cell phones have evolved quite a bit since 1973. This picture shows the amount of progression over the years cell phones have had. They started off large then they got smaller and more efficient. Now once again they have gotten bigger with more qualities and functions, such as texting, photography, lots of storage, surfing the web and a million of apps to choose from. Its hard to believe there was a time when the type of function such as texting wasnt around and having a camera on your phone wasnt known. Now if you are not synced in that type of literature youre not part of the same social norm as many people. Back in 2005 there was a cellular device that was meant for 5-12 year olds and it was called the Fire Fly. I remember first hand when I was in 5th grade this device had just came out, back then it was a popular device but now its as if it fell off the face of the earth. Since the fire fly is no longer a popular device those that werent around in this generation are not literate of this type of technology that at one time existed. I personally believe that this device is a much better direction for parents to go for children from the age of 5-12 if their child wants a cell phone. I understand culturally the time has changed and children are around cell phones more then they use to be so they are persuaded into also wanting one. Then when children see this fire fly so called cell phone, they appear to be not as cool and entertaining compared to a cell phone will apps, a screen and sound where music comes out of. But on a bigger note the real question is how safe and healthy is it for your child to have a cell phone at too young of an age? In this picture of this little boy on the left (approximately four years old), has a cell phone about 5 inches away from his face; the amount of risk he is causing to his body is unthinkable, when a parent decides to hand over their phone to their child just to keep him/her entertained and quiet. The dangers that come along with cell phones are not something I even knew of, until I did some digging and on the Childrens Health WebMD page there were a lot of interesting statistics and health encounters stated based on microwave radiation (MWR). Children and unborn babies do face a greater risk for bodily damage that results from MWR given off by wireless devices (Nelson). There has been many studies done to children and adults and it has shown that children are more at risk to these bodily damages due to MWR exposure. It was also stated on the Childrens Health WebMD page that the reason its a higher risk for children versus adults is because their brain tissues are more absorbent, their skulls are thinner, and their relative size is smaller (Nelson). Also when it comes to unborn babies its also very dangerous because fetuses are particularly vulnerable, because MWR exposure can lead to degeneration of the protective sheath that surrounds brain neurons (Nelson). There is proven to be many health risks caused from MWR to children and parents probably arent aware of the risks that occur with exposing their children to mobile devices at such a young age, all their concern is to keep them entertained and quiet for the time being. But a good way to prevent children from being at such high risks of health conditions due to cell phone exposure is for parents to become more literate in the dangers that come with cell phones, not just at a young age but for any generation of people. Anyone is at risk with microwave radiation and the more insight someone knows and literate someone can become about the causes of health risks the less of a chance people will experience such health problems. This picture on the left shows the amount of impact a cell phone has on a child, its their very own addiction and its the hardest thing for them to put down; even when it means closing their eyes to go to sleep at bed time. I also once had this addiction when I was growing up and had just got my phone and it was still the new big thing in our lives that no one ever would put down. I would fall asleep with it in my hands as I stayed up late texting my friends or talking on the phone with a crush of mine. I think everyone thats been around for cell phones has been in this position before, sometime in their lifetime. Now I dont use my phone as frequently, at least not as drastic to falling asleep with it in my hands, but I do use it more for surfing the web, doing homework, checking e-mails; more professional and structural business versus communicating with people and social networks. But something I didnt know was the dangers that came along with this habit of mine when I was younger. The loss of a good amount of sleep for a teenager or young child is very serious especially if its affecting your daily schedule, the loss of sleep can really put a damper on your life not just externally but also internally. Medical research increasingly underscores the need for adolescents to get sleep, in fact 9 hours compared with adults 8 hours. Teen sleep deprivation has been associated with memory deficits, impaired performance and alertness. The loss of REM or intense sleep can result in increased irritability, anxiety and depression, as well as reduced concentration and creativity (Phillips). Not only does having your cell phone next to you when youre sleeping stand as a distraction and effect the amount of hours you get each night, but it also has a bigger effect on your body when you fall asleep with it by your side. Cell phones pump out electromagnetic radiation whenever they're on, which means sleeping with one nearby boosts your exposure all night long (Swanson). This is something I never knew growing up and scares me very much now since I always fell asleep with either my phone in my hands or under my pillow while growing up. But now that I know this information I have started to sleep with my phone far away from me so I cant be exposed to those electromagnetic radiation thats constantly flowing through your phone. These artifacts serve a great purpose in showing how much cell phones have begun to impact generations of people over time. Cell phones started off as a luxury and only the most fortunate people owned one then they slowly progressed into almost every adult having one, now most young teens own a cell phone and you even see a lot of young children using one. The amount of use cell phones serve now is everything you can think of and with a teenagers perspective they are almost always used, sometimes a little too much. But even though we can do a lot with our phones and they provide so much for us now doesnt mean its always safe to use your phone as much as youd like, cell phones come with a lot of dangers to our body and mind if we use them too often and not appropriately; maybe try putting your phone out of plain sight for a couple hours on a given day and do something more productive, communicate with someone in person versus over text or on your phone, read a book, draw, write, find a hobby, instead of surfing your newsfeed on your social network. Parents could teach their kids to stay quiet with using toys and learning behavioral skills instead of handing over their cell phone to distract them and entertain them. I think generations now have become so instinct and literate with the world in the social bubble also known as their cell phone that they have forgotten how to be literate with things the old fashioned way such as through picking up a physical book, comprehending the real message someone is giving face to face versus through a text message, children learning to stay quiet through playing with building blocks instead of a game or app on a cell phone that gives off MWR.

Works CitedNelson, Roxanne. Medscape Medical. "Children Face Highest Health Risk From Cell Phones." WebMD. WebMD, n.d. Web. 03 Apr. 2015.Phillips, Suzanne. "Adolescence / Blog." PBS. PBS, n.d. Web. 03 Apr. 2015.Swanson, Jon. "Mistake: Sleeping with Your Cell Phone." CBSNews. CBS Interactive, n.d. Web. 03 Apr. 2015.