Impact of Mobile Phones on Students

Using mobile phones as a learning aid might seem like an awful idea to some. 

You should consider all the impacts of excessive mobile phone usage on young children and teens before you purchase their own devices. 

In fact, it might be a better idea to purchase them mobile phones as a calling/texting tool only. This way, you can avoid harmful effects of mobile phone usage and access if necessary.

What Are the Negative Effects of Smartphones on Students’ Academic Performance?

There are many negative effects of smartphones on students’ academic performance. Some of them are as follows:

• Smartphones distract the students from studies and whenever they get bored, they use their smartphones to pass that time. This often happens during lectures when students have no problem using their smartphones since they can easily hide it under their notebooks or textbooks. They always use this opportunity to play games, watch videos or chat with friends even if it affects their concentration in class. Another way is through social networking websites like Facebook where users can post pictures and updates about themselves which may divert the attention of others as well as disturb lecturers during lecture sessions. 
• Sometimes smartphone addiction creates a lot of problems for employed people even resulting in termination from jobs by their employers. In many cases, it has been seen that smartphones have led to accidents in different places. 
• It has also been reported that students who are addicted to their smartphones do not seem interested in anything else except using their phones and spend most of the time on them. This is becoming a large problem among today’s youth which might affect their mental health as well as cause physical problems due to excessive use of smartphones.

What Are the Positive Effects of Smartphones on Students’ Academic Performance?

Considering the negative effects of smartphones there are also some beneficial points for using a smartphone which we can find below:

• Smartphones help students in finding information about assignments or their school-related work easily by providing Internet facilities with both Wi-Fi and 3G/4G/5G/6G connection. 
• Smartphones also help students in doing their homework quickly and properly. In this age of technology, everything is becoming easy because of the availability of smartphones with thousands of applications that can be useful for different purposes like calculators, note-taking apps for writing assignments or lectures notes, etc. 
• Students can have access to their teachers through video calling facilities such as Skype or Google Hangouts where they can share information related to assignments and projects with ease. 
• It has also been reported that mobile phones are helpful while using public transport and traveling from one destination to another because most people use them for communication purposes via calls and messages. Therefore, it becomes easier to communicate while on the move rather than standing on the roadside or in railway stations to find a way to get to the destination.

What Is the Effect of Mobile Phone Usage on Student Learning Background of the Study?

There is a positive influence of mobile phone usage on student learning backgrounds, including:

• The background knowledge help students strengthen the understanding and practice of high-quality development in order to increase their total score. 
• Some educational applications can be used as an alternative means to acquire information that is consistent with the overall academic performance. 
• Mobile phones are also important for creating new relations between people from all walks of life where they can meet others through online social networking websites or even use them for seeking advice and guidelines about certain tasks they might be facing at school so it does not affect academics severely.

Education Programs for Preventing Overuse of Smartphones by Students

In order to prevent excessive use of smartphones by students, several education programs are introduced by different educational institutes:

• In schools, school managements take several initiatives to help students such as using smartphones for academic purposes only or restricting their access to the internet during classes. 
• Teachers make a timetable for students in order to monitor their smartphone usage and restrict those playing games on their phones during lectures so they can give better attention to their studies. They also encourage students not to use mobile phones in the classroom if it is meant for communication purposes only. 
• Parents play a major role in this regard where they have been asked to discuss this issue with children at home so that they do not indulge themselves too much in excessive use of smartphones which may affect their mental health as well as academic performance at school. 
• Educational institutes also take some initiatives to educate parents about this issue so they can transfer their knowledge about smartphones and the internet to children in a positive way.

Recommendations for Preventing Overuse of Smartphones Among Students

In order to prevent excessive use of smartphones by students, the following considerations are recommended: 

• Schools should introduce different education programs for students which promote academic-related activities such as better management of time, restrictions on using mobile phones in the classroom, etc. 
• Parents play an important role in deciding whether their child will be indulged too much in excessive smartphone usage when they monitor his/her daily routine and activities properly especially during holidays or vacations. 
• Teachers should pass information to parents through school newsletters, emails, etc. about the latest advancements in this regard so they can take necessary measures to prevent overuse of smartphones among children where it has been reported that students mostly use mobile phones for entertainment purposes rather than academic reasons. 
• Mobile phone companies should produce cheaper smartphones with quality features that do not cause distractions while studying at school or college and restrict them from playing games on their mobiles during lectures as well as monitor their excessive usage which may affect their health adversely. 
• Educational institutes must introduce different education programs for parents about this issue so they can transfer knowledge about smartphones and the internet to children in a positive way where both educational institutions and parents play an important role toward achieving the goal of minimizing the negative impact of smartphones on student’s academic performance. 

What Is the Negative Impact of Mobile Phones on Students’ Life?

The negative impact of mobile phones on students’ life can be summarized in the following points: 

• Excessive use of smartphones among children is also a major problem that affects their academic performance at school or college where they spend more time playing games, surfing the internet, etc. rather than undertaking academic activities. 
• Many studies have reported that smartphones are mostly used by students for entertainment purposes rather than academic reasons which greatly affect their health adversely and may cause loss of focus while studying at school or college. Also, many students become addicted to these games so much that they do not feel like studying without their smartphones in their hands.
• Mobile phone usage has been banned in some schools and colleges around the world stating that students should use them only for academic purposes only where teachers and parents should help them in this regard, especially at home.
• Researchers have found that children who use smartphones may become addicted to games so much that they do not feel like studying without their smartphone in their hands which has a negative impact on both mental as well as physical health of students. 

Statistics: What Are the Negative Effects of Excessive Use of Mobile Phones?

Excessive use of mobile phones may cause the following problems: 

* According to some studies, excessive use of smartphones among children is also a major problem which affects their academic performance at school or college where they spend more time playing games, surfing the internet, etc. rather than undertaking academic activities which affect their mental as well as physical health. Although many researchers have found that mobile phone usage has been banned in some schools and colleges but it is also considered a major reason for deteriorating concentration among students. 

* Researchers have found that children who use smartphones may become addicted to games so much that they do not feel like studying without their smartphone in their hands which has a negative impact on both mental as well as physical health of students where these studies also evidence the fact that after 12 or 13 years of age, children mostly use smartphones for entertainment purposes rather than academic reasons.

Health Problems Caused by Excessive Use of Mobile Phones

According to several studies, heavy usage of mobile phones causes neck pain, eye strain, etc. among children which are related to the use of mobile phones at inappropriate times and positions.

Other possible health problems caused by excessive use of smartphones among children include:

• Sleeping disorders 
• Negative impact on social skills 
• Memory loss etc.