Almost everyone in this day and age has a cell phone with him at all times, but why can’t today’s generation pull his eyes away from the screen?

Short Answer: The different apps available to the public are specifically designed to keep people entertained to the point of addiction.

The most popular apps among high school students, like Instagram or Pinterest, have a constant stream of content, with new posts daily and new features every few months.

Other apps are purely to entertain teenagers so they don’t get bored.

Jacob Leone, senior, spends “45 minutes to an hour” on Snapchat every weekday in order for him to “communicate with other people.”

These apps are how teenagers are used to talking with one another.

People post what they’re doing, where they’re going, and how much fun they’re having.

Ryan Mitchell, junior, says the main apps everyone has are “Snapchat, Twitter, and Instagram. They’re the big three. If you don’t have one, you have another.”

Each app has a different way of pulling the interest of an audience, from addicting gameplay, to new content every few minutes, and to connect to everyone else that uses the app.

Finding the best apps to purchase is easy for teens. Just download what the majority of their peers already use.

Being a popular app among teens doesn’t promise longevity, however.

Some apps are popular for a few weeks then quickly disappear from everyone’s interest.

The worst app according to Cole McBride, sophomore, was “After School. That app was awful! Everyone downloaded it to see what everyone said about them, but I bet it was all just robots.”

Most apps that are considered good to teenagers have a communication aspect.

“You can keep up with people,” says Leone. “It’s easy to find out what other people are doing, and you can get a quick response.”

So how does an app stay popular and interesting long enough to keep teens using it for a long time, and keep from being a fad?

One good way for an app to stay relevant is for it to update constantly.

“This is really old, but downloading Netflix shows to watch them while you’re not on the WiFi. I can even watch TV in school,” says Mitchell.

Updating often isn’t the only thing keeping apps like Pinterest, Spotify or GroupMe popular, however.

Basically, the app doesn’t just need to be fun.

According to Ashley Wheeler, senior, she says Snapchat is “Most of her day. Anytime. [Her] down time. It’s an addiction.”

Apps have taken up a great importance to everyday teenage life, and most of the ones teens use are to communicate with each other in different and exciting new ways.