Clicking with Canadians

Sisler High School students in Winnipeg, Manitoba, say they like cell phones because they can make calls from anywhere

Students debate need for cell phones,
but devices' popularity can't be denied

By Ashley C.W. Lam
Sisler High School
Winnipeg, Manitoba

WINNIPEG, Manitoba (CNNSB) -- The revolutionary cellular phone is not just small, compact and convenient enough for U.S. high schoolers, but it's increasingly a fad with Canadian students as well.

According to the research agency Statistics Canada, 26 percent of Canadian households used cell phones in 1998, compared to 22 percent in 1997.

There's no doubt about it -- cell phones are increasing in popularity every day, especially among teenagers and young adults.

Sisler High School is a diversely populated campus of about 1,650 students in Winnipeg. Manitoba's capital city is an hour north of the U.S. border and about 200 miles from Fargo, North Dakota. Sisler's students said they like cell phones because they can carry them around and make calls from anywhere. Just about every upper classman at the school has one, according to an informal survey of 120 12th-graders.

In the survey, 52 percent of those asked said they own cell phones, and out of these, 90 percent said they use them frequently.

How much are the students spending on cell phone charges? Fifty-five percent of those surveyed said they spend between $20 and $40 in Canadian money, or $15 to $28 in U.S. currency, on monthly phone charges. An average 80 percent of calls are social calls, the survey showed.

As popular as cell phones have become, other students said the devices are a waste of money.

Students such as senior Johan Heinrich, 18, said cell phones should only be used by people who really need them. Heinrich uses his for business.

"I'm a musician, so I'm on call with many bands throughout the day," Heinrich said. "It's quite important that I have a cell phone. I think it depends if you're in business, if you use it for important aspects of your business. It's a waste of money to own a cell phone just to talk to friends, since you only have a certain amount of time on your cell phone to use."

Heinnrich said, however, that students should try to turn their phones off during school so that they don't distract others in the classroom. Who would want to explain to a teacher why an annoying telephone is ringing during class?

Students will have to decide for themselves whether cell phones are a fad. Before deciding on one, students may want to ask, "Do I really need a cell phone and what would I use it for?"