OMAHA, Neb. —

Every day, teens are inundated with hundreds of notifications on their phones. Studies have shown that phone addiction results in higher rates of depression, anxiety and even suicide. Local students are stepping up to keep their friends safe, but there is a key component missing.

In an assembly at Marian High School, student peers take center stage, teaching and talking about cellphones. They love them, they hate them and they cannot live without them.

"[We're] just making sure that social media is back to what it was intended for," Maeve McGill, a sophomore and SmartGen ambassador, said.

The SmartGen ambassadors hosted this panel to teach freshmen about the dangers of phones. They also planned for parents to come, but it did not work out the way they wanted it to.

"Not

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