Research Paper Example: Harmful Effects of Mobile Phone on Students

When you wake up in the morning what is the first thing you do? For some, it is having a glass of water or stretching. However, for a large majority, it is checking their smartphone. In fact, according to a study by The Economist, 80% of smartphone users check their phone within 15 minutes of waking up. It is well-known that smartphones are commonplace in many facets of everyday life. They help keep families connected, assist business development, and in today’s world can be used as everything from a wallet to a camera. Many teenagers are addicted to their phone without even knowing it. According to the West Virginia Education Association, most teenagers average around nine hours of screen time and sometimes even higher.  People may think that phones are just a fun way to connect with friends, but there are many negative effects that are associated with elevated usage. Hence, cell phones negatively affect students because of a condition known as, nomophobia, mental health, and cyberbullying. 

To begin, Nomophobia is a fear of being away from your phone and can cause many problems in the future. According to the author, “Teenagers' nomophobia risk ranges from mild to moderate, showing a relation with age, academic performance and intensity of use of mobile social networking apps” (Ramos et al, 2021). In the article, the authors looked to examine the effects of Nomophobia by sending a questionnaire to 850 students in their high school years. The study proved that the students' nomophobia risk ranges from ages thirteen to eighteen, a wider range than initially anticipated. People with nomophobia are not only at risk for anxiety or panic disorder, but it can also be an effect on your grades by being distracted during class. 

Furthermore, an article by NIH,  said that nine out of ten teenagers suffer from this rising illness. Being addicted to your phone screen can also affect your grades, sleep, and even time with friends and family. It is proved that, “The excessive use of the smartphone is an emerging threat for social, mental, and physical health. There is an increased need for further research in this regard as it is evolving into an epidemic outbreak and concerns directly the field of public health” (Daei et al, 2019). Studies show that children under age eight average up to two hours a day on smartphones, children ages eight to eighteen average seven and a half hours per day, and adults average up to six hours per day. It also states that 77% of the teens reported anxiety and worries when they were without their mobile phones, followed by the 25-34 age group and people over 55 years old. 

Additionally, the consensus main factor regarding the negative impact of phones is social media. People strive to make others jealous on social media, making it a toxic environment. According to a survey done in 2019, social media is a big factor in teenagers' mental health issues and why the suicide rates are spiking. According to a study done in 2018, “Greater time spent on social networking websites led to higher psychological distress, an unmet need for mental health support, poor self-rated mental health, and increased suicidal ideation” (Memon et al, 2018). This article indicates that the suicide rate has steadily increased over the past decade and that one is more likely to be self-harming if you are active on social media. People who spend hours scrolling tend to isolate themselves from interacting with others, leading to low quality sleep which can harm teenagers' mental health. This article showed a study out of 140 students that proved that 58.6% had a smartphone addiction and it proved that most of the 58.6% had a mental health disorder. Therefore, consistently scrolling through social media and seeing unrealistic pictures of people can cause one to feel bad about themself. This can expedite feeling unworthy, leading to self-harm and increasing suicide rates. 

When scrolling on social media, seeing someone traveling the world, eating the best foods, with the “perfect” body may cause one to want to be in someone else’s shoes. This sense of self-judgment and comparison can cause someone to feel anxious or depressed. The author states of a study conducted in 2020, “Social media might cause emotional distress, being excluded, ignored, disliked, rejected, or humiliated” (Rodgers et al, 2020). In this study, they discuss that receiving a lower amount of likes causes children to have more negative thoughts about themselves. By creating a platform for these issues, it can lead to more serious mental health concerns. Social media glorifies a culture of who's the prettiest, who's the skinniest, which causes you to compare yourself.  By triggering comparison with others, it can raise doubts about self-worth, potentially leading to mental health issues such as anxiety and depression. Many teenagers see a “perfect” model on Instagram, Snapchat, or Youtube and set their goal to look like them. Most of them do not realize that there is a lot of makeup, photoshopping, and lighting that goes into the picture to make them appear to be perfect. 

In addition, technology has hurt society because everywhere one goes everyone has a phone out and they are using it. According to the authors, cyberbullying is one of the worst assets to cell phones. Cell phones promote cyberbullying because anyone and everyone can be reached at all times. A study conducted by Kircaburun states, “...cyberbullying due to the use of cell phones, computers, and other electronic devices and its effects on adolescent mental health of students” (Kırcaburun et al, 2019). This article clearly shows that a big factor in cyberbullying is people being addicted to their phones. According to multiple studies, around 58% of students admit that someone has bullied them online and bullied victims are two to nine times more likely to commit suicide. Cyberbullies can hide behind the screen and say awful things which can cause someone to be depressed or get anxious about going to school or social gatherings. 

Meanwhile, some may argue that phones have more of a positive impact because it can teach people new information and enable connection with others. In fact, smartphones vary up to many apps that allow you to find out information around the world and to stay in touch with friends, but the main source to do that is through social media. According to the author, “Social media use is associated with developing communities of practice that promote the rapid exchange of information across traditional institutional and geographical boundaries faster than previously possible” (Keir et al, 2021). This article states that because of smartphones, people can find out worldwide information in less short periods of time. Social media sites are one of the top news sources for most Americans. It is shown that 46% of Americans rely on their phones/social media to receive global news. Although this is true, the information people are getting may not be. A new study by three MIT scholars has found that, “...false news spreads more rapidly on social media than real news does” (Dizikes, 2018). Smartphones may help news spread very fast but at times it is not necessarily the most complete and accurate news. The study shows that 70% of false news is more likely to be retweeted on Twitter than a true story is.  It also takes around six times longer for accurate stories to spread than it does for false stories. So while phones are spreading information fast, there are obvious dangers of spreading false news.

In summary, due to negative effects such as Nomophobia, mental health, and cyberbullying, people can benefit from reduced screen time.  Smartphones clearly negatively affect students in the classroom and out of school. The negative effects smartphones can cause on students include anxiety, depression, cyberbullying, phone addiction, the spread of false information, and body image. Teens must realize the negative effects of cell phone overuse before the long-lasting damage is done to themselves and those around them.