VidYouth

Gone are the days when a mobile was used to communicate, text message or transfer data to someone. In today’s age, a cell phone serves as an multipurpose device, and, with the increasing enhancements made by innumerable companies to increase their sales and to satisfy a customer’s expectations, one can assure that the rise in the consumer rate of cell phones is the only reason why there is an increasing complexity in the functions of a phone. Thanks to the latest technology, these days, one can find a variety of mobile phones, which truly seem beyond one’s imagination. It is a fact that even a school going student desires to own a mobile not just to improve the communication with his/her friends but also to improve his value and status among friends.

Cell Phone Addiction. Credit: Lethal Charmer

The various facilities that a modern day cell phone provides are Email, MMS, Infrared, Bluetooth, Camera, Mp3 Player, Internet etc. It replaces the need of possessing an Ipod or a Digital Camera and also provides the benefit of having all of the above facilities in one little device. Despite the various advantages of having a cell phone, one needs to acknowledge the restriction in the use of mobiles in certain areas and hence should not take the usage of cell phone for granted in places where they are not advisable to be used. Schools or Colleges for example, a cell phone can be misused in such an environment for cheating during tests, harassment, distractions and indulgence in some illegal activity. Another example is while driving, in spite of the endless warnings given to people for using a cell phone while driving, majority of the people tend to respond to calls while driving. This may eventually increase the risk of an accident. The World Health Organization (WHO), says that, long term cell phone usage may lead to brain cancer.

Cell Phone Use in a Classroom, Credit : Lethal Charmer

Kirrthi Rao, a student of Malla Reddy Engineering College says, “I’m Virtually addicted to my cell phone and I’m not ashamed of that. College life gets really boring especially during the days when it becomes a compulsion to attend a lecture, this is the time when I use my phone to play some games or text message my old friends. It not just makes me happy, but, also helps me pass my time while traveling on my way to college everyday. And without my Cell Phone, I am incomplete.”

Apart from the ’text-messaging addiction’, many students are addicted to their cell phones only because of the Camera and Video Feature it provides. Thanuja Reddy, a student of Malla Reddy Institute of Pharmaceutical Sciences, says, “I’m a complete Gizmo freak and the reason why I love my cell phone is because it has a 5 mega pixel camera and it helps me capture those few precious moments I spend with my friends which I can cherish for a lifetime.” She further adds, “Hectic College schedules take away all the time that we have and I always keep in touch with my school friends on Facebook through the internet facility in my mobile. I always keep them updated about the latest thing going around in my college and they do the same. Hence, I feel that a student must possess a mobile when they begin their graduation atleast.”

It is true that a mobile phone has made a huge difference in the world of telecommunications and also has had a positive impact on the lives of many people, students especially. But, one needs to limit themselves from the overuse and misuse of a cell phone and this is only possible through the establishment of various schemes on the negative effects of cell phone overuse and the range of adverse affects associated with it. Such important schemes can be initiated by the students themselves.