Mobile Phones To blame or not to blame?

 

 

 

Recent tragic accidents such as a young girl falling off her terrace to death while talking on cellphone in Nagpur; a social media influencer falling down a gorge near Raigad, and another girl driving off a cliff while filming a video near Chhatrapati Sambhaji Nagar; highlight a concerning trend. These accidents share a common factor: the mobile phones! In the debate triggered by these incidents, many are blaming the misuse of technology. Against this backdrop, ‘The Hitavada’ spoke to a few experts and educationists. Everyone said that technology was good but there should not be its overuse or misuse. The need of the hour is to educate younger generations about responsible use of devices like the mobile phones, so that they do not pose risk to life.

 

Rita Aggarwal, Consulting Psychologist, refused to put entire blame on technology. She said, the technology and devices are not bad and should not be condemned for these accidents. According to her, the careless attitude and indiscipline of users are major reasons for these incidents. Talking to ‘The Hitavada’, she said, “Life is governed by rules and use of technology and devices also has to have certain rules, regulations, and caution.” Highlighting that technology has become an integral part of peoples lives and cannot be avoided, Aggarwal added, “People have to discipline their behaviour and mind to use the technology for their benefit. Otherwise, it will only cause distraction.” Aruna Rao, Principal, Central India Public School, believes that over-exposure to gadgets has a hypnotising effect on children. She said, “It seems that children are not into themselves.

 

They seem to be driven by something else. Students fail to think on their own and have no scope to think, innovate, and create because destructive ideas are easily accessible through digital media.” She also advocated parents assuming the lead role in protecting children from adverse effects of digital devices. “The first step is awareness about handling digital devices. Parents should spend time with children and have good conversations with them. Parents should also take children out and let them meet their friends as they used to do previously, instead of letting them spend time on social media. For, off-line interactions build relations,” she suggested.

 

While it’s duty of parents to look after their children, the latter also share part of the blame. They should be made accountable for their actions. Emphasising the need for the students to be more responsible, Aruna Rao added, “Students should exercise discretion as to what is good, what is bad, and where to stop.” Having a digital device has become a necessity of today’s youth. Even the government is encouraging use of digital tools for students as can be seen in the New Education Policy that is being implemented.

 

“Students must be educated about disadvantages of excessive use of mobile devices in their lives. Schools are doing their part and there is a lesson on misuse of mobile phones in their syllabus,” Prerna Mehta, teacher at Mundle English Medium School, told ‘The Hitavada’. Acknowledging the fact that attention span of students has decreased and they have become ‘hyper’ in nature, Mehta stressed upon the importance of digital devices. According to her, when digital resources are made available to students in controlled environments like schools, they deliver positive results and do not tend to misuse. The key takeaway from the opinion of the experts is the need for imbibing the values of safe and responsible use of gadgets among youngsters so that they do not lose out on their ability to discern between a shortlived trend and a long-lasting virtue.