There is no doubting the benefits of the mobile phone. Ease of communication, the anywhere, anytime contact - with friends, relations, colleagues and in theory at least the efficiency brought to busy lives. The benefits have been sold to us worldwide by the mobile phone industry, and in the main we have made the judgment that, yes, the mobile phone is an exceptionally useful tool that advances personal communication beyond all our expectations of only a few years ago. And the future developments around the corner will equally amaze.
But every technological advance that provides such dramatic benefits has consequential costs and it is this area of mobile phone usage that we believe warrants more attention, especially their use by young people. The mobile phone is considered an accessory by many but could be more appropriately described as a ‘comfort blanket’. Getting a phone call or a text message implies an importance, ‘somebody wants me’. It boosts the receivers self esteem and self worth. Phone usage does not only increase the opportunity to bond with friends and to organize a social life on the move and privately, it also provides a symbol for acceptance.
Concerns
1. The mobile phone industry and their marketing techniques
Mobile phones have become popular and convenient making their demand high. Access is universal and affordable, and there is little regulation in terms of purchase or usage. In order to capture the youth market the pay as you go strategy is in place allowing anyone of any age to obtain a mobile phone (often free) and to link to a pay as you go airtime package. The attraction is a socially iconic ‘toy’ with virtually unlimited access.
2. Personal development during the teenage years
The mobile phone feeds the personal requirements of a teenager - they provide a sense of worth ensuring popularity with friends with whom communications can be continuous. The phone also feeds the desire for attention, acceptability and satisfies a teenager’s emotional drive.
3. Social Stress
Some young people can get highly hung-up on the extremes of continuous contact - the mobile phone offers either no contact or too much contact - possibly even unwanted contact. Stress can be caused by both sender's and recipient’s frustrations. Young people expect a mobile phone to be immediate - fool proof and available at all times
4. Health risks (radiation)
The Department of Health issues guideline on the use of mobile phone by young people under 16. Because the head and the nervous system are still developing in the teenage years, children and young people might be more venerable than adults. It has therefore been recommended that children under 16 should be discouraged from non-essential calls. The UK Chief Medical Officer has gone further and advised parents not to let children use mobile phones.
5. Driving safety regulations
Using a mobile phone whilst driving can be more dangerous than being ‘over the limit’ behind the wheel, but neither is safe.
Drivers' reaction times are 30 percent slower when talking on a hand-held mobile phone compared to being drunk and nearly 50 percent slower than under normal driving conditions. Using a hand-held mobile phone had the greatest impact on driving performance, but "hands free" mobile phones also affect drivers
Security concerns
Early mobile phones did not have much security designed in. Some problems with these models were "cloning", a variant of identity theft, and "scanning" whereby third parties in the local area could intercept and eavesdrop in on calls. Analogue phones could also be listened to on some radio scanners.
Although more recent digital systems (such as GSM (Global System for Mobile Communications) have attempted to address these fundamental issues, security problems continue to persist. Vulnerabilities (such as SMS spoofing) have been found in many current protocols that continue to allow the possibility of eavesdropping or cloning.
Serious Issues
Mobile phone etiquette has become an important issue with mobiles ringing at funerals, weddings, movies, and plays. Users often speak at increased volume which has led to places like bookshops, libraries, movie theatres, doctor's offices, and houses of worship posting signs prohibiting the use of mobile phones, sometimes even installing illegal jamming equipment to prevent them. Many rail companies, particularly those providing long-distance services, offer a "quiet car" where phone use is prohibited, much like the designated non-smoking cars in the past. Mobile phone on aircraft is also prohibited, but due to concerns of possible interference with aircraft radio communications.
Camera phones and videophones that can capture video and take photographs are increasingly being used to cover breaking news. Stories like the 7 July 2005 London bombings, the Indian Ocean 2004 Indian Ocean earthquake (Tsunami and Hurricane Katrina) have been reported on by camera phone users on news sites like Now Public and photo sharing sites like Flickr.
In Japan, cellular phone companies provide immediate notification of earthquakes and other natural disasters to their customers free of charge. In the event of an emergency, disaster response crews can locate trapped or injured people using the signals from their mobile phones; an interactive menu accessible through the phone's Internet browser notifies the company if the user is safe or in distress.
Controversy
1. Health controversy
As with many new technologies, concerns have arisen about the effects on [[health]] from using a mobile telephone. There is a small amount of scientific evidence for an increase in certain types of rare [[tumors]] ([[cancer]]) in long-time, heavy users. More recently a pan-European study provided significant evidence of DNA damage under certain conditions. Some researchers also report the mobile phone industry has interfered with further research on health risks. So far, however, the World Health Organization Task Force on EMF effects on health has no definitive conclusion on the veracity of these allegations. (See also [[electromagnetic radiation hazard]].) It is generally thought, however, that RF is incapable of producing any more than heating effects, as it is considered [[non-ionizing radiation]]; in other words, it lacks the energy to disrupt molecular bonds such as occurs in genetics mutations.
2. Driving controversy
Another controversial but more lethal health concern is the correlation with [[road traffic accident]]s. Several studies have shown that motorists have a much higher risk of collisions and losing control of the vehicle while talking on the mobile telephone simultaneously with driving, even when using "Hands free" systems. A study in ''The New England Journal of Medicine'' reports that drivers who used mobile phones while driving were four times more likely to crash than those who don't, a rate equal to that for drunken driving at the .01 blood alcohol concentration (BAC) level. An experiment conducted by the American television show ''MythBusters'' concluded that use of mobile phones while driving poses the same risk as someone operating a vehicle while [[under the influence]] of alcohol. Accidents involving a driver being distracted by talking on a mobile phone have begun to be prosecuted as negligence similar to driving while intoxicated. At least 25 countries restrict or prohibit cell and other wireless technology: Israel, Japan, Portugal and Singapore all prohibit mobile phone use while driving. Australia, Brazil, Chile, Denmark, Germany. Greece, Hungary, Italy, Poland, the Philippines, Romania, Slovenia, South Africa, Spain, Switzerland, Turkey, the United Kingdom, and the United Arab Emirates prohibit the use of hand-held cell phones while driving. Drivers in the Czech Republic and France may use cell phones but can be fined if they are involved in crashes while using such a device. Restrictive legislation has been proposed in 40 states in the US, but only New York State and [[ New Jersey]] have passed laws regarding cell phone use and driving.
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