How is mobile technology affecting schoolchildren?
Students in China as young as primary school can now rent phones at “smartphone cafes” for 1 yuan (0.20 SGD) per hour to play video games.
Some cafes are even located within walking distance to schools, according to a report by news website Thepaper.cn.
The cafes cater to students whose parents have not given them smartphones or are allowed limited screen time.
The new trend has raised concern, but as it is not regulated by any laws, the country’s authorities can only give cafes verbal warnings.
Excessive screen time has been linked to adverse effects on brain development, based on a study by head of memory and ageing research centre at University of California, LA.
The study showed that increased screen time neglects the circuits in the brain that control more traditional methods of learning – these are typically used for reading, writing and concentration.
It may also take time away from in-person interaction, affecting users’ development of communication and people skills.
The findings are paralleled by a counsellor in Singapore, who observed that smartphone addiction “is intertwined with behavioural issues” such as anti-social behaviour.
Additionally, it increases users’ risk of exposure to vulnerabilities like cyber bullying.
As children in Singapore aged eight to 12 have been found to spend more time online (35 hours per week) compared to the global average of 32 hours, the trend may be a cause for concern.
The figures were found in a recent study by global digital literacy group DQ Institute and Singtel, which surveyed 38,000 children across 29 countries.
In Singapore, cases of excessive use of mobile devices have doubled in three years, reported Touch Cyber Wellness, which runs cyber wellness education and counselling programs.
The centre’s helplines also receive about eight to 10 calls a week from parents seeking help and advice on their children’s excessive use of devices, according to the New Paper.
“As more young people have a phone, and at increasingly younger ages, they become more susceptible to phone addiction because they tend to lack self-regulation and consequential thinking,” said the centre’s senior coach Michelle Lee.
However, smartphone addiction is not officially recognised as a clinical disorder here, said Jenny Liew, a counsellor at the Institute of Mental Health.
“Right now, it is more of a cultural and social phenomenon than a clinical disorder, and almost everyone is glued to their smartphones these days,” she added.