MOBILE PHONES AND CHILDREN A FIELD REALITY Dr.P.N.Narayana Raja. Principal, Madurai Institute of Social Sciences, Madurai.

. President, Boys Town Society, Thirumangalam. Hon. Director, Resource Centre for Educational Counseling, Madurai. ---------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------INTRODUCTION: India is one of the fastest-growing mobile phone

markets in the world, adding 6 million new subscribers a month. In a market where 135 million cell phones are already in place, 500 million users are expected by 2010. It has been also noted that at least two cell phones are used by an average upper middle class family in an urban center, leaving a free access to the children in the home. In the upper middle class family, further, cell phones are provided to their children as it creates a feeling of security among the minds of parents as they have easy access and knowledge of the whereabouts of their children. It has also been noted that there is an attempt to make English language. the cell phone an ideal tool in the battle to empower rural children by teaching them the The Mobile and Immersive Learning for Literacy in Emerging Economies (MILLEE) is a project that uses games played on mobile phones to help kids learn English even in rural India. Contrary to such use of cell phones, it has also been observed that the teachers in the schools often complaint that the use of cell phones divert the attention of students and often they misuse the facility and hence they prefer to ban the cell phones in their schools. These contradicting observations raised a research question i.e. whether cell phones are conducive and development oriented or they negatively affect the learning opportunities of the children in schools? A research was attempted to find out an answer to this basic question. The present article is aimed to bring forth the field reality in this regard.

RESEARCH OBJECTIVES AND RESPONDENTS: The objectives of the study are: 1) To know the preferences of students in using mobile phones, 2) to know the kinds of messages that the students receive and send, 3) to study the views of teachers on the use of mobile phones by the students, 4) to understand the views of parents on their wards cell phones related behavior. The present research study is undertaken with 52 students, studying +2 classes, aged in between 15 to 17, from 14 Matriculation schools who participated in an environmental camp. Of the total students, 38 students had their cell phones and all these students were interviewed by the researcher with the help of an Interview Guide. Further, 6 teachers who attended the camp and the teachers, numbering 14, whose cell phone numbers were available with the students were interviewed. Parents of all the 38 students were contacted through cell phones. Of the 38 parents, 3 parents did not pick up the phone during the study time and 3 were disinterested in responding to the questions and as such the views of 32 parents were obtained and considered for analysis. Thus the researcher interviewed 3 kinds of respondents such as 38 students, 20 teachers and 32 parents. PREFERENCES OF STUDENTS: Students were asked to respond why they need mobile phones and the responses are given in the following table: Majority i.e 74 percentage of students stated that they prefer the cell phones friends, to 58 contact their percentages S.N o 01 02 03 04 05 07 Reasons for Number of keeping Mobile Respondents Phones (%) Keep in touch with 22 (58) Parents Contact Friends 28 (74) Prestige View Cricket score Listen to favorite songs No particular reason 12 (32) 06 (16) 18 (47) 05 (13)

stated they keep the cell phone to keep in touch with the parents, 47 percentages stated they prefer phone to listen cinema songs. It is also noted that among the

22 respondents who stated they keep the phone to keep in touch with the parents, 14 were girl students. Further, it is seen that 32 percentages keep the phone just for prestige. TABLE-1 RESONS FOR KEEPING MOBILE PHONES Of the 38 students, 36 students use SMS as a major way of S.No 01 02 03 04 05 07 Kinds of Number of Majority of SMS Respondents (%) Jokes 28 (74) Good morning / night message Sharing pictures Chatting Subject information Others 30 (78) 27 (71) 30 (78) 06 (16) 05 (13) contacting other persons. It is interesting to note that 78 percentages of students use SMS just to send Good morning/Night messages, 71 percentages just share pictures and cartoons, 78 percentage just chat with friends and only 16 percentages share information related to their subjects and 13 percentage uses SMS for other purposes like informing their whereabouts parents.
STUDENTS

to their

However, the TABLE -2 KINDS OF SMS SEND&RECEIVED BY actual messages, as shown below, differ from what they

stated during the interview. On knowing that the majority of respondents use their cell phones to send SMS, the researcher wanted to know the content of those SMS. Students were asked to handover the mobile phones and the messages in the phones were analyzed. It was shocking to know the contents of these messages. 40 percentages of these messages are related to actors and actresses, comparing them with their classmates body structures and mannerisms, 30 percentages were on the problems they face with their parents, siblings (some of them were accusing their parents for their instructions), 10 percentages questioning school authorities etc., majority of the chatting were on backbiting and finding

fault with elders and friends. There were 10 percentages of messages seeking solution to their personal problems. Almost everyone use SMS to say Good Morning / Night messages. Few had a sexual arousal messages and exchange of pictures and these chatting were done during late night hours. None of the messages had either full words or sentences and they use letters and numbers to mean their intention. It requires a special kind of dictionary to know the meaning of these messages. It is clear from these messages that majority of respondents use SMS services unproductively and it is a clear indication of wastage of time and getting spoiled psychologically. Analyzing the time of these messages, it is further shocking to note that majority of them are given during School hours, the number of messages are high during an hour earlier to the beginning of the school in the morning and an hour after the end of the school in the evening. Review of studies indicates that the Scientists at the Spanish Neuro Diagnostic Research Institute in Marbella have discovered that a two-minute cell phone call can alter the electrical activity of a child's brain for up to an hour afterwards. This finding has raised fears among doctors that disturbed brain activity in children could lead to psychiatric and behavioral problems and impair learning ability. As Dr. Gerald Hyland, a government adviser in the UK said, the use of cell phones could affect the students mood and ability to learn in the classroom if they have been using a phone during break time, for instance. The alteration in brain waves could lead to things like a lack of concentration, memory loss, inability to learn and aggressive behavior. The implications are serious; even a slight impairment in learning ability, sustained over years of education, is likely to significantly impact a child's future potential and achievement (tazvil 04 Aug, 2007).

VIEWS OF TEACHERS: Teachers were asked to state the negative influences of mobile phones and how it affected the children learning in the class rooms. Their responses are given in the following table: S. N o 0 1 0 2 0 3 0 4 0 5 Teachers Number of Views Respondents (%) Poor 18 (90) concentration in studies Wastage of time 12 (60) Learning inappropriate behaviour Poor interpersonal relationship Loosing childhood pleasures carelessness 16 (80) 10 (50) 09 (45) Majority i.e 90 percentages of teachers opined that the users of mobile phones do have poor concentration on their studies. Even in the class hours some children play with cell phones by sending messages. They normally use them during break hours and reluctantly enter the class rooms after the bell. 80 percentages of teachers opined that the children learn inappropriate behaviors such as riding the two wheelers, threatening messages, using

0 14 (70) 7 using phones in the late hours, while

TABLE 3 TEACHERS VIEWS ON THE IMPACT

bullying, sending
OF MOBLE PHONES.

vulgar words through SMS etc. Further 50 percentages of teachers opined that the use of cell phones lessened the habit of meeting each other and share their child hood pleasures. It has been observed from the information provided by the teachers that some of the students are involved in Cyber-bullying. Cyber-bullying involves the use of information and communication technologies like mobile phones to support deliberate, repeated, and hostile behavior by an individual or group, that is intended to harm others. VIEWS OF PARENTS: Parents were asked to state their opinion on cell phones and how it influences the behavioral pattern of their children. Of

the 32 parents, only 2 parents stated that the cell phones are really helpful to the students as they keep in touch with the family when they are out of home and such messages leaves parents anxiety free. Remaining 30 parents lamented the ill effect of these phones and do not know how to curtail it. Their responses are given in the following table:

S. N o 0 1 0 2 0 3 0 4 0 5 0 6 0 7 0 8

Parents Views Poor concentration in studies Late hour chatting and poor sleep Poor interpersonal relationship Loosing childhood pleasures Carelessness and poor eating Getting irritated when they advise them Sibling fights

Number of Respondents (%) 21 (70) 28 (93) 16 (53) 23 (77) 18 (60) 24 (80) 15 (50)

Among

the

30

parents,

93

percentages of parents worried about the late hour chatting of their children and thereby poor rest during sleep; 80 percentages of parents stated that their children easily get irritated when they ask them not to use the phone in the night or while they eat; 77 percentages felt that their children do not enjoy their childhood plays and thereby do not of have and good 33 experience interpersonal having

relationship;

Developing 10 ( 33) percentages of parents felt that dependency the cell phones made their relationship children too much depending on others as they often get the TABLE 4 PARENTS VIEW ON THEIR either parents or assistance from

CHILDREN USING CELL PHONES

elder siblings or friends

for even to solve small problems and thereby do not develop the necessary skills (even memorizing the phone numbers of their parents) risk taking behavior or decision making skills. Further they stated they do not know how to handle their children and brief them the negative effects of cell phones. They also accepted that they also feel that the cell phones are useful to track the children but they had experienced the misuse of it more than the proper use. They prefer that the school should talk about it and explain it to the students. SUGGESTIONS: Cell phones designed for children alone should be permitted to be handled by children which should have controls that allow parents to limit whom their children can talk to. Before permitting the children to use the cell phones, it is the responsibility of the parents to talk to them about the use and misuse of it and pre warn the children about the consequences that the mobile phones may bring in their day to day life. Children can be taught to avoid using the phones during night hours and they may be explained the physical effects of the use of mobile phones. Further the experience of getting happiness and joy that one can get from developing interpersonal relationship shall be given to the children by scheduling reasonable outings either with the family or with the class mates. REFERENCES: Raja, Narayana, 2009, KNOWING AND DOING RESEARCH, Madurai, Madurai Institute of Social Sciences. www2.lse.ac.uk/ERD/.../Mobile_Life_Youth_Report.aspx http://tvnz.co.nz/view/news_health_story_s...306?format=html