Mobile Phones Have Snatched Away Childhood; A Devastating Blow to Human Routine.

We often say, “O God, give us back our childhood!” But today, the fact that mobile phones are snatching away our childhood is extremely concerning. Day by day, smartphones are proving to be dangerous for young children and youth alike. Similarly, in schools too, students are using mobiles on a large scale, and its harmful effects are gradually becoming visible. 

Parents hand over mobiles to children above one year of age just to stop them from crying, and escape their responsibility. The ill-effects of this are also slowly coming to the fore. This situation is not limited to India alone but is visible across the world. Due to this, UNESCO has issued an advisory suggestion that all schools across the world should ban mobile phones.

The country and the world have certainly seen a digital revolution, but its misuse is proving detrimental to students and youth. Along with this, at a young age, parents themselves are seen pushing children into mobile addiction. It is evident that due to smartphones, drastic changes have occurred in social, practical, and other fields. 

Today, due to excessive mobile use, no one is ready to talk to anyone face-to-face, no one is ready to have general discussions at home, and there is no exchange or sharing of thoughts through conversation. This is because, from one-year-old children to adults, everyone remains busy with their mobiles for hours on end. To evade their responsibility and due to excessive pampering, parents have allowed even toddlers to become addicted to mobiles. Because of this, there is a high possibility of rising mental illnesses, and they are indeed increasing. 

Youth are seen getting trapped in mobile games day by day. The main reason is that a large section of youth in India has become addicted to mobiles. Due to this, they are facing many ailments. The UNESCO report states that the digital revolution in the education sector is concerning for students. Excessive use of mobiles slows down academic performance. Increased screen time negatively impacts children’s emotional stability. As a result, children become irritable and angry, UNESCO has said. 

Due to this, physical activity among children is seen to be decreasing significantly day by day, which is a matter of serious concern. In the country, 74% of children (aged 11 to 17) do not play outdoor games even for 30 minutes daily. Similarly, 59% of people in the 16 to 34 age group remain engrossed in playing online games for 3 hours at a stretch. This clearly shows that today’s youth are largely engrossed in mobile games or watching serials. Due to this, the body does not get the required amount of exercise. 

According to a WHO report, 74% of children aged 11 to 17 in India are not physically active. This means that children do not play or engage in physical activity even for 150 minutes in a week as required. This makes it clear that while today’s students and youth may be intellectually sharp, they are seen to be deteriorating physically day by day. 

41% of people in the country appear to be inactive from the perspective of physical exercise due to mobile addiction. That is, from childhood to youth, and from youth to the elderly, we see that mobiles have tightly gripped everyone. Due to this, the body does not get the exercise it needs in the required manner and proportion, leading to many diseases among children, youth, and others, and this is having a major adverse impact on health. 

Not only in India but across the world, everyone feels that life is incomplete without a mobile. But it is equally true that the use of mobiles is proving extremely dangerous for humans, and no one can deny this. That is, excessive use of mobiles can prove fatal, and this cannot be denied either. 

If the brain does not receive proper and smooth blood supply, it can become a major cause of stroke. Stroke is also called a paralysis attack or brain attack. It is said that there are nearly 65 lakh stroke patients in the country. This means that today, due to excessive mobile use, mankind has reached an extremely dangerous situation. 

It is clear that due to excessive mobile use, obesity, diabetes, eye diseases, neck pain, mental stress, heart disease, and many other ailments are taking root in the human body. The main reason is that the body’s organs do not get the required amount of exercise. Thus, this difficult situation is arising. 

The danger caused by diseases resulting from mobile use is greater than the happiness humans get from mobiles. Therefore, mobile use should be minimized and used in such a way that it does not pose any physical danger. 

The American Academy of Pediatrics, in a study, stated that it is appropriate for children aged two to four years to use a phone for at most one hour a day. For children older than four years, using a mobile for two hours daily is appropriate. Using a mobile more than this adversely affects not only the eyes but also mental health, and after this, one may have to face terrible consequences. 

We ourselves can decide what to do and what not to do, and we can stay away from dangerous things. Today, we see children and youth aged 3 to 20 years glued to their mobiles while watching TV or eating, as if life is incomplete without a mobile. Its ill-effects can become terrible in the future. 

When small children start crying, parents hand them a mobile and get free, but this is dangerous. Therefore, I earnestly request parents to keep children away from mobiles as much as possible. This will help children engage in physical activity or exercise. 

Excessive use of mobiles is harmful to the body, and if misused, it can also endanger life, and it is happening. Even today, people talk on mobiles while driving, and we see many accidents due to this, resulting in large-scale loss of life in the country. 

There is no objection to using a mobile, but it should be used at the right time and to a minimum extent. Otherwise, the pain or suffering we will have to endure will be a thousand times greater than the happiness and joy we get from mobiles—this is equally true. 

Therefore, instead of children picking up a mobile, if they pick up books and newspapers, their intellectual development will accelerate, and bookish knowledge will greatly boost physical development. 

If we think overall, due to the mobile era, the small traditional games of the soil in the country have vanished or are on the verge of extinction. Due to this, we have to face many diseases. Today’s youth do not even know what the old games were, and all these things seem to be arising because of mobiles. 

That is, today’s mobile era appears to be physically crippling children, youth, or students. From this, it is understood that real games are gradually becoming extinct due to virtual games. Looking at today’s mobile world, one feels, “Where have those days gone?”

Ramesh Krishnarao Lanjewar