Epidemiologists are voicing alarm over the health consequences of frequent cellphone use, which are much more serious than the misleading decades-old studies of tissue heating in the bodies of stout American soldiers in the prime of health.

Wifi, Microwaves and the Consequences to our Health - Barrie Trower

Here in Taiwan cellphone addicts are referred to as 低頭族 (dītóuzú / ditourtzwu) [literally “the lowered-head tribe”]. It can be very hard to pry teenagers away from their precious cellphones.

@alvinauh recently described an activity that involved the use of cellphones to encourage EFL students to use more English: https://steemit.com/steemiteducation/@alvinauh/bringing-the-world-to-a-rural-school-a-google-cardboard-lesson-plan

Although I am a committed technology addict, I cannot help but worry about any lesson that encourages students, especially young children, to increase their cellphone usage.

Here is an example of an alternate activity that can motivate students to get away from Photoshop and similar image manipulation apps on their cellphones. Print out and show students clever vegetable or fruit pictures such as these:

Banana Monster [source: https://pxhere.com/en/photo/968175]:

Mr Grumpy Potato, CC--BY-SA Banger1977
source: https://www.flickr.com/photos/banger1977/2914549247

Evil Pepper, CC--BY Blake Patterson
source: https://www.flickr.com/photos/blakespot/9234512598

For homework, ask students to create similar images from fruits or vegetables and write clever descriptions. Activities like this could encourage them to come up with more of their own creations in the same vein without relying on electronic manipulation (beyond the act of recording their creations with a camera).