Students highlight pros, cons of phones

The National National

By JULIE HENRY
STUDENTS from around the country taking part in the National Children’s Forum have come up with four negative and three positive effects of mobile phones.
The students concluded that mobile phones should not be taken to school because it was a place of learning.
The forum was organised by the Department of Youth, Religion and Community Development and was attended by students representing the 22 provinces.
They listed as negative effects:

  • Cyberbullying – arguments with Facebook friends that lead to fights and other problems;
  • misleading students astray – students get to follow the wrong people or join the wrong group on social media;
  • not enough family time – students turn to their phones and other social apps when their parents don’t have time for their children;
  • Negative effect on students’ attitude and behaviour towards school work – with peer pressure, students verbally abuse teachers and colleagues and sometimes come late to school.

The positive effects are:

  • Makes school work easier – accessing the internet on mobile phones, students can do searches and access information to do assignments and complete their projects;
  • communicating with friends, colleagues, loved ones – students get to call their parents to advise on their whereabouts or talk to their friends who may have had a good impact on them; and,
  • With the use of global positioning systems, parents or authorities can track down any criminal activity students might be involved in at a particular place and time.