What’s the Harmful Effects Of Mobile Phones On Kids And Teens. I have spent many hours of research to give you the best answer in this article.
Being one of the best creations of the 20th century makes the mobile phone something we cannot imagine our lives without.
The simple fact that this parcel of technology gives numerous functions to us (among which one is communicating) and puts the phone in the center of people’s world.
A cell phone supplies individuals with audio, access to search engines, chatting options, and playing games.
However, the time students spend on the phone becomes worrying because they do not understand the disadvantages and separate them from the advantages.
The primary concern about phones is their influence on our health and wellbeing. Mobile phones are bad for the mind, the heart and the body in general.
According to some studies, utilizing the phone too much may lead to serious damage. A proof of the statement is that after using the phone for a long time, particularly when speaking on it, people often experience headaches that last for hours on end.
The waves from the phone proceed to the brain and cause a headache, which may result in poor memory.
A person interacting with their phone too much can develop cardiovascular diseases as well.
What men and women are not aware of is when the phone is kept close to the body, that person is not just exposed to the waves that are dangerous when holding the phone.
If there is a person keeping the phone near or under a pillow, then this might cause health problems too.
In accordance with one 2013 survey, 63 percent of the mobile phone users fall asleep with the phone in their beds.
Students chatting with friends are spending most of their time around the cellphone and uploading photos.
Nearly all students fall asleep with the phone in their hands or just keeps it shut in case someone calls.
They spend hours in front of the cellphone, talking to their friends, girlfriends, or boyfriends as well as checking what others posted on social networks like Facebook or Instagram.
Expecting notifications and constant updates can bring about stress and even depression.
As a study from Northwestern University has shown, teens today are more inclined to be depressed. Before going to bed, using the cellphone is known to cause restlessness and sleeplessness.
That is why folks spend hours trying to go to sleep even after having an exhausting day. The phone’s waves hurt the mind, which causes difficulty falling asleep, and consequently, sleep deprivation.
Not just mobile phones may affect the health of individuals if used too often, but they are also able to limit communication between them.
At this moment, individuals can use their phones to chat with others and even find each other online while doing so.
This really is an advantage if two or more people are far apart, but students today use their phones to communicate within the classroom and while they are out.
It is commonplace today to see people chatting away on their phones while sitting in the same room with phones in their hands. This prevents them from communicating with each other physically thus not allowing real bonds and friendship to form and grow.
Students also commonly use their phones to listen to songs. Though music can be relaxing and healthy, the ears can be damaged by using the headphones often and even result in deafness.
Utilizing the headphones in the car is not a crime, but seeing that students aren’t experienced drivers, using the cellphone in the vehicle is also a poor idea.
Individuals frequently use mobile phones when traveling on the road. If the telephone is not in the hand of the motorist, the attention can quickly move to the dialogue being held.
Furthermore, even something or phone can lead to loss of focus on the road, which in term might bring about an accident.
Even if the phone just touches the face, you are exposed to a whole host of germs regardless of how well cleaned and maintained the phone is. The phone had been shown to have at least 10 times the number of germs on your toilet seat.
The cell phone is the most significant process of communication now, which makes it an inevitable and significant part of our lives. Every person in the world has a mobile phone now, using the many advantages we are provided with by this technology.
However, learning the unwanted ramifications of mobiles is a very important thing in regards to students. Being addicted to the phone may lead to some significant health, hygiene, social and psychological problems.
It is crucial for every pupil to understand that though mobiles are perhaps the greatest innovation of the 20th century, they may be very damaging to people if excessively used.
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Health risks with cellphones
The science on this has been clear and unanimous. Several studies have been conducted that show cellphones to generate radiation that is harmful to our health.
Talking on the phone for extended periods of time is dangerous since the radiation directly interacts with the brain and has been shown to develop tumors in some subjects.
But radiation risk does not end with taking phone calls. Most teens today use their phones to be on social media.
Handling the phone in such close proximity to your chest for long periods can expedite cardiovascular conditions and even lead to thickening of blood and formation of clots in extreme cases.
Needless to say, the health risks of using mobile phones extensively are manifold and usage should, by all means, be reduced.
The real problem of cellphone use.
We get it, phones are super addictive. And this is especially true for young kids who seem to be addicted to phones these days. And why would they not be?
From games to videos of their favorite YouTubers, it’s where the fun is! But what they don’t necessarily understand is the need for moderation. This is where parents have to step up and take control.
I’ve seen parents hand their children’s phones just to get some alone time. This is horrible and should never be done.
Studies have shown that using phones for extended periods of time triggers the same parts of our brain as when we are under the influence of narcotics or alcohol.
What that means is that people get high from using phones and it is so real that the brain cannot differentiate this high from the ones we get when we’re on drugs.
This is a dangerous revelation, especially considering most parents would never hand their kids drugs but they allow them to use the phone without second thoughts, which essentially has the same effect on our brains.
How to control your children from using phones excessively.
As parents, you need to reign in your children’s phone usage whether they like it or not.
Here I list some of the things you can do to moderate their phone usage better so that they can grow up to be active and contributing members of the society.
Opt for a rolling password to your Wi-Fi.
This is the easiest and best solution that will reduce your kids’ time online. Rolling passwords are essentially randomized passwords that change every day or hour according to your preference.
There are plenty of software that’ll allow you to set rolling passwords to your router and it’s very easy to set up.
Simply ask your kids to finish their homework and chores and when they’re done, give them the password for the day as a reward. This also instills a sense of responsibility in kids and they also help you with their share of the household work. It’s a total win-win.
Lock them out of addictive websites.
This is also a very effective method of controlling how long your children spend on the web.
Studies show that children (and teens) spend most of their time on either social networking sites or on entertainment sites like YouTube.
You can easily limit their consumption of those sites by installing a website blocker that’ll block any website that you tell it to.
The best part is, most of these blockers also come with a timed setting that allows your kids to access their favorite content but only for a specified amount of time after which it gets blocked.
Counsel them on the importance of moderation.
his is very important and must be done in tandem with any other method that you may be following.
Understand that cutting off their access suddenly is going to affect them and they probably won’t take kindly to this new rule.
Therefore it is necessary to sit them down at least once a week to talk to them about the importance of moderation and why this is in their best interest.
It is important for them to realize and understand that you are not punishing them and it’s to make them more responsible and social. If you can do it properly, they will eventually understand and have no hard feelings about this towards you.
Related questions
How long should I let my teenager use the cellphone?
There is no hard and fast rule for this and my best advice is to figure out your number based on your situation.
However, about 2 to 3 hours a day of cellphone usage is a good starting point. You can increase or decrease the number as you like (for example, decreasing it to 1 hour when their exams are near and increasing it to 3 hours after) but you should never go above the 5-hour mark.