Take a look around you– what do most people have in their hands, pockets, or bags? A cell phone, almost certainly a smart phone. With the new adjustments to the LT cell phone policy, students are allowed to use their phones in class with teacher consent and in the halls. Although this change seems innately good with almost unlimited freedom to use phones, the real problem here is a lack of human interaction. Phones are a driving force in stealing raw and irreplaceable social encounters that could possibly be more beneficial than the constant gratification found in a phone or the social media on it.

To begin, with full disclosure, I am as heavily reliant on my phone to communicate with my friends through texting, social media and about any media outlet available as most other people our age. However,  I have seen the unfortunate normalcy of cell phone usage recently while there is a whole world around us to be seen and experienced. I am calling upon each of you to think about your daily actions and habits for the few short minutes it takes you to read this.

Cell phones have been around for almost 40 years, but in our day and age, cell phones have evolved into bright screens that connect you to all your friends, family and the world in a second. This intense level of interconnection is helpful to coincide with the fast paced life so many teens often have, but it also pushes us to always be connected, looking down. Because of this, relationships are heavily influenced on the amount of time spent texting a person rather than the amount of time spent with that person.

Psychology Today found that 80-percent of teens prefer contacting friends by texting. Our relationships are being formed in a technological world that only fosters more use of technology in that relationship and a lazy attitude. For example, how often have you decided to face-time your friend when it was possible to meet up with them in-person? Full detachment is unrealistic because of how much our life is dependent on being connected, but small changes of “throwing your phone away” are completely possible and healthy.

Teens can often be found with their noses buried in their phone, whether it be checking news feeds, looking up a crucial fact or texting their friends throughout the day. Because of this constant connection, relationships can be severely altered. When in a social scene, phones are used as a buffer to ease awkward moments of stalled conversation, sometimes to avoid conversations entirely. While they most certainly are a godsend in a time of despair, they have the same capability of pulling you away from beautiful moments. Imagine if Beyoncé was walking down the hallway, but you had your head buried in a phone checking your Snapchat stories, so you never noticed her. Life is made up of so many moments that you simply cannot take them all in if you’re lost in a screen daze.

We should all take the moment for what it is, whether it is a beautiful sunset or the moment you take a bite of the best slice of pizza. In the ever-present and relatable series “The Office,” Pam and Jim take “mental pictures” of the high points during their wedding, so they can be present and have those memories for the rest of their life. When a phone comes into play, the simple act of taking a picture takes you away from the hidden sparks of the moment. So make the effort to put away your phone, as hard as it may be, and soak up every fortunate sliver of life that a moment has to offer.