Kids closer to mobiles go further from studies

A doctor from the Lokmanya Tilak Municipal General hospital (better known as Sion Hospital) has found a direct, and strong, co-relation between the use of mobile phones and deteriorating academic performance.

Dr Harshalkumar Mahajan, a resident doctor from the Department of Community Medicine studied 316 students in the age group of 13 to 16. He also discovered a gender divide: Male students used the phone more. More female students (133) used the phone for less than two hours a day than male (120), and more male (51) than female use it for more than two hours a day.

The survey also discovered that the phone is used more for gaming and social networking than pure communication. Around 88 per cent of students in city schools use an android phone and 15 per cent of them carry it school.

"A strong association was seen in daily time spent on a mobile phone (more than two hours) and a decrease in academic performance," says Mahajan. "The students, who used the cellphone for more than two hours, showed more change in behaviour patterns than those who used it for less than an hour."

Mahajan has recommended discouraging use of mobile phones at schools to curb loss of concentration. "School authorities should implement stricter rules and regulations on their use," he said.

The Psychiatric department of the hospital sees at least two to three new cases of addiction to mobile devices every day. "Due to this affecting the behaviour patterns of many teenagers, for example, shorter tempers. Many a times, it affects their behaviour with family members too," says Dr Nilesh Shah who heads the Psychiatric Department in Sion Hospital.

The study also established that increased cellphone usage adversely impacts ophthalmic health. Complaints of dryness of eyes were higher (53 per cent) followed by itchy eyes, headache, and excessive lacrimation (tears) among the target group.

"Eighty per cent of the target group had eye strain," says Dr Arjun Ahuja, head of the Ophthalmology at KEM Hospital, adding, "Besides dryness, itching and a burning sensation, many of the students were are diagnosed with increased myopia. Children should not use the mobile phone for more than an hour."

Dr Mahajan plans to conduct a similar study focussing on students in rural areas for comparison.