Schools caution parents over excessive smartphone use by kids

Say gadgets affecting their language and verbal communication

The increasing use of smartphones and social media by students at home is becoming a matter of concern for schools in the city which are now advising parents to keep a check on gadget use.

Delhi Public School, North, has issued a circular to parents, asking them to restrict their own WhatsApp use and lead by example. The circular says that WhatsApp and social media are affecting their language and reducing verbal communication.

“Students spend a lot of time on their phones which takes away study time. We used to share assignments with senior students using WhatsApp. However, as it leads to other unnecessary discussions, we have discontinued that practice,” said principal Manju Balasubramanyam.

In Little Flower Public School, Banashankari Third Stage, parents are reminded in every orientation programme to not allow their children to use their smartphones or social media excessively. “Parents find it convenient to allow their children to be distracted by games and social media when they need free time for themselves. If they think their child needs to have a phone to communicate with them, why not buy them a basic handset instead of a smartphone?” asked B Gayatri Devi, principal of the school.

Associated Managements of Private Unaided English-medium Schools in Karnataka (KAMS) is advising member-schools to tell parents to keep a check on how their children use smartphones. General secretary, Shashi Kumar D, said, “We have observed that students are becoming distracted from their studies. There are a lot of changes in their moods and even attention span is affected.”

Dr Manoj Sharma, coordinator at the Service for Healthy Use of Technology (SHUT), a clinic in Nimhans for managing technology addiction, said children increasingly prefer the virtual world to the real world. “When parents try to get them out of the virtual world by not allowing them to use their phones or the internet, children show withdrawal symptoms.

They become angry and even have tendencies to cause self-harm,” he said. Boredom, stress and loneliness could be the causes for excessive use of technology. “It works the other way around, too. Excessive use can lead to stress and depression. Parents should exercise control from the very beginning and should educate the child. If the child is too distracted by mobile phones, instead of blaming him or her, parents should try to understand the cause for it,” Dr Sharma said.

Concern over game

After reports that a 14-year-old boy in Mumbai committed suicide because of a game which encourages children to harm themselves, parents are concerned about their children getting access to it.

However, schools are not aware of such a game or of students in the city using it. “We have not come across this game and it may not be widespread in India. Nevertheless, it is scary to hear such reports. We are thinking of posting an advisory about such violent games after we get more information about it,” said Shashi Kumar, general secretary of KAMS.