Advancement in technology has revolutionised the world. It has facilitated human beings in all aspects. However, excess use or misuse of anything has its own detrimental effects. For instance, one of the most commonly used gadgets by most of us, young and old, is a ‘smartphone’, a handy invention of the modern era. Smartphones have taken over the lives of almost everyone. We rarely see someone without a phone. However, like everything else, with pros come the cons!

Youngsters have become severely addicted to using a smartphone. They are so obsessed that, if kept away from this gadget for a few minutes, they will start to show agitated behaviour. Unfortunately, the youth of today, and many adults, can’t seem to live without their smartphones. These smart devices have made people lazy, since they have started to rely more on electronic relationships than the ones in real time, by being physically present there. It is not difficult to see that the arrival of smartphones has changed every aspect of our lives from social interactions to our physical and mental health.

Mobile phones and children

Should children be allowed to own and use mobile phone? My instant answer would be a ‘No’. A report, based on a survey of 2,167 UK five- to 16-year-olds, said 53 percent of youngsters owned mobile phones by around the age of seven. And phone ownership was “almost universal” once children were in secondary school. It also indicates that these devices have become a rudimentary part of kids’ life as they grow up.

This is not a healthy ritual and parents may give reasons for giving a mobile phone to their kids. For instance, when kids get fussy or when they throw a tantrum, in order to calm them down, parents play videos or games on their phones. Of course, it is very stressful for parents when a child throws a tantrum, but even then giving a mobile phone is not the solution.

Earlier, parents would try to calm their children by offering various other treats, such as something to eat, something to play with or simply giving them any healthy distraction. Those were the days, when parents allowed their kids to watch cartoon channels on TV, but for a limited period of time. Now it seems that the solution to most of the problems in our lives is hidden in the smartphone.

School-aged children play games which are easily available for download from the inbuilt online stores in the phones. I have seen many playing hours and the elders in their family just don’t bother to stop them from using this terrifying device.

The use and misuse of mobile phone

Mobile phone was invented to make communication easy. Then with advancement in technology, different features were included to make it multipurpose. With that came the entertainment and fun parts, but this was where things got out of control.

If you have a smartphone, you can gain access to various apps and they can help you out in daily school projects, other educational purposes, provide you information on health and for research, and the latest news. The trouble starts when you mishandle or misuse these apps. People squander away their time surfing the internet, texting, scrolling, chatting on WhatsApp and Facebook, watching movies and other videos and playing games for hours. This is how the addiction of mobile phones take place.

It is alarming to see that the price of basic commodities is reaching the skies, but it is quite strange that mobile phone connections are almost free. These entertainment sources have entangled the youth to waste their time and money on unhealthy activities. The excessive use is our youth enticing towards distractions that can spoil their future.

The benefits and risks

The usage of a smartphone can be justified due with its educational support, that it can ensure one’s connectivity with family, and can support healthy relationships by connecting to faraway relatives and friends. However, excessive usage of such electronic devices results in educational, social, health and economic loss.

Recent studies carried out on the use of mobile phone have revealed that it adversely affects one’s health. The World Health Organisation has warned that certain radiations emitted from mobile phones lead to the risk of brain cancer. A prolonged use of mobile phones among teenagers causes tendonitis, eye problems like myopia, other psychiatric problems.

Research also suggests that mobile phone exposure could affect young children to become agitated, have mood swings and their connectivity with the world around them can be below normal.

Relationships at risk

It is sad to say that the misuse of gadgets isolates one from their immediate surroundings and people in the house.

If you own a smartphone, just have a look at yourself. Wherever you go, you carry it — during mealtime, one of your hands is busy scrolling on the phone screen, thus you avoid family time as you are engrossed in chatting or are busy watching a video. You even avoid giving a proper reply to any question, instead give out the shortest possible answer. Mobile phone use should be a means of communication and not a means of alienation from those around us.

No me time

In the addiction to a smartphone, where is the ‘Me time’? Where is one’s own space? Don’t try finding it in the phone, put it aside and think about yourself, give yourself some time.

Before the arrival of smartphones in our lives, people would spend more time with their families or doing activities, particularly physical ones, that they enjoyed. But now the ‘me-time’ is defined in terms of using a smartphone.

Smartphone overuse in the pandemic

The outbreak of the Covid-19 pandemic has disrupted our normal life as we once knew it and restricted us to our homes. Strategies like work from home and study from home have been applied. The resulting self-isolation has encouraged people, especially the youth, to turn to their smartphones even more than before.

During the lockdowns, educational institutions remain closed for on-campus classes, everyone stays at home and students pursue online classes. This makes them more exposed to the use of the internet and smart devices. This was an inevitable situation where one has to follow SOPs and find entertainment in the confines of one’s house, with the limited sources available.

How to control smartphone addiction?

We should engage in environments full of creativity, both outdoors and indoors. To make children refrain from the excessive use of smartphones, parents should first stop themselves from using one all the time and provide their kids alternate avenues of entertainment or simply restrict them from using the phone all the time.

Also, elders should give time to youngsters by playing together, watching TV and have chats.

Controlling one’s smartphone usage is not easy, but not impossible either. It will be a struggle at first but, in a couple of days, you will start to easily overcome your urge to pick up your phone very often to check for messages and updates. Soon the intervals will become longer and you will be more in control of your time, rather than your smart device controlling you.

Discover the real world around you can find more contentment in face-to-face interactions and relationships. Be a happier and more balanced individual.

Published in Dawn, Young World, September 4th, 2021