Since cell phones are highly widespread with over 5 billion individuals across the globe using them, there is a need for research on the likely health effects of their usage. The purpose of this study is to explain the negative effects of cell phones on people’s health as a way of laying a suitable foundation for the development of effective interventions to amicably address the problem. Cell phones interlink with base stations via radiofrequency (RF) energy. A high RF radiation results in thermal variations, which insinuates a rise in the user’s body temperature. Additionally, there are alarms that minimal degrees of RF radiation from cell phones might result in health effects that encompass brain tumors and headache. The blue light released by mobile phones may lead to negative effects such as eye straining and aching (Dongre et al., 2017). Such forms of wavelength might cause problems with the user’s cornea or even vision. Luxurious developments that keep rising in the market, for example, cell phone inventions, have promoted growth and development in all users. Earlier, cell phones were not used by many people compared with the contemporary times. Technological advancements have resulted in cell phones being relatively affordable and readily accessible to more than 80% of people worldwide. The use of cell phones should be regulated since they are significant in the daily operations of individuals but pose serious effects on their health.
Background
The availability of sophisticated expertise is crucial in advancement and enhancement of people’s productivity despite carrying some dangerous effects. The development of cell phones created considerable significance in all spheres of life although its excessive application has been associated with severe negative medical consequences (Gupta et al., 2016). Since the commencement of the millennium, the standard cell phone has shifted from being just a two-way voice and short-messaging communication gadget to an advanced wireless and computerized device that can perform numerous other tasks. Such tools enable people who are far from one another to have unrestricted access to data and connection to people around the world, hence causing dependency among other issues.
Cell phones have made social networking sites turn out to be the biggest and most dominant elements on the Internet. Online services offer chances for interrelations hence resulting in an easy mode of interconnections regardless of age or gender. Sadly, a high number of adolescents and youth is losing their success in life to the virtual scope where they become slaves of expertise rather than its mastery. Nomophobia has left many people with mental disorders (Dongre et al., 2017). Attributable to the ubiquitous scope of the cell phone, it is crucial to comprehend its effects on the users’ well-being and the impact of having the gadget withdrawn from regular users.
Health Effects
The use of cell phone has generated the most tremendous non-drug dependence in the twenty-first century. Its continued use is frequently causing severe health problems such as nomophobia, which is the modern dread of the inability to communicate through cell phones. Dongre et al. (2017) examine the dependence patterns, nomophobia prevalence, and health impacts of cell phone usage. The prevalence of nomophobia stood at 68.92%, while males exhibited a higher dependence level (82.91%) on cell phones than females (31.25%). The increased mobile phone usage leads to lack of sleep, which affects a person’s lifestyle and mental stability. The negative impacts of increased use of mobile phones are evident in face-to-face communication, in which some individuals find it challenging to express themselves. Many of the people suffering negative health consequences of mobile phone usage are teenagers and youth. Since deterrence is better than treatment, successful health education policies should target the youth for the prevention and proper tackling of harmful impacts of cell phones. Effective treatment should comprise all stakeholders and identify the rising inclinations and the underlying health effects of inappropriate use of cell phones mainly among teenagers.
Cell phones have become an omnipresent device of people’s daily lives. After their development, cell phones were widely used as merely communication gadgets. In the contemporary times, their usability as mobile computers that can act as music players, offer video games, surf the internet, and enable the use of calculator alongside countless apps has assured enhanced social connectivity, decreased loneliness, and reinforced safety in an emergency occurrence. Attributable to such countless benefits, cell phones have been progressively adopted, owned, and utilized by children and adolescents (Dongre et al., 2017). Additionally, the use of smartphones has risen dramatically because they have recently become more affordable and accessible across the globe than in the past years. Nevertheless, increased use of this communication technology has come with harmful effects.
Gupta et al. (2016) explore the young generation’s dependency rate on cell phones, resulting in psychological problems. The authors assessed the students’ mobile phone use pattern and the associated adverse impacts on sleep, mental health, and academic performances, primarily in a medical university. The results demonstrated that most students used mobile phones to communicate, coordinate activities, address emergencies, and download videos, games, and music. Additionally, the mobile phone use at night was highly significantly (p < 0.0001) related to a decline in study habits, challenges in waking up, tiredness, class lateness, and concentration difficulties. The researchers concluded that although cell phones positively influenced people’s daily lives, their overuse presented adverse effects on sleep, psychological health, and students’ academic performance.
The ownership and usage of cell phones is anticipated to keep on rising in the future, particularly among people aged 40 years and above. Increased usage and accessibility of smartphones has enabled the intensified development of applications, that only worsen the existing addiction and health problems. McKay et al. (2018) argue that the increased smartphone access has led to an escalated development of applications, thus changing users’ health behaviors. In this regard, they investigated and evaluated health apps, which help individuals adopt best practice approaches. Upon reviewing 38 articles, researchers concluded that developers must assess the effectiveness and quality of their apps to improve health and behavioral change.
Undeniably, informative apps can assist gain insights into various life aspects, including healthcare, thus avoiding extreme mental effects of cell phone addiction. With information on the app’s quality, effectiveness, and followers, it is easy to develop strategies, which transform the content to help people embrace healthy practices (McKay et al., 2018). Effective therapy should help the audience visualize alternative ways to use smartphone applications to gain vital insights into health issues. Instead of users spending much time on unhelpful social media platforms, which corrupt their morals, they can access apps that inform them about their wellness, among other life and educational topics.
Melnick (2019) reflects on the study outcomes, which assess the human health risks emanating from cell phone radiation. The national toxicology program (NTP) administrators engaged in research on the phones’ energy impacts using mice and rats exposed to the global system for mobile communication (GSM) and code-division multiple access (CDMA) radiofrequency radiations. The researcher tested the null hypothesis, which stated that mobile phone radiations at non-thermal level conditions do not cause harmful health impacts. The results disapproved of the null hypothesis because mice and rats developed acoustic neuromas and gliomas (Schawn cell tumors), indicating that human beings might also be exposed to the same health risks. This argument has attracted various criticisms due to the lack of a direct connection to a disease originating from cell phones. However, the links of mobile phone radiations with cancerous cells are still apparent. NTP is a renowned inter-agency program of the Health and Human Services (HHS) in the United States. Therefore, it has the required human and financial capacity to conduct credible research.
The National Cancer Institute has established that there is no convincing proof that non-ionizing radiation raises the risk of cancer in human beings. The only reliable evidence and known biological impact of radiofrequency radiation in people is attributable to heating. The Food and Drug Administration (FDA) agency clarifies the connection between mobile phone use and serious health hazards. There have been reports of a link between cell phone radiations and cancer cells in the recent past (U.S. Food and Drug Administration, 2020). Although FDA agrees that mobile phones emit specific radiofrequency energy, the organization insists that such radiations are non-ionizing.
Anchored in the assessment of the available data, the FDA asserts that existing scientific proof has not associated exposure to radiofrequency emanating from the usage of smartphones with any significant health problem whether below or at the parameters set by the Federal Communications Commission. As a result, the FDA concludes that cell phone radiation does not pose a serious health threat to humans, and existing public health data confirm this assertion (U.S. Food and Drug Administration, 2020). FDA monitors and evaluates public health information on cancer illness in the United States. For nearly 30 years, its scientists and physicians have not found any evidence of health threats relating to cell phone radiations. It is the FDA’s mandate to safeguard all Americans’ welfare, and thus, its research remains significant in pursuit of the truth.
Constant application and addiction to smartphones has had a detrimental impact on the physical, social, and psychological facets of the users. Excessive cell phone usage has been linked to health problems that include headache, strain, loss of concentration, fatigue, sleep disorder, dizziness, and depression emanating from prolonged use and frustration. Inappropriate application of smartphones by teenagers and students has led to moral decadence occasioned by sharing of pornographic content and accidents caused by usage while driving. Other effects on users’ social health include broken relationships due to too much time on the gadget and ignorance to one’s partner or friends and decreased sociability (Dongre et al., 2017). The negative impact of cell phones on psychological health encompass people being addicted to them, which has resulted in emotional stress. Learners have also exhibited behavioral and cognitive problems where they overly think about and overuse their smartphones and overlook other important academic requirements.
The addiction to smartphones may be elucidated by the fact that teenagers, children, youth, and older adults have continually found their use exciting. Every behavior that offers satisfaction or assists a person to eradicate undesirable occurrences such as boredom causes its intensification as a means of always taking pleasure in or overcoming negative sentiments as has been the concern with overuse of smartphones. Shockingly, even with increased awareness of the negative health effects cell phones are increasingly gaining popularity, particularly among teenagers and youth. The problem has had the greatest impact on students and teenagers for the inappropriate use of smartphones while driving, in class, in church, and late night (Dongre et al., 2017). This has led to learners and teenagers giving smartphones precedence over their academic tasks or even health. Therefore, the effects on smartphones on users’ overall health should be thoroughly to develop effective interventions.
Conclusion
The overuse of smartphones should be regulated since they are noteworthy in the daily operations of individuals but cause serious effects on their health. Disproportionate cell phone usage has been associated with health problems that encompass headache, stress, loss of concentration, fatigue, sleep problems, dizziness, and despair emanating from prolonged use and frustration. Most people suffering health consequences of mobile phone usage are youngsters. Successful treatment should include all stakeholders and detect the rising inclinations and the underlying health impact of inappropriate use of smartphones mainly among teenagers.
References
Dongre, A. S., Inamdar, I. F., & Gattani, P. L. (2017). Nomophobia: A study to evaluate mobile phone dependence and impact of cell phone on health. National Journal of Community Medicine, 8(11), 688-693. Web.
Gupta, N., Garg, S., & Arora, K. (2016). Pattern of mobile phone usage and its effects on psychological health, sleep, and academic performance in students of a medical university. National Journal of Physiology, Pharmacy, and Pharmacology, 6(2), 132-139. Web.
McKay, F. H., Cheng, C., Wright, A., Shill, J., Stephens, H., & Uccellini, M. (2018). Evaluating mobile phone applications for health behaviour change: A systematic review. Journal of Telemedicine and Telecare, 24(1), 22-30.
Melnick, R. L. (2019). Commentary on the utility of the National Toxicology Program study on cell phone radiofrequency radiation data for assessing human health risks despite unfounded criticisms aimed at minimizing the findings of adverse health effects. Environmental Research, 168, 1-6. Web.
U.S. Food and Drug Administration. (2020). Do cell phones pose a health hazard? FDA. Web.