12 Side Effects of Mobile Phones on Students

Mobile phones have become widespread, and you can’t help but wonder about the side effects of mobile phones on students.

This technology has taken over the younger generation by storm. There is no kid walking around without a mobile in hand.

It is a common sight to see students hurdled together, not talking while their eyes are fixed on their mobile phones. It is highly likely that they might be talking on a group chat instead.

While one can argue about the benefits of mobile phones for academic purposes, you still can’t deny the many harmful side effects it brings.

If you plan to give your teen a mobile phone, it is important to be informed about the major side effects of mobile phones on students:

1. Increased Likelihood of Tumors

One of the most negative side effects of excessive use of mobile phones is the increased chances of developing tumors due to its radiations. Young students are still in a stage where they are undergoing growth and body changes.

This means the radiations from the mobile phones can have a greater impact on them as compared to adults. Studies have shown that prolonged usage of mobile phones increases the chances of non-malignant tumors, near the brain and ear.

The protective linings, tissues, and bones for organs like the brain are still thin in young children. Therefore, 60% of radiation gets absorbed by these organs. Therefore, it is important to restrict the usage of this technology among students.

2. Brain Activity is Disturbed

Mobile phones function primarily on electromagnetic waves for both internal and external communication, and the brain has its own electric impulses to maintain the communication with other organs.

These electromagnetic waves can easily penetrate into the electric impulses of the brain of young students since their brain shield is not strong enough, which can greatly disturb the activities of the brain.

This is one of the major harmful effects of mobile phones on children. It can create problems like learning difficulties, behavioral tendencies, mood swings, and focusing problems.

3. Impact on Academic Performance

It is normal for students to carry around their mobile phones everywhere, including schools. Even if the school policy forbids students to use their phones during classes, it doesn’t stop them from using them discreetly.

This can alter their academic performance, which is another major bad effect of mobile phones on students. They can get easily distracted during lessons because they are busy chatting with their friends, watching videos or playing games on their phones.

As a result, they miss out on important points which greatly affect their homework assignments, class test and final examinations. This causes a decline in their usually good academic grades.

4. Chances of Academic Misconduct

Other major negative effects of cell phones on education include enhanced chances of academic misconduct by the students. Mobile phones not just distract the students from their class lessons, but also give them ideas of misconducts.

They can be tempted to try out unfair means of scoring higher grades, including using calculators in exams, snapping pictures of notes to copy from in tests, exchanging answers during tests, opting for academic writing services to write their assignments.

Such academic misconducts are being reported in schools around the globe with each passing year. This clearly indicates that mobile phones are encouraging students to resort to academic misconduct to get better grades instead of working hard.

5. Inappropriate Media Usage

There are numerous negative effects of mobile phones on society, including the usage of inappropriate media. The internet holds a wide range of content, some of which can be inappropriate for students.

Without meaning to, students can stumble upon inappropriate text, images, and messages. Moreover, such content might be shared with them in a group chat, by their friends or even by strangers.

Students being introduced to pornography increase their chances of getting addicted from an early age. This can change their entire perception about others, alter their good judgment, and get them involved with the wrong crowd of people.

They might even exchange private information and images with strangers, without thinking about the consequences. This can further create a disastrous situation that can greatly impact their wellbeing and future.

6. Increased Levels of Stress

Spending hours chatting with friends, texting, browsing social media can result in harmful effects of mobile phones on students, including a drastic increase in their stress levels.

This also decreases their productivity levels, affects their studies, and impacts their mental health. Looking through pictures of their friends enjoying without them, people traveling, or showing off their new gadgets and clothes can instill a sense of worthlessness.

The more time they spend on their mobile phones, the more their stress levels increases. If not managed, this can ultimately lead to various psychological disorders in a lot of cases.

7. Inadequate Sleep

Another major harmful effect of cell phones is that the sleeping pattern is greatly affected. It is important for students to have a good amount of sleep everyday so that they are energized and focused during school lessons.

However, being on the mobile phones all the time to instantly respond to texts and receive calls can result in insufficient amounts of sleep. They want to be reachable to their friends; hence they keep their phones close by.

This causes disruptions and interruptions not just during their studies but also while they try to sleep. Lack of sleep affects their studies, concentration and makes them irritable all the time.

8. Enhanced Anxiety

Aside from increased levels of stress, smartphone addiction affects their anxiety levels as well. By mainly relying on their phones as the main source of communication, they become anxious when talking to anyone in person.

Moreover, messaging is instantly gratifying which means students expect instant responses from their friends. Just as receiving instant replies can create a sense of elation and joy, delayed replies can result in anxiousness.

No or delayed replies result in negative thoughts like maybe they wrote something wrong, maybe their friend is angry at them, maybe they are busy having fun without them and so on. This can escalate their anxiety levels.

9. Chances of Cyber Bullying

The negative effects of mobile phones on students not only include inappropriate media usage but also increase the chances of cyber bullying. The anonymity of internet makes it a perfect platform for bullies to target their victims without any fear.

Research has shown alarmingly increasing number of students becoming victims of cyber bullying. Majority of them are not even aware of the identity of their bullies. Without knowing the bully’s identity, parents and teachers are unable to help the victim.

As a result, this bullying continues which leaves behind negative mental impact on the victim. In some cases, cyber bullying can progress to real-life bullying in school or the neighborhood. In others, real-life bullying may progress to cyber bullying.

Some cyber-bullying cases have unfortunately resulted in grave consequences. A student, unable to cope with the bullying, might make tragic life decisions. It is vital for parents and teachers to keep a close watch on students.

10. Phantom Pocket Vibration Syndrome

The many effects of cell phone addiction also include the phantom pocket vibration syndrome. Not just the students, but adults too, experience the feeling that their phones are vibrating only even when they are not.

Research has shown that about 89% of students experience this sensation only to realize that it’s a false alarm. This is especially true for people who are addicted to social media. To them, missing a notification feels like a tragedy.

They anxiously wait for their mobile phone to vibrate so they can instantly check their notification or texts. The best way to combat this syndrome is to switch off the vibration mode of the phone.

11. Vision Issues

Vision issues are also among the many bad effects of mobile phones. Looking at the small screen for hours at end, whether chatting, watching a video or just browsing puts a major strain on the eyes.

Prolonged usage dries out the eye, which can hurt even when you blink. This causes visual deterioration. It is important for students to understand how bad the excessive usage of mobile phones can be for their eyes.

To avoid vision issues, it is best to hold the phone as far away as possible from the eyes. Giving eyes some rest after every few minutes can be helpful. Getting your kids’ eye checked regularly is also crucial.

12. Potential Back and Neck Pain

It is normal for students to slouch over their mobile phones while using it. Excessive usage of phones strains the back and neck muscles. The longer they slouch, the more pain they would experience.

This is not all, this back and neck pain can escalate and travel to other parts of the body. It is important for students to limit their time on mobile phones to relieve the pressure on their muscles.

They should be encouraged to do some stretching exercises and opt for other productive activities to avoid health issues and to become responsible users of this technology.