In 2010, there were approximately 5.3 billion cell phone users worldwide. With so many people using this technology, people began to weigh the risks and benefits. Although owning and using a cell phone has many advantages, it also has many disadvantages. There are many reasons why people choose to use a cell phone. It facilitates access to social networks, gives in to impulsivity, the need to belong and strengthens self-esteem. Most teenagers find cell phones essential for maintaining their social lives and staying in touch (Abel 102). Cell phones are also very useful for things like companionship, finding information, making appointments, mobility, fashion, and immediate access. They help people feel like they belong by providing frequent social interaction, thereby preventing loneliness. There are countless benefits to having a cell phone. Some of these benefits are pleasure, escape, relaxation, inclusion, control, and affection (Jin 612). In the healthcare industry, cell phones are gaining popularity. They are used as a means of clinical assessment and intervention, managing commuter stress, reducing exam anxiety, combating battlefield stress, improving self-awareness emotional and socially supportive behaviors, and many other things. Cell phones are also used as a means to send reminders to patients regarding appointments, disease monitoring and management, and to provide patient education (Sansone 33). Because cell phones are so popular and commonly used, monitoring them has become an automatic response. . Self-control is a limited resource, and a student's ability to refrain from using their cell phone in situations where its use is prohibited, such as in the classroom, requires the use of self-assessment at middle of paper..... . (2012): 101-106. Commercial source completed. Internet. October 6, 2013. Hofferth, Sandra L. and Ui Jeong Moon. “Cell Phone Use and Reading Fluency Among Children and Adolescents.” Psychology of Popular Media Culture 1.2 (2012): 108-122. PsycARTICLES. Internet. October 6, 2013. Jin, Borae and Namkee Park. “In-Person Contact Begets Calling and Texting: Interpersonal Motivations for Cell Phone Use, Face-to-Face Interaction, and Loneliness.” Cyberpsychology, behavior and social networks 13.6 (2010): 611-618. Commercial source completed. Internet. October 6, 2013.Mountjoy, Paul. “Cell phones promote serious social and psychological problems.” Washington Times Communities. April 7, 2013. The web. October 06, 2013.Sansone, Randy A., MD, and Lori A. Sansone, MD. “Mobile phones: psychosocial risks.” Innovations in Clinical Neuroscience 10 (2013): 33-35. NCBI. US National Library of Medicine, January 2013. Web. October 6. 2013.