Today’s technology is incredible, and it has helped to make great advancements with modernizing our society. The cell phone, in particular, has really revolutionized the way that we communicate, learn, navigate and perform many other tasks. Personally, I am addicted to my phone. There is rarely a time that it isn’t by my side or in my pocket. Even more often, it is in my hand or right in front of my face. However, as with nearly any innovation there are most definitely subsequent downfalls that accompany the benefits. More and more studies are being conducted that are revealing more risks of cell phone that you might not even think about.

Here are six ways your cell phone can be causing damage. (They had to be told through "Mean Girls" GIFs, because clearly there was no other way to convey this information.)

1. Viewing your phone at night can be affecting your vision.

The New England Journal of Medicine just published an article this past week discussing a case of two women that experienced temporary blindness from viewing their phone screens at night while lying in bed. In both cases one of the eyes was covered by a pillow and the other was exposed to the brightness of the phone. The difference in retinal sensitivity made the individuals experience the transient blindness.

2. Talking on the phone might be reeking havoc on your skin.

If you think about how easy it is for germs to pile up on your cell phone, you will probably get really grossed out. You may use your phone for music while you’re working out at the gym … after using those weights … that the guy before you didn’t bother to clean … and he forgot to wash his hands before coming to the gym … and his girlfriend has bronchitis. Just as quickly as germs can collect on your hands they can collect on your phone. So, it is no surprise that talking on the phone has been linked to skin ailments like acne. Keep your phone clean screen by wiping it down every once in a while to keep your skin and your health in shape.

3. Social media may be corrupting your body image.

This one has more to do with the social media sites you are constantly scrolling through on your phone, rather than the phone itself. Between seeing all of your friends with bikini-ready bodies and scrolling through pictures of random strangers for “fitspiration,” it is no wonder that there is a link between social media and body image. An article by Jasmine Fardouly and Lenny R. Vartanian that was published in Elsevier Journal confirmed that many experimental correlation studies have shown that the more hours spent on these social media cites, typically increases body dissatisfaction in both males and females.

4. Your phone may be making you a very distracted driver.

Yeah, I’m going to get on my mom-like soap box for a moment. Using your phone while driving can be just as dangerous as driving under the influence. Whether you’re sending a text to your boyfriend, calling grandma or changing the song on Spotify (if you're paying that 99 cents for the premium trial before you cancel it), your focus is off the road. You can constantly find news stories on accidents caused by distracted drivers. I wait for red lights before I play around with my phone in the car. Even then, I am constantly glancing up to avoid getting beeped at by the impatient road rager behind me.

5. Listening to your head phones can damage your ears and put you at other risks.

The National Library of Medicine states that adults and children listening to loud music through headphones can result in damage to nerve cells in the ear and even hearing loss. In addition to damaging your ear drums, headphones can actually present a risk to pedestrians. The University of Maryland Medical Center conducted an interview with Dr. Lichenstein, who divulged the correlation between pedestrian accidents and the use of headphones. It isn’t only the drivers that can be distracted by cell phones, but the people walking in the road too!

6. You might be disregarding your real-life relationships.

I was watching the news this morning and there was yet another report on how pitiful our society is becoming with cell phone use. The report was on a photo project done by Eric Pickerson that showed images of people using their phones with the phones removed from the pictures. It shows how disconnected we have come from one another and our surroundings. I cannot stress this one enough. People in today's society have such a hard time being around others without constantly being connected to their phones. Of course, I am totally guilty of this too, but I try to catch myself from slipping out of reality into the digital cell phone world. Take the opportunity to appreciate the world and individuals surrounding you in real life.