Running Head : SMARTPHONES

Smartphones : Impact of Smartphones on Students

One Malaysians
Multimedia University

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Impact of Smartphones on Students

Abstract
The intention of this study is to investigate how smartphones are affecting the lives of
the students. As such,

this study will focus on both positive and negative impacts of

smartphones. Smartphones are always seen in the positive perspective, that it brings an array
of advantages for the people who are using it. However, the negative side of smartphones are
often overlooked. To conduct this study, we went around MMU and interviewed random
students on smartphones. In short, some students are aware of the negative impacts of
smartphones on them, while some argue that smartphones are here to make their lives better.

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1. Introduction
Smartphone is a mobile phone that performs many of the functions of a computer,
typically having a touchscreen interface, Internet access, and an operating system capable of
running downloaded apps (Oxford Dictionaries). In real sense, smartphones are equipped
with the capability of making calls, built-in camera for taking pictures and videos, listening to
music, playing games and surfing the web. A decade ago, separate devices were used to carry
out the things mentioned above, yet now all of those can be done with a single device,
smartphone. Due to the vast functionality of a smartphone, all age groups of people are likely
to own a smartphone. Particularly in Malaysia, according to a figure released by Malaysian
Communication And Multimedia Commission (Handphone Users Survey 2014, 2014),
handphone users were dominated by young adults, from the age group of 2024 with 18.8%
users. The second largest group was 2529 which accounted for 16.3%. This clearly shows
that smartphones are a major part of students who are largely from young adults group.

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2. Positive Impacts of Smartphones

Smartphone has impacts on all walks of human life. In particular, students benefit a lot from
smartphones.

The

prominent

areas

where

the

positive

impacts

of

smartphones on students that are obvious include connectivity, education,

and productivity.
2.1 Connectivity
Smartphones

connects

people

regardless

of

geographical

boundaries. Connecting with the people whom you know no matter how
far they are from you is important to sustain your bond with them. In
contrary to traditional way of communicating with people who are at
distant, that is through voice-to-voice communication, smartphones have
opened up the space for new forms of communication among which are
Voice Over Internet Protocol (VOIP) calls, online messaging, and online
video streaming. All of these have been made possible with the Internet.
Applications such as Skype and Whatsapp are common among students
as they facilitate students to communicate and collaborate with each
other seamlessly. This comes in handy when students have assignments
to be done in groups, where students are able to discuss virtually without
having to do an actual meet up. Connectivity on smartphone largely relies
on the Internet. This has caused Malaysians to use the smartphone as
means of connecting to the Internet (Malaysia Leads The World in
Smartphone Usage, 2014).

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2.2 Education
Smartphones might seem futile when it comes to education. But in reality,
smartphones provide mobile computing for its users and this enables students to engage in
educational activities with no geographical boundary. Smartphones also foster a number of
concrete skills in children and young adults among which are context-awareness or learning
at locations, research and informational skills, literacy and reading skills and technical skills
(Skills Students Develop By Using Smartphones, 2013)
2.2.1 Context-awareness learning at locations
Smartphones are equipped with location-based technologies such as the GPS to
provide location-based informations. Google Now is an example of smartphone application
that that utilizes GPS technology to automatically provide location-based informations for its
users. This enables students to access additional information about their surroundings.
Learning about geography or history of a certain location while actually being there at that
very moment will actually deepen their engagement with the subject and creates a longlasting fascination with it.
2.2.2 (Re)search and informational skills
The ability to access the colossal amount of information, that is the Internet through
smartphones from any point of the world is making the smartphone the ultimate source of
information. However, browsing through the Internet requires some amount of research skills
to find the accurate and precise information. Hence, smartphones which are Internet
communicators facilitate students to access the Internet at any point of the world with ease.
2.2.3 Literacy and reading

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Smartphones are not limited to literates and people with no vision defects, yet its
usable by anybody due to its enormous user-friendliness. As opposed to traditional method of
reading by the blinds which is through braille, smartphones with "Talk Back" feature are
equipped with the capability of reading out texts to facilitate these people. In conclusion,
smartphones reduces illiteracy among people.
2.2.4 Social and collaborative skills
The networking capabilities of internet-enabled mobile phones allow for a great deal
of social learning. Educational platforms that provide ways for students to collaborate and
compete by using game mechanics are an excellent tool for adding excitement to the subject
of study. Multiplayer games develop important collaboration and teamwork skills another
critically valuable asset in the modern world.
2.2.5 Technical skills
Operating a smartphone, of course, inevitably develops a knowledge of how software
interfaces work. The current generation of young people is believed to be inherently techsavvy, but familiarity with electronics and new media requires cultivation and continuous
engagement. By using portable devices for various purposes, a students understanding of the
capabilities of computing increases, and in some cases can lead to pushing those capabilities
and pursuing innovation.

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2.3 Productivity
Productivity is directly related to getting things done effectively and efficiently and it is
crucial for time management. As such, smartphones improves one's productivity immensely
through its various productivity applications.
2.3.1 Reading on-the-go
Technology have revolutionised how we acquire knowledge. Libraries and books are
replaced by digital books. As such, Google Books Library Project which was initiated by the
company Google that digitalizes books from major libraries makes it possible for us to
browse and view books online. Smartphones on the other side, due to its ability to
communicate with the Internet at any point of the world, students can view and read books
on-the-go such as while waiting for the bus, thus making their unproductive time productive.
2.3.2 Document management and material organization.
Mobile computing made possible by smartphones facilitates document management.
Effective document management is important for instant retrieval whenever it is needed. As
such, smartphones can be used to save digital documents and be accessed anywhere. In
addition to that, smartphone applications such as CamScanner utilizes smartphones' digital
camera to scan and save any piece of document with ease. This causes students to spend less
time in organizing materials and contributes to an increased productivity.

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3. Negative Impacts of Smartphones

Smartphones always seemed to be bringing positive impacts for its users, yet few
acknowledge the various conspicuous negative impacts of smartphones on students among
which are affects socialization
3.1 Affects social life
Smartphone applications such as Facebook, Twitter, Instagram and Whatsapp are deemed to
be enhancing users social life, but it in reality they are actually debilitating our social life.
3.1.1 Less face-to-face conversation
Smartphones cause students to have less face-to-face conversations with their friends.
Verbal conversations are crucial to express our ideas to others, yet due to the existence of
smartphones, verbal conversations are fading and it is replaced by less expressive online
chats. Hence, smartphone challenges the nature of human communications, eventually
reducing face-to-face conversations.
3.1.2 Living in dual world
Virtual world, another dimension of world defined by social medias and smartphones
affect how students perceive fame and dignity. In virtual world, the more 'likes' and 'thumbs
up' you get on social medias, the more famous you are and the more friends and followers
there are on social medias, the more dignified you are. However, regardless how many likes
or friends you have on social medias, the number of true and sincere friends in real life still
remains vague. Contrarily, in a real world,

fame and dignity can only be gained by

connecting with people . Other than that, people often do not live the moments of the real

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world when they become very obsessed of the virtual world. For instance, people tend to take
photographs or videos of an occasion rather than living the moment itself due to their
obsession of recreating that moment in the virtual world. In furtherance to that, people's
social life in the world are affected immensely.
3.2 Distraction
Due to the fact that, smartphones functionality is not restricted as a mean communication
only, it distracts students a lot.
3.2.1 Multitasking
Every time you switch your focus from one thing to another, theres something
called a switch-cost, says Dr. Earl Miller, a professor of neuroscience at Massachusetts
Institute of Technology. Your brain stumbles a bit, and it requires time to get back to where
it was before it was distracted. A study shows that it takes 15-20 minutes for the brain to get
back to its initial task once it is distracted. (Are My Devices Messing With My Brain, 2015)
3.2.2 Academic performance
Academic performance is greatly affected due to the distraction caused by
smartphones. Students might face the problem of having short attention span during classes,
causing them to be constantly using their phones eventhough it might be completely
unnecessary . Apart from that, they might give into procrastination and do their works at the
last minute, ultimately degrading the quality of their works. Consequently, they perform
poorly during exams.

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3.3 Health
As being discussed in this study, smartphones have impacts on various aspects of our life and
health is no exception.
3.3.1 Weight
The rise of affordable personal tech has hastened a transition to more sedentary work
habits and leisurely lifestyles. Where once we may have walked to a shop, yes, played
outside, its now de rigueur to hit eBay, Amazon, etc, before firing up the smartphones of
tablets for a few hours. Worldwide obesity has doubled since 1980, and according to a 2012
study by the Milken Institute think tank, one factor is an increase in screen time, the hours
we spend in front of computers, video games and, of course, smartphones. This mean that
people now a day spend more time on gadgets compare to outdoor activities. Abraham-Pratt
says that family meals are good opportunities for growing children to develop good eating
habits based on parental models, whereas the alternative is often eating in front of a computer
or smartphone, where both kids and adults may overeat because they arent paying attention
to the food.
3.3.2 Hearing
In the century since the amplifier was invented, naysayers the world over have
wagged their fingers at how loud music might cause young whippersnappers to go deaf.
According to the National Institute of Health, around 26 million Americans suffer from noiseinduced hearing loss.Headphones are part of the problem, specifically, mediocre-quality
headphones such as the ones that come bundled with most MP3 players and smartphones.
Loud noises can damage the tiny hairs in the inner ear, which vibrate according to sounds and
transmit chemical signals through nerves to the brain. Over-shocking these hairs damges
theirs damages their ability to pick up sound vibrations.The maximum volume of an MP3
player or smartphone is around 105 decibels. The Dangerous Decibels public health

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campaign estimates that listening to music at this volume for more than four minutes would
likely result in damage to hearing.
3.3.3 Eyes
While most light we see, whether from the sun, lamps or elelctronic devices, contains al
frequencies of light, the blue-violet frequency is particulary prevalent in handheld electronic
device screens. According to the British Broadcasting Corporating (BBC), optical Andy
Hepworth said that tests had found over-exposure to blue-violet light may put people at
greater risk for macular degeneration, which can cause blindness.
Eye strain can come about as a result of over-using the muscles of the eye when focusing,
resulting in headaches. While the intense focus we give to small objects such as smartphones
playing YouTube videos may mean we blink less, resulting in dry eye.

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3.4 Security
The issue of smartphone security has grown substantially over the last few years. While we
continue to pour more and more of personal data into our phones from our physical location
to our passwords many of us still arent aware of the potential security risks.
3.4.1 Security at risk
Smartphones can be used to access your email accounts, and any information inside
them, your social networks, what you search for on the internet, as well as the websites you
visit. If you use popular travel applications such as Google Maps, or Apple Maps, fraudsters
could potentially see the locations youve visited and perhaps figure out where you live.This
vast amount of personal information can potentially be retrieved either by malware
(malicious software), or by the theft of your handset. Another growing risk to smartphones is
silent activation. This is where malware gets onto your phone and calls premium numbers
set up by a hacker. These calls can rack up huge bills without your knowledge.
3.4.2 Keeping smartphones safe
Apps are the easiest route into your phone for hackers. By only downloading from the
official app stores, and not jailbreaking, or opening up your phone for non-regulated
software, youre already taking the first step toward keeping your phone safe. A sizable
majority of malware found on phones currently comes from pirated software, due to hackers
taking a popular app, adding their own malicious code and distributing it for free. So avoid
the temptation to download that dodgy-looking version of Angry Birds Star Wars and stick to
Apples App Store or Google Play. Often when you download an app, youll be shown a
permissions screen where you can confirm which functions of the phone the app gets access
to. While lots of apps require access to things like location, you should be wary when asked
to give permission for apps to send SMS messages.

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3.5 Psychology
Smartphones also has psychological effects on students among which are nomophobia,
phantom pocket vibration syndrome and phantom text syndrome.
3.5.1 Nomophobia
Short for "no-mobile-phone phobia," this is exactly what it sounds like: the fear of
being without your cell. Some of the symptoms of nomophobia include anxiety or negative
physical symptoms if you have lost or cannot use your cell phone, obsessively checking to
make sure you have your phone with you, and constantly worrying about losing it
somewhere. Interestingly, the study found that women suffer from this more than men. (Bad
Side Effects of Your Smartphone Addiction, 2014)
3.5.2 Phantom pocket vibration syndrome
Phantom pocket vibration syndrome is the sensation that your phone is ringing when
in fact it is not. If you keep your phone in your pocket you sometimes feel a vibration in the
skin adjacent to your pocket and pull out your mobile phone, assuming it is a text or some
sort of notification, only to discover that it was a phantom vibration. Or, if you keep your
phone in a purse or satchel you imagine that you heard it vibrating, or even ringing, only to
discover that it was a false alarm. (Phantom Pocket Vibration Syndrome, 2013)
3.5.3 Phantom text syndrome
Phantom text syndrome is the sensation that you have received a text message when
in fact nobody texted you. This is why some people constantly check their smartphones
eventhough it is completely unnecessary.

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3. Conclusion
In conclusion, there is many pros and cons of using mobile phone. It maybe
said without fear of contradiction that youth are the future of the country. In the near future,
youths today will take over the helm of their countries, spearheading their countries to greater
heights. Merely knowing the cons of overusing mobile phone culture in youth is absolutely
inadequate, we ought to act upon it fast by raise the awareness among the youth. Hence, we
shall discuss some measures to overcome disadvantages of overusing mobile phone for the
sake of our youth. There is a great truth in the statement, Always face the sunshine and you
will never see the shadow. Similarity, the issue disadvantages of overusing mobile phone has
to be tackled when we face it boldly and courageously with full determination and persistence
as cited by Julia Butterfly Hill, We live in a world that full of problems, and we are the
solutions to those problems. Therefore, parents can consider limiting usage of mobile phone
of youth to two hour a day when you see him spending less time doing homework and that he
is getting lower grades. This is because family is the primary unit in the life of the youth and
so, good quality home rule will contribute significantly to the youths social development.
Besides, parents ought to act what they preach by becoming a role model for their children to
emulate. It is a fact that youth observe and do what their parent do. It can be added that
limiting usage of mobile phone of youth when parents observe him having a sedentary
lifestyle, and not engaging in sports and exercise. Parents should act as teachers or mentors
by educating and nurturing youth on disadvantages of overusing of mobile phone such as
may lead to obesity besides let them realise the important of outdoor exercise instead of
playing with their mobile phone all day long. This consistent with a wise saying by Alan
Bloom, Education is the movement from darkness to light. In fact, regular exercise helps
reduce the risk of premature death from heart disease, high blood pressure, high cholesterol,

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diabetes, and colon and breast cancers while decreasing triglycerides. This keeps blood
flowing smoothly by lowering the increase of plaque in arteries as cited by Mahatma Gandhi,
Health is real wealth, not pieces of gold and silver. Needless to say, when engaging in
physical activity, exercise will burns calories. When the calories burns more than the calories
take in, youth will lose weight. In dealing with this topic, parents play a vital role in
decreasing the disadvantages of overusing mobile phone to its minimum because Our future
cannot depend on the government alone. The ultimate solutions lie in the attitudes and the
actions of the people, as cited by Joe Biden. In addition, when the mass media is used, its
effectiveness is inevitable since youth nowadays are visual learners. They learn from what
they view or see from internet on their mobile phone. Therefore, the role of mass media is
important by implanting knowledge to inform, educate and instil disadvantages of overusing
of mobile phone through interesting and meaningful public advertisements to heightening
awareness as well as changing youths attitudes and behaviour towards this issue. Thus,
parents and mass media have to play a more active role in ensuring youth always stay away
from this negative habits.

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References
(n.d.). Retrieved from Oxford Dictionaries:
http://www.oxforddictionaries.com/definition/english/smartphone
(31 March, 2008). Retrieved from Mail Online:
http://www.dailymail.co.uk/news/article-550610/Nomophobia-fear-mobile-phonecontact--plague-24-7-age.html
Are My Devices Messing With My Brain. (May, 2015). Retrieved from Miller Lab:
https://earlkmiller.org/tag/multitasking/
Bad Side Effects of Your Smartphone Addiction. (June, 2014). Retrieved from
GoodHousekeeping:
http://www.goodhousekeeping.com/health/wellness/a24269/smartphonesyndromes/
Handphone Users Survey 2014. (2014). Retrieved from MCMC:
http://www.skmm.gov.my/skmmgovmy/media/General/pdf/Hand-PhoneUser2014.pdf
Malaysia Leads The World in Smartphone Usage. (21 November, 2014). Retrieved
from Business Circle: http://www.businesscircle.com.my/malaysia-leads-worldsmartphone-usage/
Phantom Pocket Vibration Syndrome. (May, 2013). Retrieved from Psychology
Today: https://www.psychologytoday.com/blog/rewired-the-psychologytechnology/201305/phantom-pocket-vibration-syndrome
Skills Students Develop By Using Smartphones. (2013). Retrieved from Mobie
Learning Academy: http://mobilelearningacademy.org/2013/02/5-skills-studentsdevelop-by-using-smartphones/