DOORDARSHAN: The best way of holding e-learning classes is to connect every school to the Doordarshan network which reaches all parts of the country. Being a government controlled TV network it can be ensured that children have access to good educational, illustrated classes with little scope for extracurricular viewing of undesirable content matter

By Shankargoenka

There was a time when adults were very reluctant to give kids their smart phones. Now thanks to Covid-19 and e-learning every kid has to have a smart phone. Unlike cars smartphones do not have a child lock. So parents have no idea of what the kid is watching or if the kid is playing games on phone. E-learning has caused a loss of one academic year to students at all levels……..

Some thoughts…With the advent of Smartphones, communication underwent a revolution and it opened up huge array of divergent possibilities to mankind. However as the technology galloped ahead, it brought some of the dark realities mankind today wants to escape from!
Excessive use of cell phones seem to have made our world into a ‘lonely world’ as the young and not so young are engrossed with their handsets, altering the very social nature of man to that of an elusive being causing miseries and huge tension inn their personal and professional lives.
The excessive dependence on cell phones forced Cambridge Dictionary to choose a new word, “Nomophobia” which is “a fear or worry at the idea of being without your mobile phone or unable to use it.” It is designated as the “Word of the year for 2018!”
How does it affect our school children? What are the safe guards we can take to protect our children from the onslaught of Cell phone abuse? Let us explore….
In students, it kills the initiative to study, reduces their ability to retain information, the level of their cognition goes down drastically and takes away their natural playfulness to that of elusive and withdrawn. It also exposes them into the dark and dangerous world of porn, deceit, unlawful quick fixes of drugs, so on and so forth.
Psychologists assign the following as the symptoms when the children develops dependency on Cell phones. Anxiety,respiratory alterations,trembling, perspiration,agitation, disorientation,depression, panic,fear,dependence, lowliness, rejection and low self-esteem
Distractions and interruptions When students use their cell phones to check social media and text their friends in class, it destroys their ability to focus on just one thing at a time.

Cyberbullying
Cyberbullying can be harder to see than other forms of bullying, making it difficult for teachers to identify and stop when it is happening.

Cheating
Cell phones can be a helpful learning tool in class. But they can also be used by students to access information while taking a test, leading to cheating. Even if a student isn’t caught, this can lead to him or her having a poor understanding of the material in the future, and is unfair to students who studied hard to do well.

Disconnection from face-to-face activities
Learning to work together with others is an important part of students’ education, and can be lost with too much dependence on cell phones and other digital technology.
An astonishing fact as to how abuse of Cell phone affects a student.
5 hours daily use X 365days = 1825 hours an year!
12 hours of use a day means it amounts to 152 days in a year!
There are 52 Sundays in a year and this means 152+52 equalling to 204 days
20 holidays in a year and this means 204+20=224 days
In year there are 365 days and this means a cell phone dependant student is left with only 141 days for study or for other productive activates.
How it is possible to complete the tasks of 365 days in 141 days? This is the reality!

HOW TO BEAT CELL PHONE ADDICTION:

Practical Ways On How To Reduce A Cell Phone Addiction

1) Keep a Track of your phone usage.
Keeping track of how much time you are spending on phone is the first step. This might throw up some astonishing facts. Also if you do not want to use your phone and are unable to resist it, it is a revelation that you are beginning to get addicted to it.

2) Cellphone usage discipline.
Limit your cell phone use to certain times of the day. If you are unable to do it by yourself, hand over the phone to your mom/dad saying that you would take it back as per your planned use.

3) Make a beginning.
It may not be possible to completely stop cell phone use in one go….Also completely withdrawing from using the phone is counterproductive. You may begin reducing checking of your handset in every hour from what you had been doing earlier. Slowly increase this duration.

4) Pat on your back.
If you are able to achieve the small goals of usage, reward yourself, may be by visiting a restaurant or even going for a movie and say to yourself, “Yes, I have done it and I can continue to do it.”

5) Take a Cell Phone Vacation.
Decide to avoid using your phone for at least one day over the week. Take a cell phone vacation. Tell parents and teachers that you would take a “Cell phone vacation.”

6) Try to keep your focus on the here-and-now.
If you feel like you are spending too much time on your phone. Just take a break and look around to see what is happening around you.

7) Try to just dig inside yourself and find out what is it that drives you to stay on your phone.
What compels you to go on your phone? The need to be social? To tackle loneliness? Is it because of anxiety? Or Educational/ academic needs? Whatever it may be try to realize what it is so then then you will be able to take the necessary steps required to tackle them. Try to use your phone only for necessary communications or emergencies.

8) Try to find alternative ways to attain what you attain from your phone.
If you want to be more social or you want to tackle loneliness, you could do it by meeting up with people directly and talking to them, the more natural and healthier way. This way you could start reducing your need for dependency on your phone.

9) Start exercising or find a new activity to do.
Exercising or indulging in physical or creative activity increases the amount of serotonin and dopamine hormones, called as the happy hormones are released into your body.

10) Try to find things to do that you are passionate about, which doesn’t include your phone.
This will help in redirecting your attention from your phone and indulging in activity without your phone will enhance your ability to be more ‘self dependent’ on yourself to make decisions.

11) Disconnect.
Switch off your phone during the night. Take a phone free vacation maybe over the weekend. View the world with your own eyes rather that the eyes of a smart phone lens. You could also uninstall applications which you feel compel you to go on your phone without giving anything productive at the end.

(Nidhi Devidasan, Counsellor)