American Speech-Language-Hearing Association: The advent of smartphone technology is helping those with hearing loss. Many new models of hearing aids are now compatible with smartphones, which can send audio to hearing devices and can also be used as remote controls for hearing aids. The hip factor associated with the use of smartphones may be a boon for those with hearing problems, given that less than 25 percent of people who need a hearing aid use one, according to the American Speech-Language-Hearing Association.

Association for Psychological Science: You may want to reconsider sending out those late-night emails from your smartphone, according to research cited by the Association for Psychological Science. While convenient, the devices have been shown to impair people’s sleep. The light from smartphone screens can suppress the release of melatonin, a sleep-inducing hormone. The pressures of being constantly connected have also been shown to increase people’s stress levels.

CTIA: The Wireless Association: These days, it seems like everyone is attached to a smartphone. And most people are, according to a 2015 Pew Research Center Report, which found that 64 percent of U.S. adults own a smartphone—up from 35 percent in 2011. But as adoption rates continue to grow, so do concerns about privacy, which is why groups such as CTIA: The Wireless Association are working on initiatives to help smartphone users protect their personal information.

(Chung Lee)