What would the world be like today if mobile phones had never been invented? Many scientists argue that mobile phones cause more problems than they solve.

Mobiles Today

What would the world be like today if mobile phones had never been invented? Many scientists argue that mobile phones cause more problems than they solve. This still doesn’t hide the fact that we think of mobile phones as a necessary item to have on our person. I don’t think I could leave the house without mine!

In our advanced society adults, teens and even children as young as six have access to their own mobile phone although for a six year old it is most likely a fake one. However if a child as young as six is brought up with people who use mobiles as much as they use oxygen the child may grow up to believe that mobile phones are cool and a necessary accessory. The scary fact about mobiles is that they cause brain damage and tumours to at least 30% of its users. In my opinion 30% is more than enough to make people realise that they are an unhealthy risk and should not be given to anyone as young as sixteen. Most shops took note of this fact and have been forced not to sell mobiles to anyone under the age of fifteen by law, but I still see people from eleven years and up carrying mobile phones.

However, eleven is the age of entering secondary school in the UK and most parents may be giving their children mobile phones to make sure they know every step their child is taking. Mobiles are excellent for emergencies as most emergency phone lines are free to call anytime for example the police. Many companies like 0800 reverse have opened systems to reverse the calling charge if a person has no credit left on their phone. I find this very helpful in tricky situations. For example if you had planned to get the bus home but a friend asked you to go into town after school and you had no way to phone your parent.

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Some worried parents have complained about the use of mobiles in school. One parent, Thomas O’Donovan said, “In many schools, phones are used for bullying and cheating during tests.” However, many schools have banned the use of mobiles during school and if a mobile is in use by a pupil it will be confiscated. In Our Lady’s, camera phones are confiscated until the parent of the child can personally collect it from the schools reception desk. This rule was imposed because some girls were taking pictures of others without their consent and then sending the picture to other people. This was a form of bullying of which Our Lady’s has no tolerance. However, as a pupil of this school my friends and I feel that sometimes this rule is not fair as even if your mobile is turned off and in the bottom of your bag there is a chance of a teacher confiscating it for example if an accidental alarm went off on the phone.

What if you were with your friends and that once-in-a-lifetime moment happened and you didn’t have a camera phone? Camera phones are a pocket sized photo album. Many celebrities say the camera phone is the “signature of the twenty-first century!” with which I agree.

However, if a camera phone is stolen, the thief will have private images and pictures and numbers.

Mobiles are always thought of as bringing people together. They are also thought of as bringing unwanted people to your doorstep. Fourteen-year-old Sally O’Hanlon is a great example of this. Here is her story:

“Last year on my thirteenth birthday my mum had bought me a new mobile. It was a brand new model. None of my friends had it! It had all the latest technology and easy Internet access! There was a great camera with a memory card inserted to store pictures. Texts were only 5p and I had three hundred free minutes. I was showing it off to my classmates the next day at school during lunch break and for a laugh me and my mate Trisha accessed a chat room for teens over the Internet. I liked this one boy, Chris, he sent me his number and asked me to text him. He asked me what I looked like so I sent him a picture message and vice versa. He was very cute and all my friends were jealous although Trish thought he looked familiar, but I brushed it off and took no notice. About a month later he asked to meet up with me at the chippy. I agreed to go meet him on that Saturday. I was so excited and dressed up in my sister’s best top, she yelled at me afterwards. So when I got there I stood at the park across the road an observed passers-by for about half an hour until everyone had gone to the other side of the park so I was left alone apart from an old man in a black coat. My first thought was that he looked creepy. He had a long, bowed body with saggy skin and his eyes were sunken and black. He was around fifty and balding. He had been glancing over at me and after ten minutes walked towards me. He said, ‘Hey Sally how’s about a ride eh?’ I blushed and declined politely saying I was waiting for my dad. Then the old man said, ‘No you are waiting for me…Chris.’ I was in shock but I was also hurt so I kicked him in the shin and ran home.”

Chris had used a male models photo downloaded from the web. He had also been watching Sally for a while during their conversations over text as he gained knowledge of where she lived, what school she went to and other personal details about her. This is how dangerous mobiles are and Sally was completely vulnerable in this situation.

However, there is no better way to keep in touch with friends and family. Mobiles are also very helpful, as you don’t need to carry around an address book with you in case you need to ring someone. For example during the summer I had gone out with some friends to the cinema and rang my mum to collect me. She arrived a few minutes later whereas my friend, who lives furthest away from the town centre, had forgot her phone and was unable to pay for a payphone due to the high prices in the cinema.

Mobiles are also a handy way of keeping in touch with friends living in different countries. My friend Tasha lives in London with her family and I keep in contact with her via texting and email.

In conclusion, I think that mobile phones are an excellent way of communicating with other people and are great for emergencies. I try not to ring people too much, as that is what causes the brain damage and I do think it is a serious problem. I also think that mobile phones encourage bullying but even without mobiles people will still try to undermine others to make themselves feel big.

Kate McCaul S2F.