Mobile Phones and Lifestyle Effects – Part II

In the second and concluding part, Dr Sujit, a renowned doctor tells about the lifestyle hazards of mobiles.. An exclusive for Different Truths.

A recent digital report states that we spend roughly 6 hours and 42 minutes online each day. People are glued to their smart phones and other gadgets, working in different time zones, chatting, playing games, taking photos and sharing these with their followers. With so much of engagement online, it is but natural that mobile users have more conversation online than off it.

With so much of engagement online, it is but natural that mobile users have more conversation online than off it.

The influence of friends and persons on online social network have been known to lead to a series situations wherein an individual ends up feeling inapt at social and communication skills. The end result vary. From feeling of isolation, over loneliness, poor academic performance, absentation from work study, substance abuse (drug abuse) are among other problems they face.

Selfities

Taking selfies and posting them, is becoming risky. A condition- called selfities, is identified by researchers at Nottingham Trent University. The researchers found that those with a compulsive need to post, were often lacking in self-confidence. Chronic sufferer are deemed to be people who have an uncontrollable urge to take photos of themselves and post on social media more than six times a day. The obsession can be fatal. A study reported in a journal on family medicine, showed that between October 2011 and November 2017, at least 259 people died in accident taking photos of themselves.

Accident Risk

Be it while travelling or while crossing road, use of mobile can be a potential distracting. Serious road traffic accidents are known to occur in these situations.

Whether you are an i-phone, flip-phone or blackberry user, chances that you check your phone aggressively while travelling, is undoubtedly higher. Be it while travelling or while crossing road, use of mobile can be a potential distracting. Serious road traffic accidents are known to occur in these situations.

Remedy

Life is unthinkable without mobile phones and smart phones at that these days and reasons may be personal, professional or recreational. Children are exposed to phones very early and often unwittingly get hooked to social media, games and streaming websites. It is important for the adults around them to mould children to lead life by good examples and reinforce that, their on line existence cannot take over their lives. Establishing no phone zones and limits for screen time will go a long way in turning out more rounded individuals who do not need Wi-Fi to hold conversation. Out right denial is to be avoided. Use of internet and social media platforms to learn, is to be encouraged. Ensuring that adult at home are not logging their phones to the dinner table and bed room or staring at screens during family time. Worried that their toddlers are spending too much time indoor with mobile phone or other gadgets with or without sufficient time to socialise, parents are opting to send kids to festivity camps. These are fun activities for kids groups.

Blanket ban on use of mobile at institutions and work place has been found to be one sided and a non-starter in most of the cases.

Blanket ban on use of mobile at institutions and work place has been found to be one sided and a non-starter in most of the cases. Government of People Republic of China has recently notified a set of rules to limit playing videogame to 90 minutes a day between 8 am and 10 pm, for adults & children below 18 years age, on week days.

Treatment of these psychological and behavioural problem – a key mental health issue is still in the nascent stage. Combination of treating techniques, life style changes, motivating screen addicts to wean themselves, gradually by counselling and pharmacological managements are help full. Parents as immediate counsellor, must attempt to brain wash their children and young adults-make them believe that parents are not against them or are emotionally distanced. They are all well-wishers, children are also to be motivated to reduce widening circle of friends (online), avoid bad company and pay more attention to their own future.

While we do stand to gain from information reach and connectivity that social media provides, one cannot forget the fact, it is one that leads to disruption of health and true life situation.

While we do stand to gain from information reach and connectivity that social media provides, one cannot forget the fact, it is one that leads to disruption of health and true life situation. There has been much debate surrounding the possible health effects of cell phone use. In recent technological advance, manufactures have created apps to counter addictive habits. The Mountain View based company announced its Digital Wellbeing experiment platform.

Real Life Examples: India 2019

1. A teen aged girl, 16 years, commits suicide after argument with her mom over cell phone use. Mother did not allow her daughter to take her mom’s cell phone to her friend’s house.
2. A gamer in Karnataka, hooked to his phone, killed his father, a policeman, and then chopped him up; in rage, as the latter has opposed his phone addiction. He even asks for his phone when he was in police custody, so that he could continue to play games.
3. The daughter of businessman, had left her home after a fight and landed up unannounced at the doorstep of her so called boyfriend in Bhopal, whom she had got to know through Facebook. There was the audacity of the teenager in leaving home despite her parents, advice. The resource fullness of a class X girl from a lower middle class home, in rushing up the money to take a flight and the out standish expectation of a child that her Facebook friend also a minor, would take her in.
4. A Bangalore youth – techie, severely addicted to online dating approached the Technologist Deaddiction clinic at NIMHANS claiming he can’t stick to a single relationship due to excessive dating online.
5. In a doctor’s clinic,a doctor was examining mother of a boy. He noticed that the boy was putting his hand in and out of his trouser pocket. The pocket had his smart phone. Use of smart mobile phone in the of clinic is proscribed – says a board notice.
6. In New Delhi, on a busy day, a bike rider with mobile on his ear, hit a truck from rear. He suffered grevious injuries and fell on the road. A passerby dialled 112 and 100. A policeman came on the spot. His mobile started ringing. So he attended to the caller. Somehow the accident victim reached the emergency center of a hospital. The doctor, the nurse and the compounder were seen busy on their mobiles. The accident victim was wriggling with pain awaiting doctor’s attention.

References

1. Have you got? The Text, Neck : The Times of India, dated 30.10.2019 (Daily Mirror).
2. Spend long hours on phone. The Time of India, dated 21.10.2019, Blue light emission.
3. 5 Signs – you-need a break from social media, The Times of India, dated 20.10.2019.
4. Hussain F & Rao SR. Kids interrupted, 5 ways to fight the screen, The Times of India, dated 16.09.2019.
5. Are certain friend types on social media affecting your mental health?, The Times of India, dated 24.09.2019.
6. Mental health and social media, JAMA-Psychiatry, 2019.
7. Narayayanan G. NIMHANS, Bangalore, India. The Times of India, dated 23.09.2019.
8. Atul Karp, Jha S et al. Kids want parents to seek consent or be blocked, The Times of India, dated 23.09.2019.
9. Festivity camps during vacation view, The Times of India, dated 29.09.2019.
10. The health hazard of mobile phones,https://www.the health site, com//diseases-conditions/10. health hazard of mobile phone 139726/ Shradha Rupavate 01.06.2016.
11. Health hazards of mobile phones, The Healthsite.com https://www.the health site.com/…/10 health 18.12.2014.
12. WHO : 20.09.2013https://www.int/features/ga 130/en/.
13. J Social and Clinical Psychology Mobile user in India,statista.com/statistics/27465/=2013-2019/
14. Hernamdez Je A Zhang, China sets rules for minor gamers, National press and Publication Administration Government of PR. China, 5^thNov. 2019.

(Concluded)

Photo from the Internet