Parents’ Perception on Mobile Phone Usage of Their Children and Knowledge on Its Hazards in Selected Hospital, Mangalore

Abstract

Introduction Cell phones have achieved a milestone in modern technology where they have become handy to everyone. Advancement taken place in mobile phone technology has enabled its use in online purchasing as well as communication. On one hand, it is a helping tool for faster communication; on other hand, we cannot deny the fact of its harmful effects. The young teens are the age group who have been addicted to the mobiles. It is only the parents who can mould child’s behavior and personality. In this regard, parents can play an important role in enhancing the sense of responsibility in vigilant use of mobile at the early age.Materials and Methods A quantitative descriptive research design was used in this study to collect data from 340 parents of 12 to 20 years age group who are visiting all the outpatient departments of selected Medical College Hospital, Mangaluru. Data was collected by administering demographic proforma, self-prepared perception checklist, and knowledge questionnaire on hazards of mobile phone usage.Results Majority 230 (67.6%) parents had generally perceived that their children were spending too much of time on mobile phone and also 187(55%) parents perceived that children use mobile with earphones while traveling and 200(58.8%) parents perceived that their children have become lazy and lost interest in studies too. A total of 210 (61.8%) of parents had inadequate knowledge and 130 (38.2%) of them had adequate knowledge on hazards of mobile usage. There was association between knowledge on hazards of mobile phone usage and selected demographic variables as the p-value computed was found to be significant at 0.05 level of significance. There was no association found between knowledge and gender (0.052).Conclusion As per the study findings, it was very clear that parents were observing some of the behavioral and emotional changes that were happening in their children. Hence, parents need to be educated and made aware of the possible hazards of mobile usage that may help them to tackle all the childhood issues and help in child’s overall development.