How long can you go without checking your phone? Are you checking it because you know someone is trying to reach you or because you’re bored with your current conversation?

Most of the time when people pull out their phones during conversations, I find it rude. Yes, I’m guilty of doing it often. I apologize for having my phone out and usually make up some excuse for why I have to be texting or emailing someone right at that very minute.

But really, my reason is never that important, and it’s always inexcusable. I’m choosing not to focus on the current conversation at hand, giving more attention to my phone than the person who’s right in front of my face.

I wondered if I was the only one who can’t go 20 minutes without checking a phone for texts or notifications.

So, I went to you. Last week, a TommieMedia.com survey asked site visitors how often they check their phones. About 35 percent of respondents said they check their phones every 15 minutes or less, and about 45 percent said they go more than two hours without checking their phones. About 3 percent responded that they check their phones every two hours and about 5 percent said every hour. The last 12 percent said they check their phones every half-hour.

It surprises me that about 45 percent of people said they go two hours without checking their phones because that is not what I’ve experienced. It is possible that the poll participants weren’t all in their 20s, as more college-aged students I know are glued to their cell phones. I wasn’t surprised to hear more than a third of respondents reported they couldn’t last 15 minutes without glancing at their screens.

Why do we feel the need to continue to check our phones? I think it’s because we don’t want to be left out of any up to date notifications and to fill the time when we’re bored. Checking our phones while waiting for dinner at a restaurant even when we’re with a group of people has become something we do without giving it a second thought. We’re bored, so might as well check to see what’s happening in the world on social media sites like Twitter and Facebook.

When we do this, we are telling the people around us that they are not worthy of our time and attention; that a cell phone has more value than people.

While cell phones are great, our society is missing out on a lot of important moments. Instead of living behind our phones, let’s use the time we have together wisely. If you do choose to use your phone, do it for one-on-one communication with friends and family, like group texts, phone calls, text messages and snapchat. If you can, try doing it when you’re not in the company of others. But if you have to use your phone while in a social setting, at least you’re talking to someone else.

Caroline Rode can be reached at rode8318@stthomas.edu.