The Effect of Prolonged Usage of Cell Phones on Young Teenage GirlsBy: Ms. Sharon John (F.Y.M.B.A)

27/02/2011

Acknowledgements

It’s my gifted time to express the heartfelt gratitude that I owe to all the good minds that bestowed the best of their support for the successful accomplishment of working out The Effects of Prolonged Usage of Cell Phones on Young teenage Girls.

My first fine feeling of gratitude lies to Almighty God for all Heavenly graces upon this humble being at all instances of life making me move ahead to end in the glory of success.

Now, it’s my time to extend a sincere word of thanks to my ever-helpful project guide Mrs. Veronica Maben for her kind support in this endeavour, without whose motivation and guidance hardly could have I attained successful completion of this assigned work.

The other names to thank that come to my mind… Who were with me at all times ready to greet me with my difficulties and problems and provide me with all that was required towards the fine completion of my endeavour are my best friend Ms. Krithika Padmanabhan (M.A. Psychology) who gave me some time off her busy schedule to guide me through my project, my mother Mrs. Lisa John who was so encouraging at all times and stood by me whenever I thought I would fail the task given to me and my classmate and dear friend Ms. Sudipa Bhattacharya who helped with all the practical work and made my task much easier. I am ever grateful to them because of whom I was able to accomplish this work with all due perfection.

My word of sincere thanks with love extends to all my friends in S.Y.B.B.A and T.Y.B.B.A at St.Mira’s, who were ready to be a part of my project and were very co-operative and helped me fulfill the requirements of this project.

Finally, boundless gratitude lies to my dear and beloved Parents and my dear brother to whom I owe anything and everything in my life, without whom I could never achieve anything in life…

Thank You.

Ms. Sharon John.Pune.February 2011.

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CHAPTER I:

INTRODUCTION

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INTRODUCTION

Every day some 300 million cell phone users are “Reaching out and touching someone you love. Yourself and anyone else within range of the microwaves emitted by your cell phone.”

Mesmerized by magical gadgets, we have yet to count the costs of miniature radio transmitters that are transforming Marconi’s invention into new possibilities for portable personal pollution. As entire nations reach for pocket communicators, the explosively emergent $40 billion a year cell phone industry, is poised to deliver a “Wireless Revolution”, that over the next five years it is expected to double the one-billion people connected by telephone lines over the past century.

Since the middle of the last century technological advancements in telecommunications and other industries have led to significant increase in the

use of radio frequencies. Exquisitely sensitive to subtle electromagnetic harmonies, human brains and bodies as intricate as galaxies depend on tiny electrical impulses to conduct complex life-processes - including the ability to read, recall and respond to these words. Acting as antennas, our anatomies just as easily tune into spurious signals from radio and microwave transmissions. Blake Levitt, Author of “Electromagnetic Fields”, says that when it comes to cell phones, “a worser frequency could not have been chosen for the human anatomy.”

British military scientists have discovered that cell phone transmissions disrupt the brain sites for memory and learning, causing forgetfulness and sudden confusion.

In New Zealand, cell phone towers are prohibited on school property because of possible health effects, because these radiations send pulsed signals through the skull in a process one expert likens to “jackhammers on the brain.” Reporting the conclusions of a 12-person British study team, scientist Sir William Stewart told ‘London’s Financial Times’ that, “Children may be more vulnerable because of their developing nervous system, the greater absorption of energy in the tissues of the head and a longer lifetime of exposure.”

With the brain’s electro-chemical communications repeatedly zapped by lightning-like cell phone pulses, Dr. Neil Cherry a Ph.D. Biophysicist, warns

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that headaches, fatigue, lethargy, nausea, dizziness, depression, arteriosclerosis and even Alzheimer’s can result from frequent or prolonged calls on cell phones. Health advocates have worried for decades that exposure to frequencies emanating from these many sources might be harmful. And the ubiquity of such technology today—especially considering the quantum leap in cell phone usage in recent years—only makes such concerns that much more pressing. Various studies researching the health effects of cell phone use have yielded mixed results. Some earlier studies suggested a link between exposure to radiation from cell phones and an increased risk of acoustic neuroma—a cancerous tumor of the nerve connecting the ear to the brain--but more recent research found no such links. The issue is primarily heat. According to the Occupational Safety and Health Department of the Communication Workers of America (CWA), "As high frequency radio frequency radiation penetrates into the body, the exposed molecules move about and collides with one another causing friction and, thus, heat… If the radiation is powerful enough, the tissue or skin will be heated or burned."

Scan Showing Human Brain Cell Phone Microwave Penetration:

(Scan showing Maximum Microwave Penetration in Young Brains)Fig. [A]

According to CWA, "There is substantial scientific data that establishes negative health effects associated with microwave radiation." CWA cites cataracts as one possible negative health effect from prolonged exposure, as well as well as nervous system damage and even reproductive problems in both males and females. This issue was in the news in 1992 over the issue of the safety of police radar devices, but subsequent studies were inconclusive.

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As to cell phones, the results of a study recently published in the academic journal Environmental Health Perspectives do not bode well for habitual chatterers. Researchers documented brain damage in laboratory rats exposed to radio frequencies from cell phones at levels comparable to what people would experience during normal use. The study’s authors expressed concern that “after some decades of (often) daily use, a whole generation of (cell phone) users may suffer negative effects, perhaps as early as middle age.”

Prolonged usage of cell phones is usually seen in the young population (teenagers). They are most of the time involved in talking for long hours or sending messages more often than needed. It is indeed startling to know that a person, who sends at least 50 SMSs on an average per day, is prone to health disorders like insomnia, hypertension, irritation, restlessness, eye problems, etc. Would hanging up on such an intrusive and hazardous addiction be so terrible?

THE EFFECTS OF PROLONGED USAGE OF CELL PHONES ON YOUNG TEENAGE GIRLS

The Research Problem:

Is prolonged usage of cell phones the source of various health disorders caused in young teenage girls at St. Mira’s College for Girls?

Define Terminology:

Prolonged Usage: The lengthened duration in the act, manner, or amount of using.

Cell phones: A mobile radiotelephone, often in an automobile, that uses a network of short-range transmitters located in overlapping cells throughout a region, with a central station making connections to regular telephone lines.

Source: One that causes, creates, or initiates; a maker.

Health Disorders: Disturbance caused in the normal condition of optimal well-being.

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Young Teenage Girls: Adolescent girls falling between the age group 13 – 19 years.

St. Mira’s College for Girls: An Educational Institute situated at Koregaon Road, Pune.

Hypothesis:

Prolonged Usage of Cell Phones IS the Source of Various Health Disorders caused in Young Teenage Girls at St. Mira’s College for Girls.

The Major Questions for Study:

1.] Why do young girls become fanatical on the redundant usage of cell phones?

2.] Are young girls becoming slaves of increasing risks caused by the excessive amount of time involved in talking on a cell phone?

3.] Are there hazards to the young brains due to intense exposure to cell phones due to hard staring caused by gaming, messaging, etc.?

4.] Why do teenage girls use swanky handsets which have got more chances of getting hot within a short span of time than those which are still safer?

The Objective:

1.] To find out whether the teenage students in St. Mira’s are being affected by the heat radiations emitted by a cell phone due to long hours of talking.

2.] To find out whether they are facing any other effects due to other kinds of prolonged usage of cell phones.

Assumptions:

1.] The heat radiations given out from the cell phones are the major root of all the disorders that are caused in young brains.

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2.] The urge to devote a lot of time for friends by talking to them and the obsession to keep messaging friends all the time for absolutely no reason, creates insomnia, headaches, dizziness, hypertension, restlessness, eye problems, irritation, etc.

3.] Talking for more than 20 mins., makes the ear hot, indicating that the heat radiations are entering the brain and causing health disorders in most teenage girls but very slowly.

4.] Hard staring into the phone more than required increases risks of hypertension and the brain starts responding faster.

Limitations:

The researcher faced the following limitations during the course of the research:

1.] Some students failed to give truthful and frank answers to the questions in the questionnaires, since the questions that were put forward to them were by a researcher who herself was a student of St. Mira’s and they feared that their identities would be disclosed.

2.] They did not want to make known of their cell phone habits or their addiction to it.

3.] Some of the students were not specific about the answers that they gave.

4.] A certain amount of manipulation had to be done to get truthful answers from the students.

The Scope of the Study:

1.] The research is restricted to the graduating students of the Bachelors of Business Administration Degree of St. Mira’s College for Girls, Pune.

2.] The research covers the cell phone habits and addictions to the same of different teenage students with different mindsets.

3.] It also makes an attempt to find out the problems that they maybe unknowingly facing due to the prolonged usage of cell phones.

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CHAPTER II:

LITERATURE REVIEW

LITERATURE REVIEW

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There are several researches done in the past regarding cell phones and its effects due to prolonged usage which are interrelated with this research problem that is proposed. Some of the most relevant ones on the basis of which this research has been carried out are as follows:

1.] Jan Van den Bulck and Irwin Benuck: “Long hours of chatting at Bedtime among Teenagers Becomes really tiring”, Sleep.

Using a cell phone just once a month, raises the risk of tiredness. Possibly teenagers who say they don't use their phones much, underestimate the real frequency of the behaviors or the problems that are accompanied with it. Or maybe once they have started considering using the phone, they remain switched on. They do not mature enough to understand the risks or even the behavioral changes that they are bound to face. Maybe even the adults would not dare to even imagine such a risk. Even if these teens don't call up much, they may still end up being awake, awaiting a potential call which could become a real big problem. Eventually, they will become used to staying awake at nights because of insomnia and feel drowsy and tired in the morning. They get used to staying awake at nights and falling asleep in the morning. Due to this, even their mental balance gets disturbed. The researcher suggests that the parents of such young teenagers should forbid or restrict any calls and usage of the phones after bedtime.

2.] Dr. Alan Preece, Lennart Hardell and Kjell Hansson, Elizabeth Cardis: “Mobile phones may cause damage to health by speeding up the brain's response times in teens”.

Health damages are caused in young minds because of cell phones due to its prolonged usage. The major damage that is seen now in teenagers is that the radiations emitted by cell phones is taking control of the brains by speeding up the brain’s response times. Speeding of the brain’s response times is actually the slowest process of modifying the normal stability of the brain which is the main antecedent of creating senility in a teenager. Radiations are more active in young brains than in adults; therefore, penetrations of these radioactive waves are also faster. The maturing and young brains are more prone to this kind of permanent damage and hence the research suggests that teenagers and

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children should be discouraged of using cell phones at a very early age and of its prolonged usage also since they are more liable to this damage.

3.] Dr David Carpenter: “Prolonged Use helps in cooking a Child’s Brain”.

Children in particular have developing immune systems and therefore radiations find it easier to penetrate not only into their brains, but also into their bodies. They are more vulnerable to the effects of EM Radiations and are thus at a higher risk. There are clear evidences exposure to EM radiations increases the risk of cancer and particularly Leukemia and Brain Tumours are the main types that are caused. But in residential studies statistical significance increased for all kinds of cancers. There is also a whole body of evidence that prolonged exposure of young teenage girls towards these radiations increases risks of reproductive cancers also. The maximum risk is seen from the cell phone radiations.

4.] Stafford Lowe: “Do You or Your Family Suffer From Any Of These Common Symptoms Of Mobile Phone Use?

This research has been particularly dealt with the most common problems that occur in people after the prolonged usage of cell phones. These problems are: Headaches, “Stress”, Earaches, "Hot Ear", Chronic Fatigue, “Insomnia”, Weakened immune system, “Blurred Vision”, Dizziness, “Lack Of Concentration”, Memory Loss, “Nausea”, Sinus Infections, “Muscle Pains”, Drastic Mood Changes, “Behavioural Disabilities”, Learning Disabilities, “Reduced Sex Drive”, etc. The research suggests that people who face these problems are subject to unimaginable brain disorders which will be seen only after a period of 5 years or a decade. They do not really come to know that they are being disposed to such a risk while they come across such symptoms but later these effects are quite treacherous.

5.] Anonymous: “Cell Phones Release Stress Proteins”, Journal of Cellular Biochemistry.

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Severe usage of cell phones diffuses harsh radiations which diffuse into the maturing brains of teenagers and facilitates the release of stress proteins. These once again disturb the mental stability of that person increasing the risks of brain disorders. Studies also show that heavy cell-phone use could cause brain cancer and other diseases by interfering with DNA repair of wayward cells. The stress proteins released in the brains of teenagers consequently results in causing hypertension, irritation and make them chaotic in nature. They are released to a larger extent in the younger brains, since they are more susceptible to these EM radiations.

6.] Don Maisch: “Children and Mobile Phones ... Is There a Health Risk? The Case for Extra Precautions”, Journal of Australasian College of Nutritional and Environmental Medicine, Vol. 22 No. 2.

Special concern for children followed from the research. Studies showed that radiation penetrated deeper into the heads of teenagers and children resulting in more exposure to potentially harmful radio waves than adults; the type of genetic damage that was found – micronuclei in human blood – is more likely to occur in growing tissue undergoing mitosis, such as growing brain tissue in children; the wireless industry had targeted children as a growth market and were succeeding in increasing cell phone usage among children and teenagers. Therefore, cell phones have now become the prime product for attracting children and teenagers and its fancy features and user friendly properties don’t allow them to accept or realize the effects the phones may have on them. It only makes them more and more addicted not realizing that the various common symptoms that they maybe facing are the results of the prolonged usage of their cell phones.

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CHAPTER III:

ANTHOLOGY OF DATA

ANTHOLOGY OF DATA

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The researcher has made use of the following methodology for the collection of data for the proposed research problem.

Research Methodology:

Type of Research:

Descriptive Type of Research:Descriptive Research includes surveys and fact-finding enquiries of different kinds. The major purpose of descriptive research design is description of the state of affairs as it exists at present. The main characteristic of this method is that the researcher has no control over the variables; he can only report what has happened or what is happening. The studies in this type of research also include attempts by researchers to discover causes even when they cannot control the variables. The methods of research utilized in descriptive research are survey methods of all kinds, including comparative and correlational methods.

Method of Research:

Survey Research Method:

Surveys are conducted in case of descriptive type research studies. Survey type research studies usually have larger samples because the percentage of responses generally happens to be low, as low as 20 to 30%. Thus, the survey method gathers data from a relatively large number of cases at a particular time; it is essentially cross-sectional. Surveys are concerned with describing, recording, analyzing and interpreting conditions that either exist or existed. The researcher does not manipulate the variable or arrange for events to happen. Surveys are only concerned with conditions or relationships that exist, opinions that are held, processes that are going on, effects that are evident or trends that are developing. Surveys are an example of field research. Surveys are concerned with hypothesis formulation and testing the analysis of the relationship between non-manipulated variables. Surveys may either be census or sample surveys. They may also be classified as social surveys, economic surveys or public opinion surveys. Whatever be their type, the method of data collection happens to be either observation or interview or

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questionnaire/opinionnaire or some projective techniques. Possible relationships between the data and the unknown in the universe can be studied through surveys.

Type of Data Collected:

Primary Source of Data

Sampling:

Target Population:110 students; combining the classes of S.Y.B.B.A and T.Y.B.B.A.

Sample Size:20 students.(10 students falling in between the age group 13 years to 19 years, each from the S.Y.B.B.A and the T.Y.B.B.A Classes, St. Mira’s College for Girls, Pune.)

Type of Sampling:

Random Sampling: Random Sampling is also known as Probability Sampling or Chance Sampling. Under this sample design, every item of the universe has an equal chance of inclusion in the sample. Random sampling from a finite population refers to that method of sample selection which gives each possible sample combination an equal probability of being picked up and each item in the entire population to have an equal chance of being included in the sample.

Lottery Method of Random Sampling: This is the simplest method of making a selection through random sampling. The number of items in a data is written on sheets of paper or cards and they are thrown into a box. A casual observer or the researcher blindfolds himself/herself selects the number of item required in the sample. Here there is no partiality in favour of any item. The play of the chance is allowed to determine the items selected in the sample.

Reasons for Selection of the stated Sample:

The above mentioned sample was selected because of the following reasons:

1.] The researcher has conducted the research to find out the ill effects that the intense usage of cell phones were having on teenagers and studies

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show that it is the young teenage girls who are more involved in phone conversations than boys. Hence the sample is restricted to St. Mira’s College for Girls, Pune.

2.] The population has been restricted to the graduating students of the Bachelors Degree of Business Administration of St. Mira’s College, since; the teenage girls needed with the mentioned age group required for the sample are in these classes.

3.] Random Sampling method has been used with a sample restricted to 20 students; in order to get the views of teenage girls with different mindsets.

4.] Lottery Method of Random Sampling has been used to avoid any bias in the research.

Technique of Research:

Questionnaire Method:

This method of data collection is quite popular, particularly in case of big enquiries. A questionnaire consists of a number of questions printed or typed in a definite order on a form or set of forms. The subjects or the respondents have to answer the questions on their own.

The Questionnaire Format:

The questionnaire method for the proposed research problem was constructed on the following basis:

1.] To find out whether the teenage girls in St. Mira’s College were addicted to cell phones.

2.] To find out whether majority of them were prone to any health disorders due to the prolonged usage of cell phones.

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CHAPTER IV:

DATA ANALYSIS AND INTERPRETATIONS

DATA ANALYSIS AND INTERPRETATIONS

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The researcher has made the following interpretations on the basis of the Questionnaires that were circulated among the subjects, by analyzing the data for each of the answers received against the questions that were presented; in order to prove or disprove her hypothesis.

Q.1] When did you first start using a cell phone?

Ans: Beginning of the Usage of Cell Phones in Teenage Girls

YEARCLASSES

(S.Y.B.B.A AND T.Y.B.B.A)

PERCENTAGE

2000-2004 2 10%

2004-2008 18 90%

TOTAL 20 100%

[Table 1]

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2000-2004

2004-2008

0 2 4 6 8 10 12 14 16 18 20

10%

90%

BEGINNING OF THE USAGE OF CELL PHONES AMONG TEENAGE GIRLS

NO. OF STUDENTS

YEAR

OF

USAG

E

SOURCE: St. Mira’s College for Girls

[Figure 1]

INTERPRETATION:

From the survey the researcher has found out that 90% of the teenage girls at St. Mira’s College started to use their cell phones only after they had crossed a mature age of 17 years and only 10% of the girls started using their cell phones at a very young age that is before a mature age of 15 years.

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Q.2] Which Handset do you use? Why?

Ans: The Handsets used by different Teenage Girls

HANDSETS PREFERRED

CLASSES(S.Y.B.B.A AND

T.Y.B.B.A)

PERCENTAGE

NOKIA 15 75%

MOTOROLLA 2 10%

SAMSUNG 2 10%

OTHERS 1 5%

TOTAL 20 100%

[Table 2]

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NOKIA MOTOROLLA SAMSUNG OTHERS0

2

4

6

8

10

12

14

16 75%

10% 10%5%

THE HANDSETS PREFERRED BY DIFFERENT TEENAGE GIRLS

THE HANDSETS PREFERRED BY DIFFERENT TEENAGE GIRLS

HANDSETS USED BY DIFFERENT TEENAGE GIRLS

NO

. OF

STUD

ENTS

SOURCE: St. Mira’s College for Girls

[Figure 2]

INTERPRETATION:

From the survey the researcher has found out that from the most popular handsets that are available in the market today, 75% of the teenage girls preferred Nokia Handsets, 10% preferred Motorolla and Samsung Handsets and only 5% preferred any other handset. Nokia was the most preferred handset because of its user friendly properties and because of its attractive features.

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Q.3] Are you crazy about Mobile Phones?

Ans: Cell Phone Addiction in Teenage Girls

ADDICTION TO CELL PHONES

CLASSES(S.Y.B.B.A AND

T.Y.B.B.A)

PERCENTAGE

YES 9 45%

NO 11 55%

TOTAL 20 100%

[Table 3]

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% OF GIRLS ADDICTED

% OF GIRLS NOT ADDICTED

0% 10% 20% 30% 40% 50% 60%

CELL PHONE ADDICTION IN TEENAGE GIRLS

CELL PHONE ADDICTION IN TEENAGE GIRLS

SOURCE: St. Mira’s College for Girls

[Figure 3]

INTERPRETATION:

From the survey the researcher found out that only 45% of teenage girls were addicted to cell phones while 55% of the teenage girls had no craze for cell phones at all.

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Q.4] What do you do with your mobile phone? (E.g. Play games, listen to FM Radio, chat for hours, messaging, etc.)

Ans: Different Activities done with a Cell Phone among Teenage Girls

ACTIVITYCLASSES

(S.Y.B.B.A AND T.Y.B.B.A)

PERCENTAGE

CHATTING 7 35%

MESSAGING 6 30%

FM RADIO 5 25%

GAMING 2 10%

TOTAL 20 100%

[Table 4]

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CHATTING MESSAGING FM RADIO GAMING

DIFFERENT ACTIVITIES DONE WITH A CELL PHONE AMONG TEENAGE GIRLS

7 6 5 2

0.5

1.5

2.5

3.5

4.5

5.5

6.5

35%

30%

25%

10%

DIFFERENT ACTIVITIES DONE WITH A CELL PHONE AMONG TEENAGE GIRLS

NO. O

F STU

DENT

S

SOURCE: St. Mira’s College for Girls

[Figure 4]

INTERPRETATION:

From the survey, the researcher found that most of the teenage girls like to idle away their time by chatting for long hours on their phones (35%) or messaging (30%). Some amount of teenagers liked spending time by listening to the FM Radio on their phones (25%) while very few liked playing games as their pass time (10%).

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Q.5] Do you like talking on your cell phone? How long do you usually talk on you phone each day?

Ans: No. of Hours Spent by Teenage Girls in Talking on the Cell Phones per Day

NO. OF HOURSCLASSES

(S.Y.B.B.A AND T.Y.B.B.A)

PERCENTAGE

LESS THAN 1 HOUR

7 35%

1 HOUR 4 20%

MORE THAN1 HOUR 9 45%

TOTAL 20 100%

[Table 5]

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NO. OF HOURS SPENT CHATTING0

1

2

3

4

5

6

7

8

9

35%

20%

45%

NO. OF HOURS SPENT BY TEENAGE GIRLS IN TALKING ON THE CELL PHONES PER DAY

LESS THAN 1 HOUR EQUAL TO 1 HOURMORE THAN 1 HOUR

NO

. OF

STUD

ENTS

SOURCE: St. Mira’s College for Girls

[Figure 5]

INTERPRETATION:

From the survey the researcher found that a major 45% of the teenage girls spent more than 1 hour, 20% of the teenage girls spent around 1 hour and 35% spent less than 1 hour in chatting on their cell phones.

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Q.6] Do you like SMSing? How many messages do you send on an average per day?

Ans: No. of SMSs sent by Teenage Girls on an Average per Day

NO. OF SMSsCLASSES

(S.Y.B.B.A AND T.Y.B.B.A)

PERCENTAGE

LESS THAN 20 SMSs

14 70%

20 SMSs 2 10%

MORE THAN20 SMSs 4 20%

TOTAL 20 100%

[Table 6]

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NO. OF SMSs SENT ON AN AVERAGE PER DAY0

2

4

6

8

10

12

14

70%

10%

20%

NO. OF SMSs SENT BY TEENAGE GIRLS ON AN AVERAGE PER DAY

LESS THAN 20 SMSs20 SMSsMORE THAN 20 SMSs

NO

. OF

STUD

ENTS

SOURCE: St. Mira’s College for Girls

[Figure 6]

INTERPRETATION:

From the survey the researcher found that most of the teenage girls sent less than 20 SMSs (70%), few girls sent more than 20 SMSs (20%) and very few girls sent around 20 SMSs (10%) on an average per day.

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Q.7] Does the handset face any problem after usage for a long time? (E.g. The phone becomes very hot, it stops responding, it functions very slowly, etc.)

Ans: Problems faced after Prolonged Usage in Mobile Handsets of Teenage Girls

PROBLEMS FACED IN

HANDSETS(The Phone becomes hot,

stops responding, functions very slowly, etc.)

CLASSES(S.Y.B.B.A AND

T.Y.B.B.A)

PERCENTAGE

YES 10 50%

NO 10 50%

TOTAL 20 100%

[Table 7]

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% OF STUDENTS HAVING PROBLEMS

% OF STUDENTS HAVING NO PROBLEMS

0% 20% 40% 60%

50%

50%

PROBLEMS FACED AFTER PROLONGED USAGE IN MOBILE HANDSETS OF

TEENAGE GIRLS

PROBLEMS FACED AFTER PROLONGED USAGE IN MO-BILE HANDSETS OF TEENAGE GIRLS

SOURCE: St. Mira’s College for Girls

[Figure 7]

INTERPRETATION:

From the survey, the researcher found that an equal amount of teenage girls faced problems with their handsets after a prolonged usage and vice versa i.e. 50% of the girls faced problems with their mobile handsets after prolonged usage, while 50% of the girls had no problems with their mobile handsets.

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Q. 8] Do you experience any problem after using your phone more thanrequired? Please specify your problem. (E.g. Ears start becoming hot after talking for more than 15 to 20 mins., dizziness, headache, etc. due to long staring into your cell phone while playing games or messaging or state if any other.)

Ans: Teenage Girls Experiencing Health Problems after Prolonged Usage of Cell Phones

HEALTH PROBLEMS FACED IN

TEENAGERS(Ears start becoming hot after talking for

more than 15 to 20 mins., dizziness, headache, etc. due to long staring into your cell phone

while playing games or messaging, etc.)

CLASSES(S.Y.B.B.A AND

T.Y.B.B.A)

PERCENTAGE

YES 9 45%

NO 11 55%

TOTAL 20 100%

[Table 8]

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TEENAGERS FACING HEALTH PROBLEMS

TEENAGERS NOT FACING HEALTH PROBLEMS

0.45

55%

HEALTH PROBLEMS FACED BY TEENAGERS AFTER PROLONGED USAGE OF CELL PHONES

HEALTH PROBLEMS FACED BY TEENAGERS AFTER PROLONGED USAGE OF CELL PHONES

SOURCE: St. Mira’s College for Girls

[Figure 8]

INTERPRETATION:

From the survey, the researcher found that only a minority of the teenage girls faced health problems after prolonged usage (45%) while a majority showed no symptoms of any kind of health problems due to the same (55%).

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CHAPTER V:

INTERPRETATION OF FINAL RESULTS

35

INTERPRETATION OF FINAL RESULTS

In the previous chapter, the researcher has given a question-wise analysis of the data and interpreted each result. A brief interpretation of the final result has been made on the basis of the interpretations made previously.

Final Interpretations:

1.] Majority of the teenage girls at St. Mira’s College for Girls, Pune, are not addicted to cell phones.

2.] They do not make frequent use of their cell phones or use them for a prolonged period.

3.] The causes of creating any health disorders in them (like long hours of chatting or intense staring into the phones) are seen only in a minority.

4.] Therefore, they are not prone to any health problems that are caused due to the prolonged usage of cell phones.

STUDENTS THAT ARE BEING AFFECTED/NOT AFFECTED BY THE PROLONGED USAGE OF CELL PHONES

STUDENTS AFFECTED STUDENTS NOT AFFECTED0

2

4

6

8

10

12

14

16

18

20

NO. OF STUDENTS AFFECTED/NOT AFFECTED

STUDENTS BEING AFFECTED/NOT AFFECTED

NO

. OF

STUD

ENTS

[Figure 9]

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The above graph is the representation of the final interpretation made through this research showing very clearly the status of health in teenagers at St. Mira’s College for Girls, Pune, who make prolonged use of cell phones.

The interpretation is clear that, majority of the teenage girls who were selected as subjects at St. Mira’s College are not prone to any health problems that are caused due to the prolonged usage of cell phones.

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CHAPTER VI:

CONCLUSION AND RECOMMENDATIONS

CONCLUSION

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From this research, the researcher has concluded that Cell phones do not have any major effect on the teenage girls at St. Mira’s College. This is because of the following reasons:

1.]The teenage girls facing health problems due to the prolonged usage of cell phones were lesser than those with absolutely no problems.

2.]The selected sample failed to prove the hypothesis with a very narrow difference (9 girls being prone to health risks and 11having no problems).

Therefore, the researcher concludes that the hypothesis has failed and has been disproved.

The Research concludes that

Prolonged Usage of Cell Phones IS NOT the Source of Various Health Disorders caused in Young Teenage Girls at St. Mira’s

College for Girls, Pune.

RECOMMENDATIONS

Even though the research proves that cell phones and its prolonged usage is not the source of health disorders in majority of the teenage girls at St. Mira’s College for Girls, Pune, it is still a source of problem-making in the other students who were part of the sample. Cell phones definitely cause harm to the young human brains, thanks to its powerful ELECTROMAGNETIC WAVES. It is better to be on the safer side than fall into a permanent problem. Cell phone usage should be discouraged amongst young teenagers especially for long hours of chatting. The researcher has already stressed upon the health hazards a cell phone can have on the young human brains and the literature reviews mentioned are proof

39

enough. It is highly recommended that teenagers, especially girls should be strictly dissuaded to make prolonged use of cell phones.

SAY “NO” TO CELL PHONES.

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APPENDICES

SR NO.

CONTENTS PAGE NUMBER

1. QUESTIONNAIRE 39

2. BIBLIOGRAPHY 40

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Subject : IDENTITY PROTECTED

Hello! Please take time and fill your answers to the simple questions that are given below. Frank and honest answers are expected. The answers you give are really valuable. Questions marked with an ASTERISK are compulsory.

1. When did you first start using a cell phone?

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2. Which handset do you use? Why?

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3. *Are you crazy about mobile phones?

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4. *What do you like to do with your mobile phone? (E.g. Play games, listen to FM Radio, chat for hours, messaging, etc.)

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5. *Do you like talking on your cell phone? How long do you usually talk on your phone each day?

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6. *Do you like SMSing? How many messages do you send on an average per day?

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7. *Does the handset face any problem after usage for a long time? (E.g. The phone becomes very hot, it stops responding, it functions very slowly, etc.)

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8. *Do you experience any problem after using your phone more than required? Please specify your problem. (E.g. Ears start becoming hot after talking for more than 15 to 20 mins., dizziness, headache, etc. due to long staring into your cell phone while playing games or messaging, or state if any other)

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Thank you very much for spending your precious time in answering the above questions and for your kind co-operation.

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BIBLIOGRAPHY

BOOKS REFERRED:

Author: C.R. KothariBook Name: Research Methodology, Methods and TechniquesEdition, Publisher: Second Revised Edition, New Age International PublishersPage Nos: 2, 3, 15, 38, 59, 60, 100, 104, 120, 121

Author: K. ChakraworthyBook Name: Research MethodologyEdition, Publisher: Nil, Sumit EnterprisesPage Nos: 27, 30.

WEBSITE LINKS:

Research Literature: Long hours of Chatting at bedtime among teenagers becomes really tiring by Jan Van den Bulck, Ph.D., Researcher, Katholieke Universiteit Leuven, Leuven, Belgium; Irwin Benuck, M.D., attending physician and pediatrician, Children's Memorial Hospital, Chicago, Journal: Sleephttp://www.bio-medicine.org/medicine-news-1/Teens-Cell-Talk-at-Night-Can-Be-Tiring-353-2/

Research Literature: Mobile phones may cause damage to health by speeding up the brain's response times in teens by Dr. Alan Preece, Lennart Hardell and Kjell Hansson, Elizabeth Cardis.http://www.cellular.co.za/news_2001/092601-mobile_phones_may_do_harm.htm

Research Literature: Prolonged Use helps in cooking a child’s a brain by Dr David Carpenter, Dean of the State of New York School of Public Health.http://www.childrensfurniture.co.uk/phones.html

Research Literature: Do You or Your Family Suffer From Any Of These Common Symptoms Of Mobile Phone Use? by Stafford Lowe, Former Royal Australian Navy Helicopter Pilot, Aeronautical Engineer, and Owner of “Ultimate Health”http://www.cellphoneradiationtips.com/index1.html

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Research Literature: Cell Phones Release Stress Proteins, Journal: Journal of Biochemistry, 2002.http://osdir.com/ml/culture.discuss.conspiracy/2005-12/msg00070.html

Research Literature: Children and Mobile Phones ... Is There a Health Risk? The Case for Extra Precautions by Don Maisch, PhD Research Student (Wollongong University), Journal: Journal of Australasian College of Nutritional & Environmental Medicine - Vol. 22 No. 2.http://www.emfacts.com/papers/children_mobiles.pdf

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