Exploring Parents’ Perceptions about Mobile Phone Usage among Underage Children

Mobile phones have become the need of every person’s life to explore the world of new technologies, innovations, and information in order to stay updated. Elders and underage children cannot escape the effects of new technology, especially mobile phones. This is because they get mobile phones in their early ages of life without any surveillance or screen timings. This could be harmful for their habitual behavior, community interactions, as well as their mental and physical health. Parents are uniquely positioned to influence and positively shape their children's habitual behaviors and personality development. In this regard, they can play a pivotal role by guiding their children on the constructive use of mobile phones and by establishing appropriate screen time limits. To explore the phenomenon of concern, the current study employed quantitative research design. Data was collected from 62 parents having children between the age group of 3-18 years residing in Rawalpindi. Moreover, data was collected via self-designed questionnaire including questions related to demographics, mobile phone use, and parents’ perceptions using Likert scale method. Findings showed that a large proportion of parents, that is, 37.5% seemed neutral regarding mobile phone usage. They argued that mobile phones play an important role in their children’s life and is the best source to learn and enhance new skills and educational content. In terms of harassment, 46.9% of parents expressed concern that their children might experience cyberbullying or virtual harassment due to mobile phone usage. Similarly, 46.9% of parents believed that the excessive use of mobile phones negatively impacted their children’s social relationships. A majority of parents were also worried about the adverse effects of mobile phone use on their children’s mental and physical health, noting that it often contributed to increased stress and anxiety. Overall, parents acknowledged that mobile phones play both positive and negative roles in their children's lives. While many were satisfied with their children using mobile phones for educational purposes and skill development, they simultaneously expressed concern regarding online safety and the potential for their children to encounter cyberbullying through its excessive use.