A common complaint against high school students is that they’re addicted to their phones. A common complaint made by high school students is that they have entirely too much homework. But does either grievance affect the other?

The average amount of time students at Padua spend on their homework is between two to three hours per night. Jess Molen, junior, says in that time she probably stops and checks her phone ten or more times. That means, on average, she checks her phone every 12-15 minutes.

“Yeah, it’s a lot,” she said. “I’m not really proud of it.”

Grace Burrus, also a junior, wishes that she had the self control to always put her phone away, as she knew it would overall be beneficial.

“Honestly the less I have my phone around I bet I’d get more sleep,” she said, “because I’m so tired every morning because I stay up so late studying.”

Both acknowledge that they should try to put their phone away when they study. Molen said that she felt it would “be incredibly helpful for my productivity.” Burrus echoes this sentiment, adding “the more time I spend on my laptop or phone the more distracted I’m apt to get, which just makes homework take longer.”

However, it might not be easy to simply lock their phones away, as phones have become indispensable in all aspects (including studying) in many students’ lives. Genevieve Oberholzer, a senior, argued that she uses her phone to contact friends when she has a question about homework, or reaching her parents when she’s home alone. Burrus also says that her phone is integral to her study habits.

“I time myself with my phone…so I only work on one subject for so long. It helps with my stress levels,” she said. “So it’s always next to me on my desk as I’m studying.”

So, although cell phones may have a negative effect on how students study, it seems unlikely many will give up access to their phones during those study hours. Aim to be more productive with mobile productivity tools such as Hipster PDA.

“Honestly I wouldn’t know what to do, how to pace myself, without my phone,” Burrus said. “Like, what would I use, a sundial? It seems inevitable, that I have to use it.”