OVERUSE OF DIGITAL

DEVICES
 RAMJAS SCHOOL
PUSA ROAD

ENGLISH PROJECT
Name – Chandrima Manna
Class – 12th Humanities
Roll no. – 26
House – Gargi
Subject – English
Teacher – Mrs. Surabhi Kapoor
School – Ramjas School Pusa Road
Topic – OVERUSE OF DIGITAL DEVICES
 CERTIFICATE
This is to certify that the project entitled, “OVERUSE
OF DIGITAL DEVICES” submitted by CHANDRIMA
MANNA a student of class XII – HUMANITIES has
fulfilled the requirement for the activity of English Project
for CBSE Boards, is an authentic work carried out by her
under my supervision. To the best of my knowledge, the
matter embodied in the dissertation has not been
submitted to any other institute for the award.

Mrs. Surabhi Kapoor Mrs. Surabhi Dua

English Teacher Principal
 ACKNOWLEDGEMENT

I would like to thank Principal, Mrs. Surabhi Kapoor,

for providing the required facility for the smooth
completion of my project on the topic 'OVERUSE OF
DIGITAL DEVICES’. I would like to extend my sincere
gratitude to my English teacher Mrs. Surabhi Dua who
mentored and guided me throughout the process, and my
parents and friends who supported and helped me a lot in
finalizing this project within the limited time frame.
 INDEX

 Acknowledgement
 Introduction
 Need statement
 Objective and Hypothesis
 What are Digital devices?
 Methodology
 Survey report
 Observation
 Interviews
 Suggestion and Conclusion
 Bibliography
 INTRODUCTION

In a world that has experienced a technological awakening on a

magnitude never experienced before, even the old have
embraced the change. "New" is a word that might be used to
describe Information Technology, but how recent can you say
the field of Information systems. Scholars can argue that the first
"information super highway" before the internet was the ‘Dewey
Decimal System’ used in libraries. Information Technology can
be described as using computers to; store information,
manipulate it into different formats, view, play, or delete digital
files with the ability to transmit the information to different
locations. The study of what makes this gadget tick what makes
the internet work, and what makes this phone's camera better
than that other one, explains the phenomenon which is these
things we dedicate so much time to staring into them for hours
on end. Applying technology to our day to day to life and how it
can make everyday tasks easier and even enjoyable: taking a jog
while listening to music on your mp3 player. Knowing the inner
working the set this machines and systems is the simple
definition of Information Technology.
Computers are the backbone that facilitates Information
technology which has been adapted from the larger school of
Information and Communication Technology. Take the example
of your smart phone basically these days even a 3-year-old has
access to one of these. A smartphone is a small computer with
specialized features to facilitate making calls.
Over a decade, cell phones have been a necessity to people of all
ages. Even more recently. Smart phones have come out,
allowing for easy access to the internet. This has led to massive
adoption of cell phones into everyday life. People rely on these
devices every day, for school, work, directions, health, and much
more. The constant use of cell phones, however, has raised many
questions, especially when it comes to teenagers. Many parents
wonder about the health and social risks of cell phones. There
are pros and cons to cell phone usage by teenagers.
Before the invention of smartphones and wearable smart
devices, computer usage was mostly limited to PC and laptop
usage. However, now that smart devices have proliferated the
market and people of all ages can access the web in countless
ways, it's more convenient than ever to spend time on a virtual
device. And, many people don't just spend time looking at one
screen per day—they look at many.
Think, with Google showed that 80% of users look at a
smartphone daily, and 57% of people use more than one device
with a screen each day. Only 14% get online with a computer
(laptop or PC only)-meaning that computer usage isn't just
limited to an office, classroom, or desk, but can happen
anywhere a person is-increasing the chances of spending a
significant portion of their life online.
Screen usage can be both good and bad. When people get online,
they can be doing work or classwork. They can be corresponding
with friends who live far away or watching/listening to a new
and exciting film or album release. However, screen time can
also negatively impact a person's mental health for a myriad of
reasons. Learn both how using digital devices can benefit
people's well-being and how it can also detract from people's
mental wellness.
 NEED STATEMENT

As quoted by Andrew Keen - “Being human in the digital

world is about building a digital world for humans."
 The subject overuse of digital devices has always been
ignored but often been discussed publicly. There is lot of
lack of awareness in people, especially among the youth of
the society regarding overuse of digital devices.

 With some time, proper education and awareness we can

remove reduce digital addiction and make a positive change
in the society.

 We can make girls comfortable to discuss this by the

following:-
 By educating the people about digital devices and to share
their affects and discussing so.
 By conducting regular workshops in schools especially for
adolescent’s digital devices its adverse effects and
influence.
 As the world turns, days go by; people invent some great
and, at times not so great, contraptions. In 1937, the first
digital computer was invented. Since then, digital devices
have highly improved. Today we have several different types
of digital devices that now have the ability to connect to the
internet. These devices are more commonly managed by the
younger generations who cling to and operate the device in
different settings: triggering many debates.
 STATEMENT OF THE
PROBLEM

A study to assess the influence of electronic gadget excessive

use on academic performance and family interaction among
adolescents.

OBJECTIVES

1. To find out the level of electronic gadget excessive use

among adolescents.

2. To find out the level of academic performance among

adolescents excessively using electronic gadget.

3. To find out the level of family interaction among

adolescents excessively using electronic gadget.

4. To find out the relationship between electronic gadget

excessive use and academic performance among
adolescents excessively using electronic gadget.

5. To find out the relationship between electronic gadget

excessive use and Family interaction among
adolescents excessively using electronic gadget.
6. To associate the electronic gadget excessive use with
their socio demographic variables such as age, sex,
standard, education of parents, occupation of parents,
income of parents, number of children, order of birth,
religion, place of residence, type of family, availability
of devices, hobbies, outdoor activities and social
gathering.
 HYPOTHESIS

All the hypothesis will be tested.

1. There will be a significant negative relationship

between electronic gadget excessive use and academic
performance.

2. There will be a significant negative relationship

between electronic gadget excessive use and family
interaction.

3. There will be a significant association between

electronic gadget excessive use and socio demographic
variables. such as age, sex, standard, education of
parents, occupation of parents, income of parents,
number of children, order of birth, religion, place of
residence, type of family, availability of devices,
hobbies, outdoor activities and social gathering.
 OPERATIONAL
DEFINITIONS
Electronic gadget:
The term electronic gadget refers to latest scientific
interventions such as
television, computer / internet, mobile phone and play station /
videogames.

Excessive use:
It refers to any adolescents using the electronic gadget very
frequently as
measured by electronic gadget excessive use screening tool
with the score of 75-100.

Adolescents:
Young person who has undergone puberty but who has not
reached full
maturity, who is studying in IX, X, XI, XII standard, and
between the age group of
13-19 years.

Academic Performance:
This denotes the mean average score obtained by IX, X, XI,
XII standard
students in the past three terminal examinations (quarterly,
half yearly & annual)
conducted by their respective schools.

Family Interaction:
Family interaction is an opportunity to maintain, establish and
promote parent
child relationship as measured by family interaction
assessment tool.
 WHAT ARE DIGITAL
DEVICES?
 The term “digital” is derived from the Latin word digitus,
which means “finger,” and relates to one of the oldest tools
for counting!
 Digital technology is a process that starts at the bottom and
works its way up. Digitized information is stored in binary
code, which is made up of combinations of the digits 0 and
1, also known as bits, and represents words and images.

 Massive volumes of information may now be compressed

on compact storage devices that can be readily stored and
transported thanks to digital technology.

 Data transmission speeds are also increased as a result of

digitization. People’s communication, learning, and
working practices have been revolutionized by digital
technology.

 Because everything nowadays is dependent on computers

in some way, the term “digital technology” is a rather broad
term that covers a lot of terrains. People are probably
utilizing digital technology from the time you get up until
you go to bed, and even when you are asleep.
 All electronic instruments, automated systems, technical
gadgets, and resources that generate, store, or process data
are considered digital technologies. Some digital devices:-
 Cell phones
 Laptops and PCs
 PlayStations and Videogames
 Televisions

 Smart devices are defined as a device that can make and

receive phone calls, taking advantage of internet
connectivity, and can roam through wide geographical
locations, and does so by connecting to a cellular network
belonging to a telephone service provider, and allowing
access to a public telephone network.
 FACTS ABOUT THE TECH-
GADGETS AND SERVICES
USED BY THE PRESENT
GENERATION
DIGITAL DEVICE

MOBILE/CELL PHONE

Mobile phone or cell phone is a device that can make and

receive telephone calls over a radio link while moving around
a wide geographical area. Besides telephony it can also
provide a variety of other services like text messaging, playing
music, e-mail, internet access, infrared, Bluetooth, business
applications, gaming and photography etc. It was first
introduced in 1973 and in 1983 the first mobile phone was
commercially available .From 1990 to 2011, the number of
world-wide mobile phone users grew from 12.4 million to
over 6 billion, covering about 87% of the global population.

COMPUTER/LAPTOP
Computer is a general-purpose device that can be programmed
to carry out a finite set of erythematic and logical operations.
Computer can solve more than one kind of problem at a
particular time as a sequence of operations can be readily
changed. A laptop is a type of computer that can be folded and
easily carried out due to its’ small size and battery support for
energy, required to run it. The first laptop was invented in
1979 by British Designer Bill Muggeridge. For the laptop
producers the year 1989 was quite successful. Now the laptops
are generally used for making programs, storing data,
entertainment (music, videos), accessing net etc. Currently the
number of computer users in the world is 900 million to 1
billion i.e. around 80% of the world population are using or
having computers.

SMART PHONE

A smartphone, or smart phone, is a type of mobile phone built

on a mobile operating system with more advanced computing
capability and connectivity than a feature phone. In early 2013
worldwide sales of smart phones exceeded those of feature
phones. As of July 18, 2013, 90 percent of global handset
sales are attributed to the purchase of I-Phone and Android
smart phones.
SERVICES
INTERNET

The internet is a huge network that links computers together

all over the world using a range of wires and wireless
technologies. The World Wide Web is the collection of linked
pages those are accessed using the internet and a web browser.
The purposes of using internet are online shopping, social
networking, games, news, travel information, business,
advertising and much more. One of the best common ways of
finding information on the web is through the search engines
like Google, Bing. Currently the most popular search engine is
Google which is receiving hundreds of millions of search
queries in a day.
 EVERYTHING HAS PROS
AND CONS

PROS
There are definitely pros to teenagers owning cell phones.
Parents can keep track of their children and be in quick
contact in case of emergencies. With cell phones, teenagers
can now easily connect to their friends outside of school and
even around the world with just the touch of a button. In
addition, school is becoming increasingly online, and cell
phones are a convenient way to access the internet to check
grades, do homework, and set reminders. There are also
many ways for kids to learn online outside of just school
work online platforms such as YouTube or Instagram, which
are available right at their fingertips with cell phones, can
spark interest in new hobbies like music and art.

Diverse applications of information technology are probably

what make our day way much easier, making copies in the
office, making a hot cup of coffee at home, television at
home to serenade the young ones while mom takes care of
the chores. Most of us are literarily addicted to some of these
gadgets and they make life a lot easier to bear. Technological
advancements have paved the way in medicine and surgery
in ways that no man could do, eliminating the risk in:
diagnosis, medication, and procedure.

The nature of work has been transformed by digital

technology. Increased connectivity options mean that many
people now have far more opportunities for working from
home, as remote working becomes increasingly common.
Many jobs can now be done from far way, or without
difficulty. Without the need for all workers to be present in
the same building, many other flexible working practices are
now possible.

CONS
Too much screen time has been shown to impact sleep
negatively. Time spent staring at a screen's blue light—
particularly in the nighttime—can interfere with circadian
rhythms and ultimately decrease sleep quality and duration.
Not getting enough sleep can severely impact any person's
mental health, including an increase in feelings of anxiety
and depression. People who spend a lot of time on social
media may have lower self-esteem because they spend more
time comparing themselves to connected peers on the
platforms. Social media users don't only compare themselves
to friends and family they actually know and are connected
with.
They also compare themselves to celebrities and influencers
who are on the platform—and it can be detrimental to a
person's mental health to compare their own life to the life of
someone whose existence appears picture-perfect.

Social isolation is among the major disadvantages of digital

technology. The youth, in particular, have become used to
living in a fantasy virtual world. Some literally live their
lives on such social media platforms as Facebook, Telegram,
WhatsApp and Instagram. Consequently, they would prefer
not to have anything to do with real human connections.
Families and the larger society will bear the consequences of
the social disconnect arising from the unbridled use of social
media.

Another negative impact of digital technology on society is

that its addictive nature has negatively affected productivity.
Too many people now spend hours browsing the internet for
no apparent reason. Both students and workers have become
so much used to playing computer games, betting and
conversing inside virtual chat rooms that they forget to
attend to their more important tasks. People spend hours on
end on Netflix, YouTube or Soundcloud watching and
listening to long strings of movies and musical shows.
Obviously, otherwise productive man-hours are going to
waste.

Finally, the sustained use of computers, smartphones and the

internet has brought about health issues on people .Some of
that health problems that people who interact consistently
with digital technology may suffer:-

 Bad posture
 Eye problems like blurred vision
 Sleep disorders such as insomnia
 Muscle pain
 Social Anxiety
 Mental disorders such as bipolar
 PHYSICAL HEALTH
EFFECTS

1. HEADACHES
 Children seldom get headaches, but too much screen-time
can bring one on.
 A combination of muscle tension at the base of the skull and
an assault on the eyes is the usual cause, as well as stress.

2. PHYSICAL FATIGUE
 Too much time on a device doesn’t just drain the brain; it
tires the body, too.
 Being still for long periods reduces blood circulation and can
put stress on muscles and joints. The result — getting tired
without even moving much.

3. OBESITY
 Tech devices make great babysitters because they keep kids
still for so long, but that lack of physical activity is a major
contributing factor to childhood obesity and its
accompanying risks.
 4. EYE STRAIN
 Dry eyes, a burning sensation, problems focusing… these
are symptoms of eye strain that all device users
commonly face.
 Bright light, high screen contrasts, glare and flickering
images may make a game or video more exciting, but
really take their toll on your eyes. Squinting at a small
hand-held device adds to the strain. An enraptured kid is
also less likely to blink, which makes things worse.
 Additionally, not spending time on outdoor activities
exposes children to the risk of developing myopia.
5. BAD POSTURES
 It’s an instantly recognizable silhouette: the figure
hunched over a device. Pretty soon, that hunch is there
even when the device isn’t. To make it worse, the back
and shoulder muscles start complaining, too.
 An uncomfortable seat, a set-up with poor ergonomics,
sitting too long or slouching lazily-these all contribute to
the problem.
 Laptop computers can aggravate things because the
monitor and keyboard are so close. Users either lift their
shoulders to type, or hunch their shoulders to see.
 PSYCHOLOGICAL AND
SOCIAL EFFECTS
1. ISOLATION
 Technologies, such as social media, are designed to bring
people together, yet they may have the opposite effect in
some cases.
 A 2017study in young adults aged 19–32 years found that
people with higher social media use were more than three
times as likely to feel socially isolated than those who did
not use social media as often.
 Finding ways to reduce social media use, such as setting
time limits for social apps, may help reduce feelings of
isolation in some people.

2. STRESS
 Time spent on devices may feel indulgent, but studies have
shown that overuse increases stress levels instead.
 Constant stress over a prolonged period could adversely
affect the heart, sleep, digestion and emotions.
 3. POOR SLEEP PATTERNS

 Research has confirmed exposure to mobile phones and

other devices can cause changes in brain activity and sleep
disturbances. This could also be a stress symptom.

4. PROVIDING INSTANT GRATIFICATION

 With the advancement of technology, patience takes a back

seat. To prove this, UMass Amherst conducted a large
study whereby 6.7 million users were studied. The results
showed that online videos would be abandoned by the
viewers if they took longer than a couple seconds to load.
 The need for instant gratification is reinforced with things
like a Facebook status, Instagram photo or a tweet that gets
immediate feedback. Virtual-world instant gratification can
lead to huge frustrations and poor choices in the real world.
 ADDICTION TO
TECHNOLOGICAL
GADGETS AND SERVICES

Recently, every other day information technology or IT

invents lucrative gadgets are attracting the attention of the
present generation. As a vulnerable group, the youth become
the largest consumer of such devices and services, which in
turn makes them addicted to them at some point of time.
Addiction is the continued repetition of behavior or an
activity independent upon the adverse or negative
consequences of the same or it can be neurological
impairments which lead to such behaviors. There is no such
limitation of the use of the term addiction to some specific
behavior such as drug addiction, food addiction etc.
Psychological control over substance and behavior,
preoccupation with the subject and the continuation of
activities despite consequences are generally the symptoms
of addiction. Actually, the term addiction means the high
degree of likeness towards a particular thing or subject. So,
if somebody is addicted towards something then he loses
control over his own mind and faces difficulties to get rid of
the claws of that object. Most of the teens today spend too
much of their time with their faces buried in technological
gadgets. According to researchers’ addiction to technology is
a habitual compulsion to engage in using technology instead
of using it to address life’s problems. They use technology as
a coping mechanism to avoid conflict. Long term
compulsions can lead to psychological problems such as
insomnia, irritability and depression. For example,
compulsion to use technology in favor of rare and exciting
life events such as parties or vacations might signify
addiction. Attitude changes in teens, sudden depression, loss
of self-esteem, and problems in paying attention to study, are
often symptoms of Internet addiction. According to Young,
teens are particularly vulnerable to technology addiction.
Teens have poor coping mechanisms. When they face stress,
they often chose what is comforting to them, usually
something easy to focus on such as online videos or social
media sites. Also in the teen years, self-identity is uncertain.
Most teens struggle to understand how to present themselves
and by the mean time technology help them in doing so.
 LIFESTYLE

The advent of technology has undoubtedly changed the

landscape of modern society. Although there was once a
time when electronic devices were scarce, it now feels
impossible to get through a day without reaching for them.
Rapid digital innovation made possible tech-centric routines
that have progressed into altogether tech-reliant lifestyles.
While these devices have certainly made life easier, more
efficient and more convenient in a myriad of ways; digital
technology overuse may be causing more harm than good.
In fact, our dependence on internet-enabled devices could
lead to "digital” dementia-a term coined by neuroscientist
Manfred Spitzer to describe a decline in cognitive abilities
more commonly linked with brain injuries. Many argue that
relying on digital media is significantly detrimental to our
brain and it impacts to interfere with our daily lives.
Another aspect on which the technology addiction has an
effect is the life style of an individual. As in case of
addiction to technological gadgets time and choices are the
concerned factors, the lifestyle is necessarily affected by the
same. Life style is nothing but the way of life of an
individual or a group of individuals / society as a whole.
Somebody’s attitudes, values, world views etc. are reflected
by his/ her life style. So, life style means making sense of the
self and creating some cultural symbols which will reflect
the identity of a person. All aspects of life style may not be
voluntary in nature as it is associated with the society and
that surrounding plays an important role in shaping the
choices of an individual’s life style. Accordingly, the
individual creates the symbols of life style by which he /she
projects the self before the world and also before himself.
Aspects like views on politics, society, health, intimacy and
many more play an important role in shaping the life style of
a person. Life style is dependent on seen and unseen factors.
The former includes the demographic profile of the
individual and the latter includes the psychological status of
an individual. Life style is changeable concept because the
choices of human beings & the natural environments are
changeable. Depending upon the changing mood individuals
select their activities and fix their timing to those.

QUESTIONNAIRE
 To know the impact of overuse of digital devices on
academics and family interaction.
1 = Rarely 2 = Occasionally 3 = Frequently 4 = Often 5 =
Always
S. No Items 1 2 3 4 5
1. Do you have your cell phone with
you constantly; at home you have it
in your pocket?

2. Do you always feel anxious about

your cell
phone especially when you are
unable to
use it?
3. Do your experience stress or
insecurity whenever you are
without your cell phone?
4. Do you prefer to watch the
television as
soon as you go home?
5. Do you ever feel a strong impulse
to turn
the television on?
6. Do you get bothered by other
people’s comments and opinions
when you are watching your
favorite program?
7. Do you believe that life without TV
 would
be incomplete?
8. Do you spend the study time in
watching
TV?
9. Did you ever lose time from school
due to
gaming?
10. Do you prefer to play videogames
or use
Digital device first and proceed
with
your homework?
11. Do you become irritable when you
are
not able to access your favorite
video games or digital device?
12. Do you suffer from headache while
playing video games or using
digital
devices?
13. Did gaming or any digital device
cause you to have difficulty in
sleeping?
14. How often did you get complain
from your
parents about the amount of time
you spend online?
Does your grades or school work
15. suffer because of the amount of
time you
 spend online?
16. Do you fear that life without
internet
would be boring empty and
joyless?
17. Do you become angry when your
parents place time limits?
18. Do your parents pay compliments
and
say nice things to you?
19. Do you spend adequate time with
your
parents?
20. Do you go out as a family?