Use Of Mobile Phones And Our Children

I am not a think tank but simply a person who would like to express views on mobile use by our children through the medium of your esteemed daily newspaper for the people of Jammu and Kashmir in particular and Indian masses in general. Well! I had a chuckle while taking a walk to our local playground. However, why one can chuckle while going into a playground, there can be various reasons. The reason in my case was that kids who were believed to be playing any sport were busy in handling their Smart phones with their eyes glued to the screens just at a few centimeters gap. What made us so addicted is that in a sports arena where we should be playing sports and exercising our muscles for being fit & fine, we remain hell-bent with these smart phones. Young pals with the mere age of 12-15 years seem to be more addicted than adults. Have you ever given a thought to this? Who is responsible? The question always remains hanging. Nobody is able to give the perfect answer. Some say it is the sole responsibility of parents to keep close watch on their wards. Some are of the opinion that teachers have this responsibility to keep the students away from these gadgets. If I may be asked the same question, I will answer none among the two is wholly responsible for this nuisance of mobile addiction.There was a time when high graphic end games were available for only PC and gaming consoles. Those high casted computer systems were affordable only to the upper class of society and to a limited section of the populace. However, the addiction was not to the extent as seen in the present time. Nowadays with the advancement in Science & Technology, these games are easily available on any smartphone, that is present in everyone’s hand. On the economic side, the cost of these smartphones is not much and is up to the reach of an average person.Until few years back I think only the adults were engaged with the mobile games. Now the school-going young lads seem to be falling in this trap of Smartphone addiction. I have done a survey in my Village Bhagota Distt and Teh Doda and I found out of 100, 80 kids have their smart phones from their parents only after the online teaching were started. The parents of our kids didn’t own smart phones till recent times as they didn’t feel the need of keeping one. Nevertheless, when the online class work of most of the schools was announced, most parents have to buy a new device. The Smartphone was a necessity to do the job as the applications over which the online classes were delivered were supporting only on smart phones. After the online class work, these students started to download the virtual gaming application and started to play them all the way from dawn to dusk and beyond. The taste of these in these games has increased when these games are being played over network servers and you remain connected to your fellows even being physically at your respective homes.
So who can you blame, Covid-19 or Yourself? Your kid is taking a negative way by going to extreme levels in these games and you are not able to handle it. You can’t snatch the smartphone from him as he will complain about the Online Classes. What are going to do, you have no option but to counsel your ward about the ill effects of these games. You have to make him understand that this is not a game where you are going to be benefitted in any way. Tell me who got it until now. It is a craze and in this craze, you are ruining your career and health. Stop this bullshit and optimize your time with your books. The Smartphone has been a bone, but it has proved a death-leading staircase in many cases. Apart from the mobile game addiction, these school-going kids every now and then send you a friend request on Facebook. A kid in my neighborhood, I guess studying in 3rd class is sending me a friend requests. What for! Oh God, Why he needs to operate a Facebook account. Where are we leading? We are not in a developed nation, where our champs can take technology in a good way. Our kids search for what they should not and they are becoming addicted to it.To avoid mobile addiction in your kids, stop showing them Cartoons and other things by which they are going to take their meals. Didn’t the kids like us eat when there were no mobile phones in our family? Why do you yourself make your kids dependent on something when it can be handled easily? Are you yourself bored handling your kids and spending time with them. Before this addiction leads your kids to bad situations in life, you must stop using this Smartphone in your family and spent some time with your family. You will see both you and your family will start flourishing and your kids will remain safe from this deadly addiction. Your wards will do what you are teaching them. You feel lucky that your kid is using a Smartphone and after some time when he/she does not do anything without the mobile phone then you blame the technology.
(The writer is a Evs.Lect.Govt.Hr.Sec.School Khellani Doda.Views are his own)
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