This was coined from Global School Foundation 8th March 2022

Technology has made our life easy. We have gadgets that save our time and energy, entertain and inform us and play the role of companions, too. These gadgets, like mobile phones, the iPad, etc. are a boon for human beings. On the flip side, though, these gadgets are also the bane of our lives.

Not only do these gadgets make us lazy and inactive but they are also harmful to our physical and mental well-being. Take the Smartphone, for example. Everywhere you see,  people are glued to their phones, scrolling through social media, and wasting precious hours doing nothing productive.

Kids, especially, have become victims of smartphones, and if we don’t take steps soon, then these smart gadgets will completely ruin their lives. Do you want to know the harmful effects of mobile phones on students?

Read on to know more about the impact of mobile phones on students’ life, why kids need to put away their phones and make better use of their time.

‍

Why are Smartphones Affecting Kids Negatively?

Children are most vulnerable to smartphones and other technological gadgets. Right from childhood, they are introduced to smartphones. They use these gadgets to listen to music, play games, chat with their friends, and follow social media as they grow.

The content on smartphones is not always child-friendly. Furthermore, not all parents monitor their children when they use smartphones. As these gadgets keep kids occupied, elders, too, find it convenient as they get the time to complete their chores.

However, they don’t realize that staring at the screens for long hours affects their kids’ eyes, brain, mind, and also their way of thinking.

Kids also get distracted by smartphones while studying due to the constant pings of notifications that demand instant attention. They get introduced to the virtual world via smartphones and get immersed in it.

Often the lines between real and virtual get blurred and the kids are left confused about what is real and what they can believe. They also tend to forget what matters and what needs their attention as they find themselves lost in their smartphones.

‍

How Do Smartphones Affect Students?

Mobile phones emit radiofrequency radiation, which connects them to cell towers that provide coverage. The signal that smartphones emit is called electromagnetic radiation or EMF. This electromagnetic radiation covers other types of radiation, such as heat and microwaves, which are emitted as byproducts when mobile phones are used.

When we place our mobile phones close to our ears, the radiowaves are passed on directly into our brains. This has a huge impact on our overall health. According to the WHO, there is a strong link between mobile phone use and increased risk of cancer.

Kids are highly vulnerable to the bad effects of mobile phones as their bodies are still developing. Moreover, carrying mobile phones in their hands, pockets, or bags results in over-exposure to EMF. This exposure continues as kids tend to place their phones close to their heads when they sleep.

Read on to know more about the harmful effects of mobile phones on students. 

‍

Here is the list of 10 Harmful Effects of Mobile Phones on Students

● Poor vision

● Lack of focus

● Anxiety

● Isolation

● Poor academic performance

● Accidents

● Sleep loss

● Bad posture

● Immoral activities

● Cyberbullying

1. Poor vision:

Constant staring at mobile phones affects eyesight and eye health. Eyes tend to get dry, and the vision blurry. The eyesight gets affected, too, and kids have difficulty reading. Using phones day and night ruins eye health and the repercussions last a lifetime. This is one of the worst negative effects of mobile phones.

2. Lack of focus:

The virtual world they view on their mobile phones is highly distracting. Students find it fascinating and spend hours lost in it. It is not only misleading but confusing, too. It also distracts them from their studies and sports as kids wish to spend more time with their phones than their books. They tend to lose focus and their academic performance suffers badly.

3. Anxiety:

The wide array of video games and other applications not only disturb them but also cause anxiety in students. Students suffer from debilitating headaches and migraines due to this constant phone usage, which further leads to anxiety and depression.

4. Isolation:

Poor performance in exams leads to isolation. Students prefer staying away from friends and family and lose themselves in their mobile phones. This can seriously harm their mental health.

5. Poor academic performance:

The addiction to their phones leads to poor academic performance. Students fail to pay attention while studying, their memory suffers, and their mind suffers from dullness and lethargy.

6. Accidents:

The addiction to mobile phones is so strong that kids seldom do not let go of their phones, even while walking on the street or crossing the road. This increases the possibility of accidents, too.

7. Sleep loss:

Spending too much time on their phones disturbs their sleep. The radiations being emitted by mobile phones tend to disturb the natural sleep pattern and cause sleeplessness and the blue light emitted by the phones keeps the brain awake and alert even at night.

8. Bad posture:

Staring at the phone screens all day long, with their heads bent and their shoulders drooped leads to bad posture, neck ache, headache, backache, and tendonitis.

9. Immoral activities:

There is a lot of inappropriate content on the internet. Students, who are too young to differentiate between fact and fiction, find this mesmerizing and risk getting misled. The pull of the virtual world is so strong, it increases social disturbance and moral downfall.

10. Cyberbullying:

Students lack the maturity and the presence of mind to deal with cybercrimes or cyberbullying. They fall prey to the negative elements present in the virtual world and suffer from anxiety and depression, besides low self-esteem due to the psychological bullying they might suffer at the hands of the cyberbullies.

‍

How Students Can Reduce the Side Effects of Mobile Phone Use?

One of the most effective ways to reduce the side effects of mobile phones on students is to reduce their usage. Educating them about the harmful effects of radiation is much more effective than just forcing them to stop using phones.

‍

‍

Besides this, parents can try the following:

● Instead of communicating via phone calls, communicating via video calls or using the phone on loudspeaker will reduce the contact between the phone and the head. This will save the brain from radiation exposure.

● Parents can set an example by switching off their phone at night, when busy working, or when the phone is not needed. This will help improve concentration, attention, and sleep.

● Parents can choose the right monthly plan which allows a particular number of phone calls and texts only. This will reduce the kids’ phone usage and save them from the bad effects of mobile phones. 

‍

Conclusion

Mobile phones and other technological gadgets are useful to us in many ways, and are an important means of communication, too. However, limiting their use is a necessity because of the damage they do to our health.

Being among the top International schools in Bangalore, GIIS teaches students about these kinds of topics with their advantages & disadvantages so that way students learn by themselve about harm mobile phones can do.

Educating kids about the effects of mobile phones on their health, instead of controlling them, will help them understand the need to reduce their usage. It’s wise to change their phone habits in time before the phones cause irreparable harm to their health.