Mobile phones or smartphones have become an accepted part of our day to day lives. With internet and device prices becoming cheaper and the services offered increasing and becoming versatile we can safely say that the mobile phones are here to stay. Based on the statistics from Department of Telecommunications of India, mobile phone users have increased from 36 million users in 2001 to more than 1000 million users as on 2020. Why not? We can watch movies, read books, communicate via social media, create and upload content, pay our bills, play games, study all with the help of a single device with an internet connection.
But along with all the conveniences, mobile use has brought its fair share of problems. These problems have been alarmingly increasing, especially more noticeable since post covid, were, mobile use exponentially increased. Let’s take a look at some of the problems-
‘SCREEN TIME’
Before looking at the problems, the first thing to be clear is though the term mobile addiction is used, whatever I talk about is applicable to other digital devices also such as tablets, Television, Game stations etc…
The second thing is the term ‘Screen Time’. It refers to the total time spent in front of a device with screens. When we say that excess time is being spent on a device, we are referring to the excess screen time.
Problems associated with excess screen time-
Physical Issues
a) Obesity: Sitting increasing amount of time in front of a screen reduces physical activity, which in turn increases chances of obesity.
b) Sleep Disturbances: The light emitted from the screens causes a reduced production of Melatonin, a chemical responsible for regulating sleep. This in turn leads to decreased sleep which in turn causes tiredness, irritability, poor concentration and fatigue.
c)Vision Disturbances: Continued screen use results in eye issues such as vision problem, eye discomfort. Headache can result from vision problems.
d) Posture Issues: People usually unknowingly adopt poor posture when viewing a screen which results in body aches and pains, especially issues with the spine, mainly the neck.
Psychological Issues
a)Poor attention and concentration capabilities
b)Brain Development: Early exposure to screens has been noted to delayed language development, learning problems and poorer quality of relationship with parents in younger children.
c)Tendency for aggression and anti-social behavior is seen in older children especially when exposed to violent video games.
d)For some getting views and likes on social media becomes correlated with self-esteem. When results are less than expected children develop poor self-esteem, which in turn can lead to depression and body image issues.
Social Issues
a)Spending excess time on screens leads to poor social interactions and lack of development of social skills, which are prerequisites for succeeding in life.
b)Early exposure to videos of violence and substance use can induce children to behaviors like aggression and drug use.
c)Cyberbullying: Its bullying taking place via the internet. Also, children may at times be at risk for exploitation by others either psychologically, sexually etc.
Thus, it can be seen that excess mobile use is associated with quite a few problems. So, what can we, the responsible adults do?
To be Continued in Part 2 …..
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