Statistics and Cell Phones

As cell phone use has become more widespread, a number of different studies have been done that deal with cell phone users. The following are a few of the statistics that have resulted from these studies.

A growing concern about cell phone use is the fact that many people accept calls while they are driving. According to a number of studies, 73% of all cell phone users talk while they are driving. This statistic means that at any given minute on United States' highways, 10% of all drivers are using these devices.

One study examined how well these individuals drive when they are distracted by a cell phone call. It was discovered that these drivers are 21% less likely to change lanes in medium traffic. In heavy traffic, the percentage was 19%. A cell phone user was also more likely to remain behind a slower moving vehicle. In light traffic, these individuals spent 31% more time behind a slower car than a normal driver did. In medium traffic, the rate was 16%. In heavier traffic, the driver spent 12% more time behind the other driver. These drivers also drove 2 mph slower than a normal driver did.

Another area of cell phone use that has been studied deals with children and the use of cell phones. The number of children that have cell phones is astounding. In the United States, about two-thirds of all children have cell phones. In Japan, 80% of high schools students and 25% of junior high school kids are carrying these devices. Great Britain and Scandinavia also have high percentages of children with cell phones.

The question of child safety is also an issue that has been addressed. According to one study, 37% of Japanese teenage males and 30% of Japanese teenage female have used their cell phones to access dating sites, leading to some of these children having unwanted sexual relations.

As well as becoming prey for sexual predators, unwanted cell phone messages from other children are also a problem. In one British study, 16% of young cell phone users have received threatening text messages from their peers, while another 7% have admitted to being harassed in chat rooms. 4% of these youngsters have been "bullied" via their cell phone. All these studies point to the problems that can arise from children having cell phones.

Another study that has been conducted among cell phone users has to do cell phone addiction. Cell phone addition is defined as the inability of a person to live without their cell phone. While some individuals argue that this is not a true addiction, some of these studies show otherwise. For example, in Japan, children who had cell phones did not make friends with peers who did not have them. In Hungary, three quarters of all children have these devices. Adolescents in Italy have multiple cell phones while in Great Britain 36% of all college students admitted that they could not live without these devices. 7% of the British students also stated that they had lost jobs or relationships due to their cell phone use.

The one thing that you can conclude form all of these studies is the fact that cell phones are becoming a major part of almost everyone's lives. Whether this phenomenon is for the better or worst still remains to be seen.