Just a couple of years ago, traveling with my family was perhaps the most fun part of our entire vacation. We played games, sang songs and talked for hours telling each other funny stories. However, on my last seven-hour trip to Vermont, passengers' faces were lit up by the brightness of their smartphones. Even my ten-year-old sister was spoiled by Candy Crush's challenging levels and bright colors. This was probably one of the most boring car trips of my life, considering that my smartphone had recently crashed and become useless. With nothing else to do, I observed my family's antisocial behavior. In all, about twenty minutes of the seven-hour journey were dedicated to chatting. Instead of conversing with each other, my family was preoccupied with the amazing capabilities of their tech device, turning a social interaction into silence. The convenience that smartphones bring to everyday life is extraordinary. Users can access healthcare and related services anytime, anywhere with a click or a simple swipe of a finger, but beyond convenience this also comes with several dangers. The useful functions of smartphones can be very harmful to the brain, especially the hippocampus. The hippocampus is the seahorse-shaped part of the brain that controls memory, problem-solving skills, and other cognitive abilities such as perception and attention (Whitbourne). Using smartphones prevents the hippocampus from exercising, and the more time users spend on the smartphone, the less time the brain has to relax. Smartphones can also cause behavioral changes and lead users to become antisocial. All these negative effects that smartphones have on users can be easily solved with simple solutions t... middle of paper... to the web. December 19, 2013. Ryall, Julian. “A wave of 'digital dementia'” The Telegraph. Telegraph Media Group, June 24, 2013. Web. December 19, 2013."Smartphones are changing the privacy settings of the real world." American Friends of Tel Aviv University. Tel Aviv University, May 10, 2012. Web. December 17, 2013."Smartphone Improvements: Positive and Negative Impact on Society." Alwaleed Al Afaliq. Psu.edu, September 19, 2013. Web. December 10, 2013. Tell it, Caroline. "Get away from the phone!" Fashion and style. New York Times, September 20, 2013. Web. December 10, 2013. Whitbourne, Susan K. “Your Smartphone Could Make You… Not Smart.” Achievement at any age. Psychology Today, October 18, 2011. Web. December 18, 2013. Worthman, Jenna. “Most young adults in US now own smartphones, survey says.” Bit Most Young Adults in the US Now Own a Smartphone, Survey Says. New York Times, November 3, 2011. Web. December 11. 2013.