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ABSTRACT
Introduction: The growing prevalence of electronic media has influenced the emotional, moral, and
social development of children. This topic was undertaken with the purpose of assessing the impact
of the use of electronic gadgets on the psychological health and attitudes of middle school children.
Materials & Methods: A cross-sectional study was conducted on 343 students of grades 7, 8, and 9
from Saad Bin Mo’ath School. A self-administered questionnaire was used to identify the number of
gadgets owned, the time spent on them, and their impact on psychological behavior.
Results: Among the excessive phone users, 39.7% had a good attitude and 60.3% a bad attitude. The
association between the attitude of students and time spent on mobile phones indicated most of the
excessive phone users (60.3%) had a bad attitude compared with moderate phone users (43.4%). Of
the 7th and 9th grade students, 40.5% and 50.9%, respectively, believed gadgets were primarily
purchased depending on “necessity”. Conversely, 8th graders were of the opinion that one’s choice to
purchase gadgets depended on their “friends owning it.” Most students agreed that “electronic
gadgets are the best source of entertainment” and “survival is difficult without technological gadgets
even for one day.” The majority of the students were uncertain when asked whether they were
“unaware about (your) surroundings while busy with gadgets” and “electronic gadgets cause
generation gap between children and their parents.” Among the excessive users of mobile phones
and tablets, 90.6% and 87% students, respectively, stated they would react (be sad, angry, or anxious)
if their mobile device was taken away from them. Anger was found to be the most common reaction
among the participants.
Conclusion: Most of the participants (323 students = 94.2%) used at least one kind of electronic
gadget. The increased use of electronic gadgets was found to have an impact on the psychological
behavior and attitudes of middle school children; the majority of excessive gadget users were found
to have a poor attitude. The majority of excessive users (90%) stated they felt sad, anxious, or angry
when their gadgets were taken away. Further studies would have to be conducted to assess behavioral
changes due to gadget use at a national level.
Keywords: Attitude, middle school children, anger, mobile phones, gadgets, tablets, psychological
behavior, electronic media
Citation: Master MK, Kaur CP, Narasimhan A, Nadeem M, Ali M, Shaik RB. Impact of electronic
gadgets on psychological behavior of middle school children in UAE. Gulf Medical Journal.
2016;5(S2):S54–S60.
and easier. Failure to do so causes behavioral changes among children and spread
disappointment and anxiety2. According to a awareness.
study, adolescents who spent increasing Objectives
amounts of time using the computer or mobile
1. To estimate the proportion of middle school
phones were labeled as being “addicted to the
children who use electronic gadgets
Internet.” This is found to interfere with the
2. To assess the impact of the use of electronic
daily routine of one’s life and is often associated
gadgets on the psychological behavior of
with depression and stress3. A study reported if
middle school children
the computer were used for more than 30 hours
per week for over 10 years, this would increase 3. To evaluate the impact of the addictive use
the chance of depression and obsession4. This of electronic devices on behavioral changes,
depression could be caused by adolescents primarily aggression
becoming victims of cyber bullying; for
MATERIALS & METHODS
example, they may be subjected to bullying
through a peer creating a website or Facebook This cross-sectional study was conducted
page with aggressive messages intended to hurt between April 2015 and December 2015 at Saad
or embarrass them5. Sproull and Kiesler are of Bin Mo’ath School in Abu Dhabi, UAE. The
the opinion that the Internet is missing population that participated in the study
personalness and warmth as communication via comprised middle school children from grades
this medium lacks non-verbal social cues and, 7, 8, and 9 whose parents had signed the
consequently, social presence6. Among the consent form. Students whose parents did not
major setbacks of adolescents using mobile sign the consent form were excluded from the
phones is they easily lose self-control with their study. The convenience sampling method was
phones and have become overly dependent on used to recruit participants. Validated, pilot-
these devices as a safeguard. This excessive time tested, self-administered questionnaires were
spent on phones sometimes leads to arguments used as tools for data collection. Forward
between adults and adolescents, and family time translation was conducted for the participants
is affected7. Video games may have just as much to Arabic and back translation to English. A
of a psychological effect as physical effect5. A sample size of 384 students was calculated, and
US-based study indicated a strong relationship 420 questionnaires were distributed. Of these,
between adolescents who played a high number 343 questionnaires were received, which
of video games, their aggressive behavior with resulted in a response rate of 82%. In addition
teachers and peers, and their poor performance to demographic data, the questionnaires
in school8. Exposure to violent games may have included information on gadget use and the
led to growth in violent mentality2. present social behavior and attitudes of the
students. Anonymity, confidentiality, and
Rationale
privacy of the participants were maintained.
The use of electronic gadgets has greatly Data was entered into Microsoft Excel and then
increased in the contemporary world, transferred to SPSS Version 22 for analysis. It
particularly among children, as a result of was later described in the form of tables and
addiction. The fundamental reason this topic graphs. The chi-square test was then performed
was undertaken was to assess the impact of the to show associations between the variables.
use of electronic gadgets for entertainment on
the attitudes of middle school children as no RESULTS
voluminous research has been carried out on The study was conducted on 384 children.
this topic in the UAE. It would help provide Table 1 depicts the distribution of the
valuable information primarily about the participants according to their socio-
demographic profiles.
Among the moderate phone users, 128 indicated most excessive phone users (60.3%)
(56.6%) were found to have a good attitude and had a bad attitude compared with moderate
98 (43.3%) a bad attitude. Conversely, among phone users (43.4%). This association between
the excessive phone users, 46 (39.7%) were gadget use and attitude is statistically significant
observed to have a good attitude and 70 (p value is 0.03).
(60.3%) a bad attitude. The association
Table 5. Participants’ attitude toward bringing gadgets to school (n = 342)
their choice of gadget depended on the brand equal number of students agreed and disagreed
of the gadget. with the statements, “social networking sites are
The radar graph depicts (Figure 1) the awesome” and “Internet is the ultimate source
attitudes of the students toward electronic of knowledge.” The majority of the participants
gadgets. Almost all of the students agreed were uncertain when asked whether they were
“electronic gadgets are the best source of “unaware about (your) surroundings while busy
entertainment.” The majority of the students with gadgets” and “electronic gadgets cause
also agreed “survival is difficult without generation gap between children and their
technological gadgets even for one day.” An parents.”
Figure 1. Radar graph displaying the attitude of the school children toward electronic gadgets (n = 343)
Table 7. Participants’ reactions (if present) if their gadgets were taken away from them (n = 343)
Reactions present
Gadget use Yes No p value
No. % No. %
Moderate 214 94.7 12 5.3
Mobile 0.151
Excessive 106 90.6 11 9.4
Moderate 273 94.5 16 5.5
Tablet ≤0.05
Excessive 47 87 7 13
This table indicates that among the mobile phones and 9.4% of the excessive users
moderate and excessive users of mobile phones, reported to not having any reaction.
94.7% and 90.6%, respectively, stated they Among the moderate and excessive tablet
would react (be sad, angry, or anxious) if their users, 94.5% and 87% of the participants,
mobile device was taken away from them. On respectively, stated to reacting if their tablet was
the contrary, 5.3% of the moderate users of taken away from them. Conversely, just 5.5% of
the moderate users and 13% of the excessive
users reported they would not have any to be the second fastest growing country in the
reaction. Arab world11.
Figure 2. Reaction of participants when their gadgets Another major concern pertaining to the
were taken away from them (n = 343) excessive use of electronic gadgets by young
children is “aggression.” A Malaysian study
conducted in 2011 found participants to be
extremely dependent on their electronic
gadgets. They stated they would have “negative
sentiments” if they lost their phones, with the
majority commenting they would be angry, sad,
and insecure7. Our study consisted of a
multiple-response question pertaining to how
children would feel if their phones were taken
away from them. The majority of the
DISCUSSION participants (71.4%) accepted they would feel
sad, anxious, or angry. This change in behavior
A study carried out on Swiss adolescents
is most likely ascribed to the growing obsession
concluded the excessive use of mobile phones
with smartphones. A 2012 international study
was associated with aggression, impaired parent
published reactions of children from around the
and school relationships, and other behavioral
world related to how they would feel without
problems9. In our study, among the
their phones; 46.6% students in Egypt and
respondents, 60.3% of the excessive users of
30.3% students in India admitted to feeling
mobile phones had a poor attitude and 68.5%
“insecure” without their phones. The lowest
of the excessive users of tablets had a poor
ratios were witnessed in Japan and Chile. The
attitude. This poor attitude refers to the
same study indicated a growing pattern of
participants’ unawareness of surroundings while
insecurity, with 27.3% children aged 11 years
using the gadgets, their considering electronic
admitting to feeling insecure without their
gadgets to be the best source of entertainment,
phones and 30.2% children aged 17 years
and their agreeing that surviving without
agreeing to the same notion12.
technology is difficult even for one day and
electronic gadgets may cause generation gaps Our study found 19.8% of students in the
between children and their parents. Numerous 7th grade would bring their smartphones to
students also agreed that “social networking school without the school granting permission.
sites are awesome.” They help them stay This number escalated among the 9th graders
connected to their friends and family and are to 27.2%, indicating an increase in this
available on every smartphone. A US study rebellious attitude among students. A study
confirmed 55% of all teenagers have created conducted among teenagers in Michigan, US,
profiles on various social networking sites, and found 65% of teenagers who owned mobile
48% of these confirm to logging on to their phones brought their phones to school in spite
profiles daily10. Recent research in 2014 claimed of phones being banned in school. Moreover,
400,000 new Facebook accounts were created 58% of these students admitted to texting
in the UAE; most users ranged between the during class, which is the prime reason why
ages of 15–29 years. This is indicative of the schools consider mobile phones a disruptive
immense popularity of social networking sites force and believe they should not be allowed
among children and the youth in the UAE. within school premises13.
Additionally, in terms of the increased and The age of technology has had an adverse
pervasive use of Facebook, the UAE is known impact on middle school children. The majority
of the students from all three grades voted their
choice of electronic gadget purchase was linked between technological communication use
to the fact that it has become a necessity. On and social skills in college students
average, 34% students admitted to purchasing [dissertation]. New London (CT):
Connecticut College; 2013.
gadgets because their friends owned one,
possibly weighed by peer pressure. A small 7. Mun WF, Li LM, Fernandez PR. Mobile
phone – the must-have gadget of the 21st
share of participants stated they purchased their
century: identifying trends and impact on
gadgets depending on brand. human relationships. The Journal of the
South East Asia Research Centre for
CONCLUSION Communication and Humanities. 2011;3(2):
Most of the participants (323 students = 94.2%) 39–53.
used at least one kind of electronic gadget. The 8. Gentile DA, Lynch PJ, Linder JR, Walsh
growing use of electronic gadgets was found to DA. The effects of violent video game
have an impact on the psychological behavior habits on adolescent hostility, aggressive
and attitudes of middle school children, with behaviors, and school performance. J
Adolesc. 2004;27(1):5–22.
the majority of excessive users of gadgets
having a poor attitude. The majority of 9. Roser K, Schoeni A, Foerster M, Röösli M.
Problematic mobile phone use of Swiss
excessive users (90%) admitted to feeling sad, adolescents: is it linked with mental health
anxious, or angry when their gadgets were taken or behavior? Int J Public Health.
away. 2016;61(3):307–15. Epub 2015 Oct 8.
10. Lenhart A, Madden M. Social networking
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