What I’ve Learned After Losing My Phone

Nina Nelson ’28

On January 26, the same day New York saw a record breaking 11 inches of snow, I lost my phone. Since then, I have racked my brain trying to understand where it could have possibly ended up. Could it be inside, out buried in the snow, found and sold on the black market? The first couple days without a phone were admittedly very difficult. I found myself constantly reaching into my pocket, feeling for that familiar rectangle and having a hard time doing anything without the electronic companion my phone provided.

Previous to this fateful day, I was your typical teenager, spending hours daily scrolling on my phone. On bad days, my screen time could soar upwards of 8 hours, and I regularly ended my days riddled with guilt about the time I wasted on a glowing blue screen. Even if I wasn’t using it, my phone was always on me. The weight of it resting in my pocket was comforting, and just one notification could lead to two hours of scrolling rather than homework.

This addiction is something currently plaguing the teenage population. The American Academy of Pediatrics states that teenagers spend an average of 8 hours and 39 minutes on their phones daily. This use has profound impacts on teenagers specifically, whose minds are still not fully developed and whose brains are particularly susceptible to the addiction posed by screen use. The CDC states that teenagers with high screen times are more likely to develop issues such as depression, anxiety and an irregular sleep routine. The link between screen time, sleep deprivation, and mental health disorders is jarring and poses serious concerns for the state of today's youth.

While it's been wildly inconvenient to not be able to text my friends outside of my house, check train times or listen to music, I've found that the pros of not having a phone largely outweigh the cons. Without the distraction of a screen, I've miraculously found hours to spend doing the things I truly enjoy, such as reading, writing and spending time with family.

I don’t mean to be the nagging voice you’ve heard a thousand times telling you to put down your phone. I miss my phone. I miss texting, TikTok, and not having to set alarms on my iPad. That said, I truly do believe having no phone has enriched my life in ways I never thought possible.

I'd like to leave you, the reader, with one final sentiment: if you spend 6 hours daily on your phone, you spend one-fourth of your year on your phone. Take into account sleeping, eating, and attending work or school and you’re left with mere minutes to spend doing the things you actually enjoy. So, I propose a challenge. Put your phone down for a week. Give it to a parent, lock it in a box, throw it in the snow for all I care. But speaking from personal experience, a week provides the perfect timeframe to experience the five stages of grief and come out an infinitely better person on the other side.