MUMBAI: Here is a worrisome finding on the ever-growing internet obsession among children. An Israeli study has revealed that high school students spend 60% of their time in the classrooms exchanging social media trivia with each other. Using internet-able smartphones, around 94% of the students in a high school in Israel surfed the internet, accessed social media sites, listened to music, took photos, played games or sent text messages--all during the class hours.
Researchers from Haifa University said this disruptive behavior would certainly affect the child's learning experience as well as hasten any teacher's burnout rate.
Researchers from Haifa University said this disruptive behavior would certainly affect the child's learning experience as well as hasten any teacher's burnout rate.
In India, where a sizeable number of the 27 million smartphone users are children, the study should serve as an eye-opener. Last month, a phone company studied phone usage patterns among Indians and found that 30 million out of 69 million urban members of India's 'Generation Z' owning one. Indian tweens spent roughly seven hours a day on mobile phones, televisions and gaming consoles, said the survey. While our schools have largely managed to keep phones out of classrooms, the potential for misuse of smartphones is always there (students manage to smuggle smartphones into classrooms in urban areas).
How can parents and school authorities curb this obsession? Restricting the use of phones may not be the best strategy. Teenagers may rebel and the obsession may get worse. In fact, the Israeli study also showed that students in classrooms where the teacher Interestingly, it was also found that in classes with more permissive teachers, cell phone use was lower than in classes where the teacher imposed strict discipline. Behaviour therapy and psychology may clearly be better tools to curb the internet obsession.
