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Title: The Impact of Smartphone on Children’s Development

GROUP MEMBERS:
1) Fatrick bin James
2) Spencer Justine
3) Leonora Christine
4) Salleh bin Hj Mumin

As smartphone technology has evolved, it has taken on growing significance in our daily lives.
Because it is portable and offers computer-like functionalities in a convenient format.
Smartphones were designed primarily for adults who wanted to simplify their work. However,
they gradually start to influence the lives of our children. It is undeniable that smartphones
encourage access to applications at any time and from any location (Shuler, 2009); nonetheless,
the rate keeps rising because it is challenging for parents to keep tabs on their children's mobile
device use (Campbell and Park, 2008). While it may appear to be innocuous, the advantages of
allowing children to use smartphones can be argued, as it can have an impact on a child’s
development. Because of the adverse effects smartphones have on a child's development,
children shouldn't have them. As a result, while smartphones offer numerous possibilities, they
also pose threats to children's lives and futures if they are not under parental supervision.

First and foremost, the use of smartphones in education has a beneficial impact, as it supports
children in developing their educational and learning processes by examining its significant
potential as a learning tool, and the development of educational interventions based on
smartphones, that has attracted students’ interests and learning motivations based on G.R. Jesse
(2015, as cited in Sunyoung H., 2022, p.1) According to research by Hourcade (2013, as cited in
Jalila Al-Balushi and Hafedh Al-Shihi, 2016, p.4), who argued that using a tablet instead of
reading a book improves children's social connection, adopting mobile applications has the
capacity to enhance children's creative writing skills. Parents with a positive opinion and attitude
toward smartphones said that they were a source of improvement for the children's motor and
cognitive skills, visual memory, and their adaptation to technology.

Additionally, smartphones are also popularly used in the classroom for accessing course
materials, promoting teacher-student interaction and discussion. When used in a learning setting,
smartphones can encourage students to engage in educational activities by raising their

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awareness of the benefits they may enjoy. This highlights how technology may widen and
enhance student learning through the use of smartphones. This exemplifies how it may boost and
widen student opportunities, especially in their academic lives, as mentioned in Woodcock
(2012, as cited in M.K. K. Singh and N. A. Samah's, 2018, p.84). However, according to a study
by Genc (2014, as cited in Jalila Al-Balushi and Hafedh Al-Shihi, 2016, p.4 & 5), which
investigated parents' concerns about the use of smartphones by their preschool children since
these gadgets also offer entertainment and communication capabilities, this leads to using
electronic media at higher rates. Regardless of their impact in learning environments, it is always
debatable whether smartphones should be embraced as potential learning tools.

According to research done by Vandalita (2015), this approach was similar to Barakati's (2011,
as cited in Vandalita M.M. Rambitan,2015, p.2) research findings, which suggested that learning
with smartphones had a productive impact by making it simple for students to share information
with one another in groups. As a result, smartphones provide an educational multi-media
platform that is preferable to reading a textbook. Additionally, communication tools and social
networking websites may aid in the swift distribution of important information. There may be a
correlation between improved student-to-student and student-to-faculty communication and more
fruitful learning and teamwork. Research done by Kim (2014, as cited in Sunyoung H, 2022, p.1)
revealed that the use of smartphones as a communication tool between teachers and students
during lessons was useful for improving the interaction and engagement of students in large
classrooms.

According to a study by Barakati (2011, as cited in Vandalita M.M. Rambitan, 2015, p.2),
smartphones were used to educate and enhance students' abilities to learn the English language if
they were used appropriately. For instance, it has been reported that mobile-assisted learning
environments have positive effects on academic achievement. A study by Ozer and Kihc (2018,
as cited in Sunyoung H, 2022, p.2) explored the effect of a mobile assisted language learning
environment on the academic performance of students and found that it helps students in
language courses. According to Woodcock (2012), which is also cited in Vandalita’s research, as
more students acquire smartphones, numerous parts of their lives shift, and they start using the
device to enhance their educational opportunities. This conclusion is reinforced by Rusman's
(2011, as cited in Vandalita M.M. Rambiton, 2015, p.4) research, which determined if

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smartphones helped students learn more, allowed a widespread reach of education, developed
reliable and current instructional materials, and allowed for interactive learning activities.

On the other hand, a researcher said that the use of smartphones has led to a major addiction
problem. Leonard (2015, as cited in Mudasir Kazer Rather and Rather, Shabir Ahmad, 2019, p.5)
claimed that female college students use their phones on average for ten hours each day.
Additionally, a study shows that excessive smartphone use may result in physiological and
medical complications. Because they use their smartphones until late at night, according to
Boumosleh & Doris (2017, as cited in Mudasir Kazer Rather and Rather, Shabir Ahmad, 2019,
p.6), 35.9% of students report daytime fatigue, and 38.1% have lower sleep quality.
Nomophobia, or the dread of going without a phone, is a recent phobia. This supported a review
study by Carter et al (2016, as cited in F.-C. Chang, C.-H. Chiu, and P.-H. Chen et al., 2022,
p.24), which stated inadequate sleep duration, poor sleep quality, and excessive daytime
sleepiness have all been linked to children's and teenagers' usage of media devices before bed.
It's possible that nomophobia isn't yet acknowledged as a serious mental illness. However, there
is rising concern among experts about how the younger generation, which includes children, is
living in the technological age and how this may damage their mental health, which is supported
in Miller’s research as well (2017, as cited in Mudasir Kazer Rather and Rather, Shabir Ahmad,
2019, p.6) In other words, people have high concerns about new technology, and they are related
to the degree to which they use their smartphones, but they are unaware of the risk that comes
with it. This brings us to another set of health issue which numerous studies have been conducted
to investigate the link between texting on a smartphone and having aching shoulders and neck.
Neck, shoulder, and upper extremity discomfort are associated with activities involving
prolonged neck flexion, based on Lee et al. research (2015, as cited in A. M. Ibrahim & N. M. A.
Alzaharani, 2022, p.27 & 28). Therefore, if the children began using cell phones at an early age,
these problems would be severe (Ibrahim, A. M., & Alzaharani, N. M. A., 2022).

Another setback, according to a different study done by Mascheroni and Olafsson (2014, as cited
in Jalila Al-Balushi and Hafedh Al-Shihi, 2016, p. 3), is that social networks are to blame for
encouraging cyberbullying, particularly against girls and young children. This is followed by
children being exposed to sexual content. Prior research has shown that children engage with and
look for sexually explicit content online and on their mobile devices, as illustrated by Lenhart,

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Livingstone (2009, 2011, as cited in Jalila Al-Balushi and Hafedh Al-Shihi, 2016, p. 3). In
simple terms, the amount of time children spends using and viewing screens beyond their home
settings increases, which could have an impact on how they develop and react in society.
Therefore, studying screen time exposure in these settings and looking into how it impacts
children's development is essential, as it should be at the core of prevention and intervention
efforts.

Unquestionably, smartphones have good effects on interpersonal communication, personality

growth, and corporate success strategies. According to Hongnguyen (2015), smartphones
facilitate speedy communication, make it simple to stay in touch with loved ones, provide
entertainment through music and games, and also aid in academic pursuits. Thus, how people get
information has changed as a result of the proliferation of smartphones. According to Anderson
(2016, as cited in M.K. K. Singh and N. A. Samah, 2018, p.84) research’s stated that since
smartphones are used in so many diverse situations, such as studying, working, and
communicating, they have an impact on people and communities in many different ways. In
short, smartphones have made life more convenient with a single click. Hence, Kirkorian et al
(2018, as cited in Jalila Al-Balushi and Hafedh Al-Shihi, 2016, p.4) mentioned that children's use
of mobile devices may enhance their social skills. So, parents are more likely to be pleased with
their children' use of mobile devices if their kids enjoy hanging out in groups, as it builds good
relations and communication. But a lack of secure parental bonding may raise the risk of media
addiction (Ibrahim, A. M., & Alzaharani, N. M. A., 2022). For instance, by lowering a child's
degree of social anxiety, a positive parent-child relationship and relationship satisfaction may
keep them from developing an internet addiction. Most importantly, parents' lack of control over
their children's smartphone use may have an impact on how youngsters perceive conflict
between them and their parents. Therefore, it's crucial to take both perspectives into account
while discussing the issue of children’s development and smartphones.

Last but not least, the structure of human relationships has been impacted by the availability of
mobile communication technology. Since access to applications is encouraged by mobile
devices, it is getting harder for parents to keep an eye on their children’s mobile device use
(Shuler, 2009, as cited in Jalila Al-Balushi and Hafedh Al-Shihi, 2016, p.2). According to a
study by Ravichandran (2009), using a mobile device damages family tie. Oduor et. al (2016, as

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cited in Modecki, K. L., Low-Choy, S., Uink, B. N., Vernon, L., Correia, & Andrews, 2020, p.2)
concluded, it is about how often parents let technology interfere with their interactions with their
kids. In fact, children's perception of parental disengagement is linked to adverse outcomes, with
parents "displacing" their focus from their children to their phones. The underlying principle is
that parental smartphone use may negatively impact how family members interact, express
closeness, and uphold connections.

References

F.-C. Chang, C.-H. Chiu, P-H. Chen et al., (2022). Smartphone addiction and victimization
predicts
sleep problems and depression among children. Journal of Pediatric Nursing 64 (2022) e24-
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Ibrahim, A. M., & Alzaharani, N. M. A. (2022). Role of Family in Controlling Smartphones Used
by
Children, Volume-05, Issue-06, pp-26-34. Retrieved from https://www.arjhss.com/

Jalila Al-Balushi and Hafedh Al-Shihi (2016)," The Effects of Mobile Devices on Children Social
Communication Behaviours in Oman: An Assessment of Parents’ Happiness and Awareness",
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M. K. K. Singh & N. A, Samah (2018). Impact of smartphone. A review on positive and negative
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Modecki, K. L., Low‐Choy, S., Uink, B. N., Vernon, L., Correia, H., & Andrews, K. (2020). Tuning
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Mudasir Kazer Rather and Rather, Shabir Ahmad. “Impact of Smartphones on Young
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Nurmalina & Gusman (2021), The Impact of Smartphones on Early Childhood Language
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10.35445/alishlah.V13i3.765. Retrieved from http// file:///C:/Users/User/Downloads/765-

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