Mobile Phones and Adolescents: Leisure in Their Hands

Mobile phones, one of the greatest inventions in the late 20th century, have now become the newest addiction in the world. The mobile phones continue to influence people's lives, especially those of adolescents. Literature suggests that globally young people especially adolescents have adopted the mobile phones as an alternative to outdoor activities. Mobile phones have changed the way adolescents organize their daily life. Mobile devices now provide almost constant connectivity to peers, social networks and (increasingly) the media. While mobile devices may be creating an additional distraction, they are also providing new contexts for adolescents to access information, explore sensitive topics and develop their identity. Adolescents use mobile technologies to get information for schoolwork, understand changes in their health and sexuality, and learn about the news and current events (Lenhart, Purcell, Smith, & Zickuhr, 2010) Modern mobile phones support a wide variety of other services such as text messaging, MMS, email, Internet access, short-range wireless communications (infrared, Bluetooth), business applications, gaming, and photography. This enables the user to use the mobile phone as a single device for all his activities. This has both positive and negative consequences. On the one hand, the adolescents experience the freedom from surveillance of the elders on the other hand it can also lead to loss of interpersonal skills. The present paper explores the impact of mobile technology on the way adolescents organize their leisure time in India.

Lenhart, A., Purcell, K., Smith, A., & Zickuhr, K. (2010). Social media & mobile Internet use among teens and young adults. Washington: The Pew Research Center Internet & American Life Project.