Instigator / Con
10
1503
rating
26
debates
46.15%
won
Topic
#1355

Smartphones Are Good

Status
Finished

The debate is finished. The distribution of the voting points and the winner are presented below.

Winner & statistics
Better arguments
3
6
Better sources
4
4
Better legibility
2
2
Better conduct
1
2

After 2 votes and with 4 points ahead, the winner is...

Christen
Parameters
Publication date
Last updated date
Type
Standard
Number of rounds
5
Time for argument
Two days
Max argument characters
10,000
Voting period
One week
Point system
Multiple criterions
Voting system
Open
Contender / Pro
14
1526
rating
5
debates
70.0%
won
Description

Smartphones are bad

Criterion
Con
Tie
Pro
Points
Better arguments
3 point(s)
Better sources
2 point(s)
Better legibility
1 point(s)
Better conduct
1 point(s)
Reason:

While Pro introduced a number of good points showing that smartphones can be entertaining, useful, and even important to have, arguments that con really failed to negate and instead wasted a lot of time trying to pass off the benefits of smartphones as irrelevant, Con also really shot himself in the foot by barely diving into his main counter argument of how smartphones can cause addiction and hamper test scores in school. A vast majority of Con's arguments are spent counting Pro's sensible claims, while the strongest argument Con has regarding addiction and test scores are almost afterthoughts left at the end of individual debate rounds.

Pro almost loses the debate when countering the arguments of smart phone addiction and test score problems by making excuses that its the own persons fault and that it can be overcome. While that is true, its still a weak defense, and Pro would have been much better off by arguing that smartphone addiction only effects a fraction of people, measures can be taken up in the classroom to preserve test scores without flat out banning smartphones, etc.

In the end, Pro's arguments are ultimately saved by the proven usefulness and access to information that smartphones bring. While some of this info and uses can be found in other devices, entertaining games and GPS for example, that doesnt prove the idea that smartphones are somehow 'not good' simply because other devices are sometimes similar in use. For that reason, argument points go to Pro.

Criterion
Con
Tie
Pro
Points
Better arguments
3 point(s)
Better sources
2 point(s)
Better legibility
1 point(s)
Better conduct
1 point(s)
Reason:

See comments:
https://www.debateart.com/debates/1355/comment_links/19200