College students in India check their phones over 150 times daily

A recent study says that college students in India check their mobile phone more than 150 times daily. The study was conducted by Aligarh Muslim University and the Indian Council of Social Science Research (ICSSR).

The research, called ‘Smartphone Dependency, Hedonism and Purchase Behaviour: Implications for Digital India Initiatives’, was conducted in 20 central universities, and from each university, 200 students were interviewed.

“Anxiety and fear of missing out on information make university students check their mobile devices as many as 150 times a day on an average, an activity which can have adverse effects on the students’ health as well as academics. Only 26% of the respondents said they use smartphones primarily to make calls. The remaining respondents use smartphones for other purposes such as accessing social networking sites, Google searches and for entertainment such as watching movies,” said Mohammed Naved Khan, the Project Director.

Another study conducted in 2017 had found that prolonged use of smartphones can increase the risk of depression, anxiety and insomnia among teenagers. The use of mobiles could also lead to insomnia and increase their impulsiveness. The study was conducted by researchers from the Korea University in South Korea, during which they found an imbalance in the brain chemistry of youngsters who were addicted to internet use and their smartphones.

At least 14% of the students use smartphones for three hours or less daily while about 63% use it for four to seven hours everyday.

“It came as a shock to us that around 23% (of students) use the devices for more than eight hours a day,” Khan added.

The study found that 80% of the students had a smartphone since they have more features, is easier t handle and can substitute as a computer.

The study conducted by researchers at AMU has been funded by the ICSSR with an aim to understand various facets of smartphone dependency and addiction among college-going students.

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