Students Taking Smartphones Too Lightly
Here's a conversation I had with a student on my YouTube channel as comments exchange.
CA Hareesh
8/1/20262 min read
I recently upladed a video on my YT channel title, "The Brutal Reality of Students Using Smartphones as Primary Study Device."
In that video, I shared my hypothesis that "the more unlock count of smartphone a person has, the more regretful they will feel later."
A student shared an interesting push back:
"What if you have a tablet for digital notes or a device catered to studying? Ofc you still need digital devices to watch lectures, outsource q banks online, right?
Why not use an app blocker for studying like YPT, and prevent from using your phone (except certain apps which are non distractive and essential)?
And also, another question I have is, if you have less time then tou dont need to clarify your doubts or go into research mode, but if you have time, then it aint wrong to do so, right?
And lastly phone unlocks completely skips over any nuance, it is nuanced though. Like you could have phone calls from loved ones, you might have some work, productive work, etc etc. App usage time could be a better criteria to measure the amount of time wasted.I think this is where your hypothesis takes a fall, sir."
Here's what I gave my counter thoughts:
Glad you commented.
1) Do app blocker really work all the time? How long do you think it will take for somebody to over ride the control and go with the flow?
2) Screen time, App-wise usage time both matter. (app-wise usage is an even better metric.) But if you carefully notice the video, you can find that I mentioned yes, you can use digital devices and the internet if you have a year or six months to the exam. It is unwise to go into research mode when you have only 60 days to the exam. Curiosity is a liability the closer you get to the exam. You might be different. But a lot of students don't have the awareness to rein in and focus on the task at hand.
3) You need to be as focused as possible when you near the exam. Every unlock is an opportunity you take your attention "off" from your book and feed it into your device. Imagine doing it 80 times a day. On Off On Off. Sustained attention is needed to crack tough exams. With a high unlock count, sustained attention is impossible.
This is what I answered. Have you ever had the same experience where you tried installing app blockers only to override it a couple days later? Share your thoughts in the comments section.