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Start your child’s journey to success. 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 highly vulnerable to smartphones and other gadgets.
1.From a young age, they are introduced to smartphones for:
- Listening to music
- Playing games
- Chatting with friends
- Following social media
Content on smartphones is not always child-friendly.
- Many parents do not monitor their children’s smartphone usage.
- Smartphones keep kids occupied, which adults find convenient for completing chores.
- Excessive screen time negatively affects kids’ eyes, brain, mind, and thinking patterns.
- Constant pings and notifications distract kids while studying.
- Smartphones introduce kids to the virtual world, causing immersion and dependency.
- The boundary between real and virtual life often gets blurred, leading to confusion.
- Kids may lose focus on what truly matters as they get lost in their smartphones.
Recent studies show that 97% of teens use their phones during the school day with a median in-school screen time of 43 minutes. They pick up their phones a median of 51 times per day. Most use their phones for social media (32%), YouTube (26%), and gaming (17%) during school hours.k12dive
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.
Scientific research reveals that children’s brains absorb 2 to 3 times more radiation than adults’ brains when using cell phones, due to smaller heads and thinner skulls. The American Academy of Pediatrics highlights that children receive about twice the RF energy deposition in the brain compared to adults.center4research+1
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
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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.
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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.
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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.
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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.
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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.
Studies confirm that excessive mobile phone use is inversely related to academic performance. Increased cell phone use is associated with decreased concentration and lower grades among students. For example, a study showed students who used smartphones extensively during class had lower levels of course comprehension.scribd+3
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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.
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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.
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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.
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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.
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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.
Why is GIIS Bangalore the Perfect School for Your Child’s Growth?
The Global Indian International School (GIIS) is one of the top schools in Bangalore, India, offering both CBSE curriculum and Cambridge curriculums. We ensure holistic growth with a balanced approach to academics and extracurricular activities.
The school emphasises digital well-being, helping students manage mobile phone usage effectively, and fostering a healthy learning environment. This makes GIIS Bangalore the perfect choice for your child’s overall development.
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 themselves 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.
FAQ – Frequently asked questions
1.How do mobile phones negatively impact students’ academic performance?
Mobile phones distract students with notifications and social media, reducing their focus and leading to poor academic performance, which is a concern in many schools in Bangalore India. Studies find that students pick up their phones frequently during school hours, spending a median of 43 minutes on screens at school and over four hours daily on phones in general.sciencedirect+2
2.How does GIIS Bangalore help students manage screen time effectively?
GIIS Bangalore encourages students to limit screen time by promoting healthy study habits and offering a balanced CBSE curriculum and Cambridge curriculum, which focus on reducing gadget dependency.
3.What initiatives does GIIS Bangalore offer to raise awareness about the harmful effects of mobile phones?
GIIS Bangalore educates students about the risks of excessive mobile use through workshops and discussions, helping them understand the potential harm to their health and academic performance.
4.Are there any positive ways mobile phones can be used by students for learning?
Yes, mobile phones can be used for learning when guided properly, as students can access educational apps, e-books, and research tools, which are useful in both CBSE and Cambridge curriculums.
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