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. ----- ShutterStock ---- 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. ----- A regular Columnist with NewAgeIslam.com, Ghulam Ghaus Siddiqi Dehlvi is a Classical Islamic scholar with a Sufi background and English-Arabic-Urdu Translator. 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