Introduction
Have you ever had questions such as why your parents would not get you a phone at young age? What impact do smartphones have on the adolescent lives of middle and high school students? In the twenty-first century, technological devices such as smartphones are considered crucial since many children and adults are being exposed to new relevant innovative products on a daily basis across the world through their use. Regardless of how advantageous smart devices can be, middle and high school students appear to have become overly reliant on mobile phones and other 21st Century new tech. Smartphones use in schools and at home are influencing children younger than 12 years old in different ways, both positively and negatively.
Negative Effects of having a Phone
One of the most common consequences of using smartphones is becoming less social. While communicating with people thousands of miles away, children appear to prefer social platforms or video games. Face-to-face contact is necessary for kids to develop social skills, broaden friendships, and learn to explore unfavorable circumstances. Addiction to mobile phones at a young age can negatively impact a child in various ways, including poor socialization. Poor social skills frequently lead to stress and solitude, which can have a negative impact on both physical and mental health.
The number of time kids waste texting, contacting, and using other smartphone apps can be enormous. These activities keep kids busy and prevent them from paying close attention to their schoolwork. They might, for instance, listen to music or play games. Access to social media and the internet through cell phones is an issue that prevents kids from focusing on their education. As a result, some of them watch questionable videos and visit restricted websites.
Additionally, it is easy for kids to abuse their smartphones in the classroom and throughout their studies by using them to cheat on tests and assignments. Students can cheat by snapping images of their work and sending them to other classmates at the touch of a button. Students would experience fewer disciplinary issues with cheating if cell phones were fully banned from classrooms. Additionally, having access to the internet while in class can make it simple for students to become victims of cyberbullying.
Furthermore, children’s sleep patterns may be impacted by mobile phone use. Several things might affect how well one sleeps, but in recent years, there has been a lot of focus on how using a mobile device throughout childhood affects sleep. According to a recent study, problematic cell phone use, which is related to poor sleep quality, affects one in every four children and teens (Rafique et al. 357). After the lights have been turned off, using a mobile device in bed can result in poor sleep quality (PSQ) through several causes. The blue light that mobile phone screens emit is a significant element that can cause PSQ. The hormone melatonin, which controls the circadian rhythm or sleep/wake cycle, can be decreased by blue light (Rafique et al. 357). Hence, falling asleep and staying asleep are challenging when melatonin levels are low. According to research, blue light exposure boosts mental alertness and can enhance cognitive processes, resulting in PSQ.
The use of phones can harm children’s health by exposing them to radio-frequency radiation (RFR). A research study about a Mobile Phone Base Station Tower setup neighboring school buildings has observed that increased exposure of male students to RFR from these buildings was associated with several effects (Miller et al. 223). The impacts include interrupted fine and gross motor skills, temporal working memory, and attention in early adolescents, when compared with pupils who were exposed to low RFR (Miller et al. 223). A recent survey has shown a potential negative impact of RFR brain dose on young people’s cognitive functions such as spatial memory that encompass brain regions subjected to cell phone use.
Children who use their phones for extended periods may become physically inactive. Inactivity is a growing public health issue for kids and teenagers worldwide. The World Health Organization’s (WHO) global recommendations for physical activity (PA) for health are only met by a small percentage of people (Böhm et al. 4). Therefore, kids and teenagers between the ages of 5 and 17 should engage in at least 60 minutes in a day of moderate to vigorous physical activity (MVPA), including strenuous activities at least three days per week (Böhm et al. 5). Physical inactivity is amongst the highest risk factor for mortality worldwide and raises the predisposition of non-communicable disease illnesses such as diabetes in primary school students.
Furthermore, studies on mobile phone addiction or problematic use of mobile phones in childhood have been conducted using electronic databases such as Medline, Pubmed, Proquest, EBSCO host, Wiley online library, and Science Direct (Böhm et al. 6). The prevalence of problematic smartphone use was 6.3 percent (6.1 percent among boys and 6.5 percent among girls), while some studies found 16 percent among adolescents. According to the review, exorbitant or overuse of mobile phones is associated with feelings of inadequacy, staying up late at night, and impeded parent-child and school interactions (Böhm et al. 8). Furthermore, psychological problems such as addictive behaviors like low mood, nervousness, leisure lethargy, and behavioral problems were observed, with the most pronounced relationship between conduct problems and subjective distress.
Benefits of having a Phone
In today’s highly developed technological world, it is typical to have at least one or two technological connections. The majority of parents disagree, believing that children’s childhoods are being harmed by technology. Nevertheless, in today’s technologically advanced world, having a cell phone is a need. Practicality, GPS tracking to let parents know where their children are, and safety are a few benefits (Nikolopoulou & Kleopatra 258). The main benefit of smartphones for parents to think about getting one for their children is their usefulness. For instance, consider today’s hectic world, where kids are occupied with schoolwork and extracurricular activities while parents work long hours. Hence, most parents want to stay in touch with their children to call them if they are running late or pick them up from school (Nikolopoulou & Kleopatra 258). Therefore, getting a phone for one’s child is a simple way to accomplish that.
Furthermore, using mobile phones in the classroom reduces spending on stationery. Learning can be less hassle because technology constantly evolves and has already transformed several ways. The use of cell phones can improve a student’s ability to pay attention through the use of video graphics to teach (Nikolopoulou & Kleopatra 260). In some emergencies, cell phones would be preferable to waiting in line for a single phone. Although students’ smartphones are not currently permitted in the classroom, they should be permitted to do so because they can be extremely useful for presentations, schoolwork, and notes. Even though mobile phones can be very distracting at school, they can also be very helpful in keeping a student’s grade at a passing level by allowing access to study materials.
Mobile phones are of benefit in the health sector for children with speech disorders. Access to speech therapy can be challenging for families due to the scarcity of speech-language physicians in the workforce. Expense, socioeconomic background, and location can all be impediments. Technology-assisted speech therapy, specifically mobile health (mHealth), can potentially increase children’s access to speech therapy (Furlong et al. 3). Mobile applications (apps) are low-cost, engaging forms of the health care system. For example, asthma, obesity, bipolar disorder, and chronic pain have been shown to benefit from mobile apps that encourage self-management and optimize therapy adherence (Furlong et al. 4). Apps can supplement lifestyle modifications such as exercise logging and food. Apps allow children with speech disorders to practice outside of traditional clinical settings. That was demonstrated using a study that compared computer-led and parent-led home therapy for kids with speech disorders (Furlong et al. 5). Children spent more time practicing at home in the computer-led mode, and both children and parents preferred that method. Apps also allow children to practice their speech therapy activities at home, irrespective of geographical location, economic status, or family situation.
Conclusion
Although mobile phone use aids in maintaining social relationships, their addiction among children and teenagers requires immediate attention. Children under 12 years of age are more vulnerable to negative effects of using mobile phones, such as poor social skill development. These children should not be subjected to smartphones as they can influence them in several ways, such as being physically inactive, which can expose them to diseases such as diabetes. In addition, the radio-frequency radiations emitted by mobile phones can also affect a kid’s health by bringing conditions such as interrupted motor skills and attention deficit. Apart from a wide range of negative impacts of phone usage, they can also benefit a kid by using them to access online study materials and for technology-assisted speech therapy.
Works Cited
Böhm, Birgit, et al. “Effects of Mobile Health Including Wearable Activity Trackers to Increase Physical Activity Outcomes among Healthy Children and Adolescents: Systematic Review.” JMIR mHealth and uHealth 7.4 (2019): e8298.
Furlong, Lisa, et al. “Mobile Apps for Treatment of Speech Disorders in Children: An Evidence-Based Analysis of Quality and Efficacy.” PloS one 13.8 (2018): e0201513.
Miller, Anthony B., et al. “Risks to Health and Well-being from Radio-frequency Radiation Emitted by Cell Phones and other Wireless Devices.” Frontiers in public health 7 (2019): 223.
Nikolopoulou, Kleopatra. “Secondary Education Teachers’ Perceptions of Mobile Phone and Tablet use in Classrooms: Benefits, Constraints and Concerns.” Journal of computers in education 7.2 (2020): 257-275.
Rafique, Nazish, et al. “Effects of Mobile use on Subjective Sleep Quality.” Nature and science of sleep 12 (2020): 357.