Burgeoning Rise In Smartphone Usage among School Children In Saudi Arabia: Baseline Assessment of Recognition and Attention Skills Among Users and Non-Users Using CANTAB Tests

Year 2018, Volume: 4 Issue: 1, 4 - 11, 01.01.2018

Lulu Alobaid Hessah Binjadeed Areeb Alkhamis Reem Alotaibi Shabana Tharkar Shabana Tharkar İbrahim Gosadi Ashry Gad

https://doi.org/10.5455/umj.20180203121836

Abstract

Background: The use of smartphones and other Internet-based smart devices by children is on the rise. The aim of the present study was to determine the prevalence and pattern of smart device use and to conduct the baseline assessment of speed, memory and accuracy skills of the users. Method: A cross-sectional study was done on 177 school children aged between 12 to 16 years studying in the intermediate schools of Riyadh city. The survey tool was interviewer administered and cognitive function assessment was done by CANTAB battery testing. Results: The most common smart device used by children was a smartphone 85% . Boys showed a higher prevalence of usage of the smartphone compared to girls 93% vs 74%; p

Keywords

Smartphone Use, Internet addiction, Memory, Speed skills, Schoolchildren, Saudi Arabia.

References

• 1. Gillies Privat. Smart Devices: New Telecom Applications and evolution of human Interfaces 2005. Downloaded from: https://www-sop.inria.fr/everest/events/cassis05/Transp/pri vat.pdf
• 2. Patrice Samuels. Trends driving the adoption of connected devices 2015. https://www.parksassociates.com/newsletter/ article/hs-june2015
• 3. Rosen LD, Whaling K, Carrier LM. The Media and Technology Usage and Attitudes Scale: An empirical investigation. Comput Human Behav 2013; 29: 2501–2511.
• 4. Ofcom. The Communication market. Report 2011. https://www.ofcom.org.uk/__data/assets/pdf_file/0017/26324 /icmr2011.pdf
• 5. Ofcom. The Communication market. Report 2016. https://www.ofcom.org.uk/__data/assets/pdf_file/0024/26826 /cmr_uk_2016.pdf.
• 6. Zoe Fox. The fifteen countries with highest smartphone penetration. http://mashable.com/2013/08/27/global-smart phone-penetration
• 7. CT indicators in KSA by end of Q3 2016. Downloaded from: http://www.mcit.gov.sa/En/aboutmcit/sectordevelopment/pa ges/sectorindices.aspx
• 8. Sanjeev Davey, Anuradha Davey. Assessment of Smartphone Addiction in Indian Adolescents: A Mixed Method Study by Systematic-review and Meta-analysis Approach. Int J Prev Med 2014 ; 5(12): 1500–1511.
• 9. Nusca A. “Smartphone vs. feature phone arms race heats up; which did you buy?” 2009. Available from: http://www.zdnet.com/blog/gadgetreviews/smartphonevsfeature-phone-arms-race-heats-up-which-did-youbuy/6836.
• 10. Min Kwon,Dai-Jin Kim, Hyun Cho, Soo Yang. The Smartphone Addiction Scale: Development and Validation of a Short Version for Adolescents. PLOS. December 31 2013. http://dx.doi.org/10.1371/journal.pone.0083558.
• 11. Cash H, Rae CD, Steel AH, Winkler A. Internet addiction: A brief summary of research and practice. Current Psychiatry Reviews 2012; 8(4): 292.
• 12. Turel O, & Serenko A. The benefits and dangers of enjoyment with social networking websites. European Journal of Information Systems 2012; 21(5): 512–528.
• 13. Yu-Kang Lee, Chun-Tuan Chang, You Lin, Zhao-Hong Cheng.The dark side of smartphone usage: Psychological traits, compulsive behavior and technostress. Computers in Human Behavior 2014; 31: 373–83.
• 14. Jenaro C, Flores N, Gómez-Vela M, González-Gil F, Caballo C. Problematic internet and cell-phone use: Psychological, behavioral, and health correlates. Addict Res Theory 2007; 15:309–20.
• 15. Strayer DL, Drews FA, Johnston WA. Cell phone-induced failures of visual attention during simulated driving. J Exp Psychol Appl. 2003; 9:23–32.
• 16. Leung S, Croft RJ, McKenzie RJ, Iskra S, Silber B, Cooper NR, et al. Effects of 2G and 3G mobile phones on performance and electrophysiology in adolescents, young adults and older adults. Clin Neuro physiol 2011; 122:2203–16.
• 17. Strassberg, DS, McKinnon RK, Sustaita, MA, Rullo J. Setting by high school students: An exploratory and descriptive study. Archives of Sexual Behavior 2013; 42:15–21.
• 18. Children’s use of mobile phones. An international comparison 2012. Published in 2013 by the GSM Association and the Mobile Society Research Institute within NTT DOCOMO Inc, Japan. http://www.gsma.com/publicpolicy/ wpcontent/uploads/2012/03/GSMA_ChildrensMobilePhones2 012WEB.pdf
• 19. Kim HJ. Exercise rehabilitation for smartphone addiction. Exercise Rehabilitation 2013; 9:500-5.
• 20. Mary Redmayne, Catherine L. Smith, et al. Use of mobile and cordless phones and cognition in Australian primary school children: a prospective cohort study. Environmental Health 2016; 15:26.
• 21. Preece AW, Goodfellow S, Wright MG, et al. Effect of 902 MHz mobile phone transmission on cognitive function in children. Bio electro magnetics 2005; 7:S138–43.
• 22. F Samkange-Zeeb, Blettner M. Emerging aspects of mobile phone use. Emerg Health Threats J 2009; 2: e5.. doi: 10.3134/ehtj.09.005.
• 23. Andrew G. Random number generator. http://www. openepi.com/Random/Random.htm
• 24. Cambridge Cognition Ltd. The World’s Leading Cognitive Assessments. http://www.cambridgecognition.com/
• 25. Haarala C, Ek M, Björnberg L, et al. 902 MHz mobile phone does not affect short term memory in humans. Bio electro magnetics 2004;25:452–6.
• 26. Besset A, Espa F, Dauvilliers Y, et al. No effect on cognitive function from daily mobile phone use. Bioelectromagnetics 2005;26:102–8.
• 27. Lee TM, Lam PK, Yee LT, et al. The effect of the duration of exposure to the electromagnetic field emitted by mobile phones on human attention. Neuro report 2003;14:1361–4.
• 28.The Environmental Working group (EWG). The Environmental Working Group’s guide to safer cell phone use. Washington August 2013. http://www.ewg.org/research/ cellphoneradiation/faq.
• 29. A Barth,R Winker,E Ponocny-Seliger, et al. A meta-analysis for neuro behavioural effects due to electromagnetic field exposure emitted by GSM mobile phones. Occupational and Environmental Medicine 2008. Downloaded form: http:// dx.doi.org/10.1136/oem.2006.031450.
• 30. Thomas,G Benke,C Dimitriadis, et al. Use of mobile phones and changes in cognitive function in adolescents. Occupational and environmental medicine 2009. Downloaded from: http://dx.doi.org/10.1136/oem.2009.054080
• 31. Suliman S. Aljomaa, Mohammad F, et al. Smartphone addiction among university students in the light of some variables. Comp in Hum Behav 2016; 61; 155e164.
• 32. Linda A. Jackson. Internet use, videogame playing and cell phone use as predictors of children’s body mass index (BMI), body weight, academic performance, and social and overall self-esteem. Comput Hum Behav 2011; 27:599-04.
• 33. Haruna Rabiu, Aisha Indo Muhammed, Yunusa Umaru, et al.Impact of mobile phone usage on academic performance among secondary school students in Taraba state, Nigeria. Eur Sci J 2016 Downloaded Downloads/6911-20072-1-PB.pdf.
• 34. Toledano MB, Smith RB, Irene Chang, Margaret Douglass, Paul Elliott. Cohort profile: UK COSMOS—a UK cohort for study of environment and health .Int J Epidemiol 2015. DOI: https://doi.org/10.1093/ije/dyv203.