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Mobile phones are really very important and valuable tools in our lives. Nowadays we cannot think a life without this revolutionary device. It is a portable electronic device used for mobile communication. This magical device has replaced many other devices like wrist watches, alarm clocks, calculators, calendars, radio, camera and many other gadgets. It is used for easy communication with our friends, relatives, family members, colleagues etc. Smart phones provide us facility to contact our fellow person with voice calls, text messages, recorded messages or by sending emails. It has some remarkable advantages like convenience i.e., easy to carry, easy access to information and technology, best way for fastest communication and a sophisticated device for entertainment.
Although it has numerous advantages but smart phones has some disadvantages also which has a very negative effect on student’s life. Smart phone addiction and easy access to high speed internet has following negative impacts on student’s learning and overall development.
Nowadays we see our children are busy with their handsets watching movies, making reels, playing video games, watching reality shows, serials etc. consuming most of their precious time. They are so much involved and addicted to their phones. They sometimes forget about their studies, skipping their meals and don’t bother to see what is going around.
We can see majority of the students neglecting studies by excessive use of social media sites like Facebook, whatsapp, instagram, snapchat etc. The excessive time spent on social media ultimately deviates them from academic goals, losing their passion towards their studies and gradually destroying their careers.
Using mobile phones for longer duration can have adverse effects on students health. It impairs their eye sight at a very tender age. Not only eye sight it leads to sleep disorders, hearing issues,anxiety and other serious health related issues. These addicted students gradually face stress and psychological disorders.
We see internet is full of inappropriate content that may not be adequate for our students. The content in the form of videos, images that can deviate these tender minds by exposing them to wrong and false information.
Reduced social interaction: – Smart phones with high speed internet facility create a virtual world of its own for a child especially enrolled in the schools. Over involvement in this virtual world leads to reduced social interactions which definitely take them away from society and physical social interactions. Students making excessive use of social media and internet cannot understand what are his duties towards the society and nation.
Students using excessive internet are also susceptible to variety of cyber-crimes such as digital identity frauds, cyber bullying, phishing etc. These cybercrimes can a have deep mental, physical and economic impact on the delicate minds of students.
It has been noticed that different students get exposed to content containing excessive violence, wrong information, unethical content and other inappropriate visuals which can a deep and long lasting impact on the delicate psyche of children. These impressions can have indelible scars on their thinking and mindset. They cannot ascertain the credibility of sources providing any information because of their innocence. They can easily loose their focus from their academics and future plans.
By washing our hands at our children, we cannot produce responsible citizens, athletes, sports men and great leaders.
Now as a guardian, it is our prime responsibility to check what our children are watching on their cell phones and have to guide them how to use it safely.
According to a research more than 45% of the students are addicted to smart phones. Too much screen time can affect their brain leading to poor concentration and weaker memory.
We can help our children to develop healthy boundaries and balance with social media usage. We can help them understand that social media presents a false sense of reality and that not everything there is real.
( Author Asif Amin Shah is a teacher from Handwara can be reached
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