Most people over the age of forty have experienced life without cell phones, have survived, and have thrived. However, parents today are too busy talking or texting on their cell phones and ignoring their children. Distracted parents are responsible for many near-drownings and injuries at home because they were so immersed in conversation. Children deliberately misbehave to get their parents' attention. Obviously, as soon as a baby is born, the bond between baby and parents begins. Before children can speak, adults talk to them and children imitate their parents. Curious children learn facial expressions by imitating others they see on various outings; mothers often use the shopping adventure to introduce children to colors and counting. Additionally, car rides often brought mothers and fathers into conversation about the school day or singing along to songs playing on the radio. A recent series of studies conducted by Andrew K. Przybylski and Netta Weinstein of the University of Essex showed that our phones could be harming our intimate relationships. Surprisingly, they found that simply having a phone on hand, without even checking it, could be detrimental to our attempts at interpersonal connection. Too much time spent face-to-face with cell phones has led to a lack of face-to-face communication, a disdain for physical activity and an apparent addiction to social media. However, cell phones are great for emergencies. Especially if someone is stuck in traffic or has had an accident, they can call 911. Additionally, if a person needs help finding directions, calling a wrecker because of a flat tire, having a cell phone is a convenience. Today, students need cell phones for safety because public phones no longer exist, and they need to call to free themselves... middle of paper......languages, reconnecting face to face is better than checking messages from text. Finally, achieving interpersonal closeness and trust is possible when families ignore cell phones. Spending too much time on your cell phone harms face-to-face communication, causes a disdain for physical activity and an addiction to social media. Children need to know that they are more important than a cell phone and that they can live without it. Works Cited http://abcnews.go.com/blogs/health/2014/03/10/parents-on-smartphones-ignore-their -kids-study-finds/ http://ideas.time.com/2012/ 05/17/why-cell-phones-are-bad-for-parenting/ http://www.nbcnews.com/health/parenting /put-down-cellphone-study-finds-parents-distracted-devices-n47431 http ://parentingtodayskids.com/article/distracted-parenting/ http://www.pbs.org/mediashift/2007/10/how- cell phones are killing face-to-face interactions295/