Protect Your Children and the Next Generation from the Misuse of Mobile Phones
By
Ghulam Ghaus Siddiqi, New Age Islam
25 February
2023
Examining
Ways to Reduce the Negative Effects of Smartphone on Teenagers
Main
Points
1. The mobile
phone is both the best and worst invention of the last century, according to a
poll.
2. Children's
brains absorb radioactive waves at a rate that is two times higher than that of
adults, and bone marrow absorbs them at a rate that is ten times higher.
3. When using a
phone for an extended period of time while hunched over, the position of the
neck and spine joints may shift, which could result in poor posture or back and
neck pain.
4. If the
children are corrected while they are still young, their future will be
protected.
5. When a
youngster reaches the age of thirteen or fourteen, it becomes increasingly
difficult for their parents to prevent them from using mobile devices. In such
a scenario, we observe that when kids are instructed to refrain from using
their phones, they start doing so covertly. Children at this age do not
comprehend how to use mobile devices for good purposes, so they begin to
consume meaningless content and adopt immoral behaviours. They not only
endanger their health in this way, but they also begin to spread moral,
religious, and social vices.
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The mobile
phone is both the best and worst invention of the last century, according to a
poll. It seems strange how one thing may be both beneficial and harmful at the
same time. Depending on how it is used, any invention could be advantageous or
harmful. The mobile phone has made
communication simpler, but when it is misused, it can cause a lot of
psychological problems.
Things
become dangerous when a six-month-old baby becomes absorbed in a mobile device.
Every brightly coloured and moving object intrigues and calms the child's mind,
which eventually adapts to it. Parents
take solace in this and breathe a sigh of relief, not realising that they
themselves are to blame for causing their child such anguish, from which it is
not impossible to escape but is surely difficult.
Children's
brains absorb radioactive waves at a rate that is two times higher than that of
adults, and bone marrow absorbs them at a rate that is ten times higher. As a
result, early and excessive usage of mobile screens might result in a number of
ailments.
We hear a
lot about autism these days. According to a study published in 2020, children
who spend too much time on their mobile devices are more likely to experience
autism, which often appears by the age of three. A child is eligible to start
school at this age. The child is known as dull-witted in school because of his
fights with classmates and inability to focus on his homework. Even if this is
the basis of the issue, in our eastern society, such young people encounter
violence as a result of their parent's ignorance.
Another
significant condition brought on by the use of mobile phones is insomnia.
Children really are incredibly curious. So they check their phones when they
wake up at night. The parents are also accountable for this because they set
the alarm on the child's phone and place it near to or under the pillow. A
child's mind absorbs more of these radioactive waves, as was previously
described. These alarms also prevent individuals from getting enough sleep.
When using
a phone for an extended period of time while hunched over, the position of the
neck and spine joints may shift, which could result in poor posture or back and
neck pain. Children who use mobile devices excessively lose their social
awareness and social abilities. They thus experience a range of mental
illnesses as well as atypical social attitudes.
The World
Health Organization issued some recommendations for kids in 2019, focusing on
their physical and mental activities. While it has been urged to limit mobile
phone use till children are five years old.
Also,
exposing children under the age of one to mobile screens must be prohibited by
law. The use of mobile devices by young children under the age of 18 months is
discouraged by the American Academy of Paediatrics due to the potential harm to
their development and mental and physical health.
Parents
will need to take action to address these problems. If the children are
corrected while they are still young, their future will be protected. First and
foremost, refrain from entertaining or diverting your child with a mobile
device, especially if he is less than two years old. When a baby at this age
cries to get your attention, put down the mobile and give them your whole
attention.
If your
child is older and wiser, schedule a time for him to use the phone, and watch
him as he uses it to make sure he doesn't bend his neck too far or look at the
screen too closely. See what the child sees as well. Make an effort to get the
kid to view educational media so that he can learn something from the time he
spends on his phone. Apps can be used to control screen time and access
content.
In order to
keep kids' bodies and minds busy and prevent screen time from taking over their
attention, increase their physical activity. If parents want to spend more time
with their kids, encourage them to participate in activity-based learning; if
not, urge them to pick up a hobby to keep them busy, such as painting,
gardening, or creating art.
Mobile
phones themselves are not always bad; how they are used might make them good or
bad. Our country cannot advance without
technology because, as we all know, this is the age of technology. Technology
ought to be employed. But it's also important to make sure technology is
applied correctly. This phone will prove useful to us and not be a waste of
time if it is only used when absolutely essential. The Standing Committee of
the Ministry of Health has published information on the dangers of mobile
phones and suggested that users of these devices be made aware of the drawbacks
of their usage, just as smokers are made aware of the dangers of tobacco use.
We will now
provide a brief scientific examination of Smartphone radiation. Smartphone
screens generate a strong blue light that makes them visible in direct
sunlight. Nevertheless, this light confuses the brain at night. The impact of
the Smartphone’s light on the sleep cycle is due to the brain's inability to
produce melatonin, a hormone that alerts our bodies when it's time to sleep. It
interferes, making it more difficult to get to sleep. This could lead to
serious medical problems, some of which are listed below.
According
to medical research studies from Harvard University, Nature Neurosciences, and
other universities and institutes, the light emitted by cell phones disrupts
sleep patterns, which can impact memory the following day. Students who have a
bad night's sleep find it difficult to recall their studies the next day, while
people who consistently lack sleep find it practically impossible to acquire a
decent night's sleep.
Research is
being done to demonstrate that this light does not cause cataracts in the eyes,
in contrast to some studies suggesting that it can impair vision by injuring
the retina. Medical research shows that the risk of obesity and depression
increases if the amount of melatonin is impacted by the light emitted by cell
phones. In this regard, the risk of cancer must be made known to the general
public.
The primary
negative impact of cell phone use is the growth in physical ailments. Medical
specialists are also offering various advice and cautions in this regard. If
medical advice is followed, unnecessary mobile phone use won't result in mental
stress, anxiety, heart diseases, headaches, vision degeneration, or other
hidden difficulties. The younger generation is engaged in calls and SMS all
night long because of several free calls and free SMS bundle offers, which
could be damaging to their health.
The usage
of mobile phones has a significant impact on education since even people who
don't want to use mobile phones are willing to do so after watching new and
enticing features for users by mobile providers. This is carried out in order
to entice more people to connect to their network. However, the future generation, of which the
number of students is higher, is negatively impacted by these packages.
It is
crucial that they refrain from using cell phones while at school. Students are
frequently observed using SMS or playing games during lectures in colleges
where there are no restrictions on the usage of mobile devices.
The latest
developments in cell phones have made it easy for young children to access any
information. The content of nudity and pornography on the Internet become far
more common. Even if children are not actively searching, sometimes
inappropriate content automatically appear on the mobile screen. This can lead
them to live in a fantasy world and create false prestige. Some minors may even
resort to crime to fulfil their desires.
Several
international and non-multinational businesses are currently releasing new cell
phones with numerous SIMs and cameras. Several more features are included in
order to waste the time of students and the younger generation.
We have a
lot of concerns about the impact of cell phones on the next generation.
Particularly, occurrences of kidnapping for ransom and banditry have increased
significantly, and thefts of mobile phones have risen to a level where it is
hard to keep track of all of them.
The
majority of children caught in mobile theft or other related fraud are between
the ages of 17 and 18. Security and telecommunications organisations need to do
more to stop the misuse of mobile phones in rising cases of crimes and
suicides, even though law enforcement authorities have started working on it to
a large extent.
There are
yet more negative aspects of mobile phones that have not been mentioned. But
these are the losses that society is suffering, and action needs to be made to
stop them. As a result, we use the resources we need, but we also need to
prevent having a detrimental impact on the community.
From this
perspective, it is the primary duty of the parents to determine whether or not
to give their child a cell phone before doing so. How do children utilise their Smartphone? Who
are they addressing? What are they talking about? When they are not around, check
the kids' phones to make sure they are not misusing them. All young people
should also take care to avoid wasting their time on meaningless phone calls or
unethical actions.
When a
youngster reaches the age of thirteen or fourteen, it becomes increasingly
difficult for their parents to prevent them from using mobile devices. In such
a scenario, we observe that when kids are instructed to refrain from using
their phones, they start doing so covertly. Children at this age do not
comprehend how to use mobile devices for good purposes, so they begin to
consume meaningless content and adopt immoral behaviours. They not only
endanger their health in this way, but they also begin to spread moral,
religious, and social vices.
Parents
should first teach children of this age about the safety of mobile phones and
how to use them responsibly before giving them to them if it becomes difficult
to keep them away from them. Train kids to recognise appropriate and
inappropriate behaviour. For them, mobile phone usage restrictions are also
necessary. These are some strategies for preventing cell phones' negative
effects on teenagers:
1. Instruct them
to refrain from idle chit chat. Teach him the value of time and the dangers of
inefficient actions and conversations.
2. To establish a
regular sleep routine, ask them to switch off their phones before bed.
3. Educate your
kids that having brief phone chats can help to minimise the harmful impacts.
4. Where possible,
parents should also limit the time they spend on their phones and limit their
use to essential tasks. Parents may set the best example for their children by
acting in this manner since children imitate or learn more from their parents.
5. Teach the child
to put his phone aside when attending events like weddings or parties.
6. Encourage your
kids to engage in physical activity every day, such as walking, jogging, or
playing. Urge children to put their phones aside while engaging in these
activities.
7. If you keep an
eye on your children's online behaviour, developing the best and most effective
strategy for their correction and implementing it will be pretty
straightforward.
8. Give your
children one to two hours per day to study the Quran and the spiritual and
moral precepts of Islam since these lessons will help them develop a complete
awareness of the advantages and disadvantages of cell phones.
These are
only a few ideas, and you can add more based on your children' circumstances to
help shield the future generation from immoral behaviour.
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A regular
Columnist with NewAgeIslam.com, Ghulam Ghaus Siddiqi Dehlvi is a Classical
Islamic scholar with a Sufi background and English-Arabic-Urdu Translator.
URL: https://newageislam.com/spiritual-meditations/children-generation-mobile-phones/d/129197
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