Today, mobile phones have become an integral part of our lives, so essential and taken for granted that it is hard to imagine our lives without them. Everyone it seems, including children of every age and status, owns a mobile phone nowadays.
Phones allow students to stay in touch with teachers and their classmates regularly. In case of any problems, educational or social, they can quickly get the help of friends or teachers. They don’t have to wait till morning like the generation before. This instant communication is especially useful during exam times. Often, teachers use WhatsApp groups providing additional help to students who need it. Phones offering this ease of communication boost their interest in studies and helps them score better marks.
Mobile phones also help students to access the internet anytime, anywhere. So, if they are eager to know something or have any doubts, they can look it up on the internet. The immense availability of study materials and help groups enables students to perform better. The research data on the internet helps them in finishing their assignments on time. It gives students insight into the subject matter. Thus, they not only score better, but they also understand things better. And that comes in handy in out of the classroom, real-life as well.
The Internet provides wide opportunities for students to work at their own ease, earn enough to pay for their studies or living. It makes them independent and responsible. Online tutors and other activities often help them revise their subject base as well, helping them indirectly in their studies.
However, there is another side to everything. Mobile phones aren’t always a good thing. Students of junior schools can hardly have any knowledge of what is good for them. It is easy for them to get addicted to mobile phones and some do get addicted. This not only impacts their physical health but mental health as well. Research shows that kids who spend more time on mobile phones lack in IQ and social skills.
Playing violent games on mobile phones can make them violent as well. They can spend more time in the virtual world than in the real world. It can affect their studies as well if they are continuously using their phone to play games.
Often it is seen that students carry their phones to the classes. This distracts them during their lectures if the teacher does not lay down a law of no phone use. In the middle of the lecture, they can chat, listen to songs, watch videos, etc. These things make them miss what the lecturer is teaching and that, in turn, leads them to score low scores.
Research also says that heavy mobile phone use can damage the eyes of the students. A new study says that smartphones may ruin your eyesight. Researchers at the University of Toledo, in Ohio, have found that exposure to blue light, the light emitted from most smartphones and laptops, promotes the growth of “poisonous molecules” in your eyes, leading to macular degeneration. So overdoing staring at a phone is not a good thing for students.
Overuse of phones also impacts on their concentration. It is proven that students who use a lot of mobile phones and the internet find it hard to concentrate on any work for a longer period of time. This makes them slow in finishing work.
Everything comes with a list of pros and cons. Mobile phones are no exception. Students should use them but with some caution. Overall, mobile phones for students are part of the overwhelming march of progress and benefits them positively in studies and in life.
