The rise of mobile multiplayer games like PUBG and Fortnite has made smartphones more addictive.

“I have a handful of students who pretty consistently…have their phones in their laps… And I see, it’s some kind of game,” social studies teacher Amy Jones said.

“They distract you from work you need to do in class and focus. You focus more on the game than you do on the schoolwork,” sophomore Lindsey Haynes said.

“You’re missing class instruction. You’re not engaged with whatever the activity is we’re doing in class at that time. So for that reason, academically they’re missing out,” Jones said.

But the distraction that electronics pose is not just a problem within a classroom, it is a problem outside of school as well.

“You ask someone, ‘what are they doing in their spare time? While you’re not getting these things done what are you doing with your time?’ And it’s ‘Oh, I’m on my phone’, ‘Snapchat’, ‘Social media’,” school counselor Jason Wooden said.

According to a report by Common Sense Media, teens spend an average of over four hours a day on their smartphones. In addition, teens who play video games on their phones spend over an hour on average playing them each day.  

“The more time you spend playing video games the less time you’re doing homework or studying. It’s definitely going to impact your academic performance,” sophomore Tristen Gates said.

Even though electronics can often be distractions, they represent a new and efficient way of communication that can be applied to school. According to Common Sense Media, 22 percent of teens now use their phones for homework.

“In education, the more variety that we have, then the better our chances of reaching students.  So, I’m all for bringing in that variety…definitely there are so many different ways that they can be used to reach students, and to help students be successful, ” Jones said.

Students say that in order to keep video games from affecting their academics negatively, they just need to have a balance.

“If you play too much then, yeah, it can affect your grades because you wouldn’t be spending as much time on homework and stuff. But if you just play when you have free time , and you don’t go overboard, then I don’t think it would really affect your grades,” sophomore Arianna Prabhudesai said.