By Muhammad Yawar Shirazi

IT is a hot debate whether students should use mobile phones or not, because there are so many advantages and disadvantages of this gadget. Let’s see how mobile phone can justify its use!

If we consider the advantages, the foremost one is that they can be used in emergency situations. For instance, if you are late, if you are stuck in the traffic jam, if there is a sudden strike in the city and you are still in school or college, or more serious emergencies like fire in the school or if you are somewhere else, accidents, injuries or illness can occur and you need to inform your parents and home. If you have a mobile phone you can contact the fire brigade and tell the address, call an ambulance or call your family members. If you have a smartphone you can gain access to various apps that help in your daily school projects and research.

However, when we talk about disadvantages, they are of course so many. For instance, mobile phones, especially smartphones, are addictive; with thousands of apps and games that can be downloaded on it. You are always using it and wasting a lot of time that should be devoted to other things like studies. You cannot even perform your daily routine normally, with one hand you are having your meal and in the other hand is your phone. You talk to your parents or anyone else while still starring in the mobile phone’s screen. You stay up late in the night and wake up late, you start your day sluggishly again with eyes glued to your phone’s screen.

Mobile phones also disturb the life of others as well. If there is an important lecture going on and a mobile phone rings, it disturbs the whole class. And when you are talking to someone, suddenly you receive a text message on your phone, you can’t resist reading and answering it even if you are in the middle of a serious and important conversation. This shows that with new gadgets, a lot of people are behaving in ways that are generally considered as rude and are becoming isolated from their surroundings and its people.

Before mobile phones, particularly smartphone, came into our lives, people would spend more time with their families. This has also made people inactive, particularly the youth who has left playing physical games and prefer to text and chat on the phone.

In my opinion, the precious time that we spend with our families should not be compromised with new gadgets. Students should have mobile phones but it should be a simple one so that they don’t over use it.

They should also know what is important and what is not, they should respect when there is a conversation or lecture going on and keep the phone on silent, not answer it and disturb others. If it’s an emergency, one should excuse one’s self and then use the phone.

One should follow proper etiquettes when using a mobile phone and use it in moderation. It is a means of communication and should not become a means of alienation from those around us.