PHONE FEVER: The Hidden Danger Of Excessive Cellphone Usage

 A cellphone is a portable electronic device used for communication through voice calls, text messages and Internet access.It incorporates various technologies such as; computing, programming, and Internet, to enable wireless communication and access to a wide range of applications and services.The cell phone has revolutionized the way we communicate, access information, and navigate our daily lives. This device is now seen as a mini computer, enabling us to perform various tasks on-the-go. It's impact on modern life has being significant, revolutionizing how we communicate, access information and manage our daily lives.

    It is of no doubt that a large number of us make use of cell phones as it has become a part of our livelihood,both adult and children now have a gadget to themselves. Gone are those days when parents restricted their kids from having a cell phone till a certain age. Due to the rise in the need for cell phone, little amount of families still practice such. Now,a child of as low as 3 years already has a cell phone to his/herself as good and convenient as this may be,it has a lot of considerable consequences we might all have witnessed but ignored.

     According to Nigeria communication commission (NCC) The country had around 222.2 million telephone customers with over 215 million active mobile phone subscription. Over 60% of the amount are younger generation, particularly those under the age of 35. Apart from that,the NCC also spoke on the average Nigerian child spending an average time of 3hours per day on their screen; currently,our generation is beginning to extend the average screen time. Gen Z generation now spend an average of 6 hour's on their phone daily.

   During my practical test,I realized youngsters,majorly students between the age of 10-29 spends more than the initial average screen time. I questioned this particular girl, Anita and her response was quite disheartening, “I can't even stay up to an hour without checking my phone,I have a lot waiting to be attended to on it”. This was the reply I got from the question “How long can you stay without your cell phone?”. Imagine what has become of us. We failed to realize the physical and mental damages it has on us. Truth be told,a lot, if not all of us are drawn into the web of addiction,we spend more hours than necessary on the phone, texting, gaming and watching different videos online,most of which are not necessary in building us. Majority of this online contents even tamper with our morality. Although we all have neglected this aspect and only focus on the brighter side of using this gadget.

    I had a conversation with a young lady who has decided to stay anonymous, According to him,he is currently in a dangerous phase of his life,from observation and the conversation we both had,I realized he was already suffering depression. Let's call him “Mr X”, According to Mr X, he cannot for any reason stay away from from his cell phone up to an hour,he would rather charge his power bank than his phone. Mr A currently has three power banks just to make sure his cell phone doesn't go off. This excessive use of cell phone has led him to become socially isolated, living him with little or no friends to vent to. Mr A is mostly busy in gaming sites, killing away his time and social activeness rather than socializing with people around him.

    Apart from social isolation,the cyber bullying involved in gaming sites can totally be another great influence towards Mr A’s depression. Excessive gaming has several negative effect on both our mental and physical health. Let's put Mr A aside,most of us are going through a similar phase,we spend more time on screen rather than the real society,we prefer to game day-in-day out,some of us prefer online contents forgetting the real society and life as a whole. It is essential we all know of the dangers lurking around excessive cell phone usage.

    A lot of youths in this generation are now suffering from anxiety and depression,to worsen it,they are not even aware of their predicament,this is caused by their social isolation, whereby they spend too much time on phones neglecting the real society, unrealistic comparisons,fear of missing out, unrealistic expectations and lots more. Apart from that, excessive cell phone usage has also been attributed to some physical issues such as eye strain,neck pain,back pain. Mental conditions like; loneliness,mood disorder and as earlier stated depression. 

    According to nurse goodness,the hospital is currently filled with young people waiting in line to see an Optician,in her words,the blue light reflection emanating from phone screen greatly affects our eye sight. She said in the long run, anyone misusing cell phones would join the line to see an Optician. Not intended to be a curse but a swift reality, excessive screen exposure has being linked to eye deficiency. The decrease in cognitive performance is a great psychological problem caused my excessive use of gadget,it is very rampart for students to loose focus due to their excessive use of this gadget, causing poor performance and affecting diverse areas of the student's life,due to over use, students are unable to concentrate on their studies both higher and secondary institution. Their memories suffer and minds become foggy,dull and lethargic. The most derading aspect of being a cell phone addict is that it highly increases memory loss. When one is distracted constantly by notifications or other phone activities,it reduces one's attention span, making it hard to focus and consolidate memories.

   In light to these,it is essential we all set boundaries and limits when it comes to our cell phone,learn to keep it away at some point. I am not trying to take the convenience of your phone away from you,for some of us that isn't feasible perhaps you need to be reachable for friends colleagues and family. But one still needs to set boundaries nevertheless,know time for interaction and time for learning,restrict some certain things if you find yourself being addicted to this gadget.

   We may need to practice healthy cell phone habits by using applications that improves our cognitive skills. The ability of an individual (here students) to process information, remember,learn,reason and solve problem,is refered to as cognitive skills. Some cell phone apps infact shut down our cognitive skills with excessive use. Therefore we should always make use of educative apps and reduce time spent on majorly gaming sites.

   The dangers of excessive cell phone usage is more than meets the eyes,if not properly used becomes a weapon for our own destruction. The fact that this gadget has become one with which we cannot do without is quite detrimental,I cannot say one should totally avoid it,but ensure to cut down your use of it.prioritise other offline activities to build yourself.

   Rather than excessive screen time,sleep!!!,let your sickening body rest!,take prior steps to improve your health. To reduce screen addiction,one can start by taking regular breaks from screen for small period of time to do other things then gradually extending the time. While your phone is away,learn to enjoy the non-digital aspect of life,spend time with family and friends. To build your capacity,this proactive steps would go a long way in protecting your physical and mental health. Power down and enjoy life to it's fullest 

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