ISLAMABAD: The cell phone was looked upon as a status symbol for the privileged few when it first appeared on the scene in the early 1990s.
Nearly a quarter century on, it has become so commonplace a phenomenon even in a developing country like ours that no living and breathing human being can be imagined not owning a cell device, except perhaps for a few house-wives in remote areas.
On the other hand, the widespread use of mobile phone is also not devoid of a negative impact especially for the youth, keeping them away from full concentration on their studies and jobs, also posing sometimes serious traffic and health hazards.
Safely tucked in your pocket or glued to your ears, the device is used in this age of fast-growing technology for multi purposes - ranging from phone calls, sending messages, Facebook, Skype, Whatsapp, Imo, Viber, radio, dictionary, books, chatting, sharing and uploading audios and videos, pictures, ringtones, torch, video games, calendar, calculator, camera, recording, clock, alarm, etc.
On the one hand, communication technology has turned the world into a global village by linking far-flung areas and connecting people beyond cultural divides and geographical boundaries, while on the other it is also becoming a growing addiction among the youth and teenagers.
The unnecessary use, rather misuse, of mobile phone is not only giving rise to psychological disorders and mental anxiety but also affecting eye-sight and hearing ability of the users.
Most of the young people state that they daily spend much of their time using mobile phones. The misuse of the device had adverse effects on teenagers' personalities, who tend to neglect important activities including jobs and studies, besides drifting away from close family circle.
There is no time for switching off the phone, day and night busy and playing with phone has also disturbed the sleeping hours, duration and eating habits among the new generation.
Talking to APP, Shaukat Ali, a government school teacher in Islamabad, said the unnecessary use of mobile phone for talking and listening loud music on headphone while charging is dangerous for the users.
He said youth and school going children in particular were obsessed with the device, and had become habitual of using the device all the time, whether it was the last thing before falling asleep or the first after waking up in the morning.
He said the unnecessary use of mobile phone had really affected studies and book reading habits among the youth.
The father of three school going children, Subkhan Uddin from Sector G-7 said a blanket ban should be imposed on the use of mobile phone within the premises of or within the certain limits outside of schools and colleges.
He too emphasized that mobile phone was affecting study and reading habits of the students. The misuse of low-priced night and Short Message Service (SMS) packages had also played havoc with the study, sleeping timings, eating habits, socialization, and career building of students, he added.
Recently several road accidents have been reported on highways of the country due to either texting or talking on mobile phones while driving.
It has also been witnessed that the cyclists and motorcyclists also use mobile phones for texting and talking while controlling the vehicle single- handedly on the roads.
Assistant Sub Inspector, Challan Section, Islamabad Traffic Police, Anees Swati said, "The use of a phone was illegal while driving, adding if a driver was caught using it, he is supposed to be fined a sum of Rs. 300 under Article 1965, Section 48-1 of the law in this respect."
He said the law was introduced to minimize road accidents caused due to mobile phone usage. The use of the device during driving causes physical, visual, auditory and cognitive distractions of the drivers from the road and traffic.
Assertions of Anees Swati aside, it has often been observed that the vehicle-drivers and motorcyclists unabashedly use cell phones with traffic wardens looking the violation as mere spectators.
Qaiser Hayat, a Psychiatrist running his private clinic, said, "Anything that can produce pleasure in your brain has the potential of becoming an addiction", adding smart-phone has become a leading addiction among the youth, without which, they usually remained under the feelings of anxiety.
No doubt, mobile phone has become a necessity in daily life but it is essential to create awareness among the masses of its limited and necessary use to avoid negatives.
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