Abstract
Smartphones are substantially changing almost all facets of modern life. The use of modern cellphones to record the activities of unknowing subjects covertly is examined in this case study’s discussion of moral and ethical dilemmas. This instance demonstrates how regular smartphones have been used maliciously to obtain private data. Moreover, it discusses why restrictions should be placed on teens’ and children’s smartphones—focusing on issues such as smartphones adversely affecting their social connectivity. Finally, this case study demonstrates how challenging it is to address the cognitive issue with smartphones because they constantly divert users’ attention even when not in use.
Ethical Issues that are Related to the Usage of Smartphones
The remarkable rise of smartphones and the rapid adoption of mobile computing are two of the most important developments in contemporary information and communication technology (ICTs). The mobile phone has evolved as a communication device with an endless list of features, such as a navigation system, a personal communications manager, and a gaming console. Because of these aspects, smartphones constitute an excellent topic for discussions on ethics. The ethical issues surrounding smartphones touch on several core concepts and principles.
The ramifications of the smartphone’s encroachment into every sphere of public and private life raise issues that merit discussion in ethics. The likelihood of mobile phone ringing in any given circumstance, and its ability to impede solitude or focus, have drawn attention to the socially acceptable use thresholds in various public and private locations (Akopova, 2020). This issue brings up more fundamental questions of decency and social propriety. A related and extensively discussed topic is the phenomenon of “absent presence,” which describes people using phones (Samal, 2019). At the same time, they are socially and physically present in another location but have their attention and focus elsewhere. It is a bigger problem, namely the potential emergence of a culture of constant communication distraction, which would limit people’s access to uninterrupted thinking time at work, at home, and school. It has been asserted that people’s preoccupation with digital relationships causes them to disregard individuals in their immediate social environment.
Specific technical flaws in smartphones present several security concerns. The technological characteristics and very nature of wireless radio transmissions make smartphone communication data susceptible to eavesdropping (Truong et al., 2019). The mobile communications network has rather inadequate default encryption settings for transmitted data. Malware spread through unsecured applications, or software updates is particularly dangerous to smartphones. Unauthorized access via such malware can be used to read confidential information. The fact is that cell phones make it more challenging to preserve your privacy because phone companies keep your data for at least two years (Samal, 2019). If necessary, authorities can access the data stored on your smartphone. Mobile carriers receive millions of subpoenas for user information, whether legal or unethical. Privacy is a fundamental human right and ethical value, yet smartphone usage has undermined it.
Other ethical concerns with telephones include issues of cyber bullying, academic dishonesty, and issues like terrorist strikes. In today’s world, children and teens are using cell phones at increasingly younger ages, potentially leading to problems if the proper “smartphone etiquette” is not emphasized. Teenagers using their phones on campus and possibly even in class has increased, and the problem of cheating with cell phones in class follows (Al-Ghaith, 2021). Students may use their phones to avoid study time and pass exams. Additionally, although not literally, telephones could be used as weapons in attacks like the most recent shooting in San Bernadino. Through smartphones, cyber bullying can take place directly or indirectly. Instances in which the victim is directly involved are referred to as “direct cyber bullying”; examples include the willful sending of files containing viruses and privacy concerns (Samal, 2019). On the other hand, indirect cyber bullying is type of bullying in which the victim is unaware of the interaction. Examples include impersonating someone, reading someone else’s email, and sending embarrassing information via mobile devices.
Why Restrictions Should Be Enhanced in Teens and Children’s Smart Phones
Most adults who are now raising teenagers grew up in an era before personal electronics were commonplace. A household could have a personal computer, but hardly anyone would have a mobile phone they could carry with them (Laudon & Laudon, 2019). In addition, nobody possessed a device that could be utilized to access the internet whenever needed. For the first time, parents must choose when to give their kids telephones and how much time to give them access to those devices. And many parents do not see any justification for restricting teenagers’ phone use. However, there should be certain limitations because smartphones are thought to harm teenagers.
Internet addiction is a severe issue, especially for young teenagers. As time passes, the teens learn that they want to use the smartphone more and more. It could lead to addiction from being a helpful tool or a source of enjoyment (Laudon & Laudon, 2019). When teenagers can use their phones to call their acquaintances, it is pretty simple to distance themselves from their families. The child or the teen frequently spends more time on the phone than conversing with family members over meals, movie nights, or game sessions. Secondly, most teenagers prefer to communicate with their colleagues online to those in person (Samal, 2019). Teenagers risk never learning how to relate to people in real life if they become overly dependent on their phones. Future significant debilitation may result from the teens’ lack of necessary social skills.
Thirdly, using a phone when a teen is at school might be distracting. It is elementary to get sidetracked from schoolwork, especially when a person’s phone vibrates every minute to alert them to text messages, Snap Chat, or tweets. Fourthly, the lack of regulations on the internet allows children and teenagers to access content they would never be able to view in the actual world (Truong et al., 2019). Because the children have access to the internet on their phones, they may be viewing sites that are not of their age span. A person might not be able to protect them from this unless they take the time to set usage limitations because this is occurring on their phone, which is much tougher to monitor.
Additionally, banning teen and kid devices promotes communication. A child is more inclined to talk to and answer questions from their parents when they cannot hide behind their phone. If youngsters believe they can always take out their phones and tell their peers about what is happening, they will not feel the need to go to their guardians with their worries (Akopova, 2020). Teenagers will frequently start talking to the parent concerning their requirements instead of only reaching out to others outside the family if the guardian restricts their use of their phones. Finally, limiting teenagers’ phone use helps parents assert their authority. Teenagers who do not believe their activities have repercussions will frequently act out and engage in riskier behaviors to obtain their parents’ attention. A straightforward method to assert your authority as the rule maker is to set limits on how much time kids can spend on their phones, establish clear ground rules, and ensure those rules are obeyed.
Why the Issue of Cognitive Skills Cannot Be Solved in the Use of Smart Phones
Smartphones and other portable media players have improved their capacity to supplement or even replace specific mental processes. The devices may be used for various cognitive purposes and to satisfy many of our emotional urges. They can be used as appointment calendars, maps, phonebooks, gaming devices, internet portals, and tip calculators. While these technologies have enormous potential to boost welfare, their continued presence may have a cognitive cost. Sensationalist titles such as “Are Smartphones Making Us Dumber?” Support the claim that reliance on cellphones and related technologies boosts our ability to think and recall (Laudon & Laudon, 2019). The problem of cognitive skills with smartphones is difficult to fix since, despite user efforts to ignore them, smartphones can potentially disrupt sustained concentration.
How smartphone technology can severely interrupt or obstruct ongoing physical and mental work may be its most visual and noticeable impact on people’s daily lives. It might be helpful to categorize smartphone interruptions as either endogenous or exogenous. When users’ thoughts turn to smartphone-related activities, they experience endogenous interruptions, which manifest as an otherwise uninvited urge to start using the device. These cognitive costs primarily affect individuals with the highest smartphone dependence (Truong et al., 2019). When continuous goal-directed tasks are not regarded as rewarding, these endogenously motivated attention drifts may result from a need for more immediate pleasure. Once the focus has been diverted to the smartphone for one purpose, users frequently continue using it for unrelated tasks, lengthening the interruption. Furthermore, according to specific statistics, interruptions are likely to be more harmful to finishing the main task the more information a person encounters during one.
When an external trigger draws a user’s attention, exogenous interruptions happen. It frequently involves a notification from the smartphone. The use of a smartphone may also be influenced by external factors, such as seeing someone else using one or being reminded of a task that can be done on a smartphone. In one recent research, the philosophers discovered that, even when someone did not take the time to read the warning, exposure to smartphone alerts significantly reduced productivity on a concurrent attention-based task. It suggests that the participant’s ability to focus on the main task was diminished by just sound or vibration that conveyed the notification. The philosophers proposed that the signs led to the emergence of task-unrelated thoughts, resulting in a subpar performance in the primary activity (Truong et al., 2019). Moreover, even being physically aware of a cell phone can impair an individual’s cognitive functioning.
According to research, phone use is slightly disruptive when performing demanding tasks. The adverse effects of cell phones on attention are particularly problematic when attention is required for safety, such as when driving when inattentive. The impacts of texting on driving abilities have been studied extensively over the past 12 years using driving simulations or closed tracks (Laudon & Laudon, 2019). A meta-analysis of this research found that almost all studied indicators of unsafe driving are affected by texting (Truong et al., 2019). Through the case study of smartphone interruptions, it has been indicated that individuals are adversely affected. Hence, this has an indirect induction to their cognitive skills where research has outlined it hard for individuals to ignore their smartphones when close to them. The analysis indicates it is hard to solve the issue of cognitive skills; however, it can be a remedy by accomplishing some tasks off the phone.
References
Akopova, M. (2020). Influence of smartphones on students attentional processes. Vestnik Universiteta, (6), 167-172. Web.
Al-Ghaith, W. (2021). Emerging applications on smartphones: The role of privacy concerns and its antecedents on smartphones usage.International Journal of Computer Science and Information Technology, 13(2), 43-65. Web.
Laudon, K., & Laudon, J. (2019). Management information systems (16th ed., pp. 1-656). Pearson.
Samal, S. (2019). An investigation into the factors influencing the adoption of smart phones-TAM.Journal of Advanced Research in Dynamical and Control Systems, 11(10), 373-379. Web.
Truong, J., Labhart, F., Santani, D., Gatica‐Perez, D., Kuntsche, E., & Landolt, S. (2019). The emotional entanglements of smartphones in the field: On emotional discomfort, power relations, and research ethics.Area, 52(1), 81-88. Web.