The Effect of Prolonged

Usage of Cell Phones on

Young Teenage Girls
By: Ms. Sharon John (F.Y.M.B.A)

27/02/2011
 Acknowledgements
It’s my gifted time to express the heartfelt gratitude that I owe to all the good minds
that bestowed the best of their support for the successful accomplishment of working
out The Effects of Prolonged Usage of Cell Phones on Young teenage Girls.

My first fine feeling of gratitude lies to Almighty God for all Heavenly graces upon
this humble being at all instances of life making me move ahead to end in the glory
of success.

Now, it’s my time to extend a sincere word of thanks to my ever-helpful project

guide Mrs. Veronica Maben for her kind support in this endeavour, without whose
motivation and guidance hardly could have I attained successful completion of this
assigned work.

The other names to thank that come to my mind… Who were with me at all times
ready to greet me with my difficulties and problems and provide me with all that
was required towards the fine completion of my endeavour are my best friend Ms.
Krithika Padmanabhan (M.A. Psychology) who gave me some time off her busy
schedule to guide me through my project, my mother Mrs. Lisa John who was so
encouraging at all times and stood by me whenever I thought I would fail the task
given to me and my classmate and dear friend Ms. Sudipa Bhattacharya who helped
with all the practical work and made my task much easier. I am ever grateful to
them because of whom I was able to accomplish this work with all due perfection.

My word of sincere thanks with love extends to all my friends in S.Y.B.B.A and
T.Y.B.B.A at St.Mira’s, who were ready to be a part of my project and were very co-
operative and helped me fulfill the requirements of this project.

Finally, boundless gratitude lies to my dear and beloved Parents and my dear
brother to whom I owe anything and everything in my life, without whom I could
never achieve anything in life…

Thank You.

Ms. Sharon John.

Pune.
February 2011.

2
 CHAPTER I:

INTRODUCTION

3
 INTRODUCTION
Every day some 300 million cell phone users are “Reaching out and touching
someone you love. Yourself and anyone else within range of the microwaves
emitted by your cell phone.”
Mesmerized by magical gadgets, we have yet to count the costs of miniature
radio transmitters that are transforming Marconi’s invention into new
possibilities for portable personal pollution. As entire nations reach for pocket
communicators, the explosively emergent $40 billion a year cell phone
industry, is poised to deliver a “Wireless Revolution”, that over the next five
years it is expected to double the one-billion people connected by telephone
lines over the past century.
Since the middle of the last century technological advancements in
telecommunications and other industries have led to significant increase in the
use of radio frequencies. Exquisitely sensitive to subtle electromagnetic
harmonies, human brains and bodies as intricate as galaxies depend on tiny
electrical impulses to conduct complex life-processes - including the ability to
read, recall and respond to these words. Acting as antennas, our anatomies just
as easily tune into spurious signals from radio and microwave transmissions.
Blake Levitt, Author of “Electromagnetic Fields”, says that when it comes to
cell phones, “a worser frequency could not have been chosen for the human
anatomy.”
British military scientists have discovered that cell phone transmissions
disrupt the brain sites for memory and learning, causing forgetfulness and
sudden confusion.
In New Zealand, cell phone towers are prohibited on school property because
of possible health effects, because these radiations send pulsed signals through
the skull in a process one expert likens to “jackhammers on the brain.”
Reporting the conclusions of a 12-person British study team, scientist Sir
William Stewart told ‘London’s Financial Times’ that, “Children may be
more vulnerable because of their developing nervous system, the greater
absorption of energy in the tissues of the head and a longer lifetime of
exposure.”
With the brain’s electro-chemical communications repeatedly zapped by
lightning-like cell phone pulses, Dr. Neil Cherry a Ph.D. Biophysicist, warns
that headaches, fatigue, lethargy, nausea, dizziness, depression,
arteriosclerosis and even Alzheimer’s can result from frequent or prolonged
calls on cell phones. Health advocates have worried for decades that exposure
to frequencies emanating from these many sources might be harmful. And the

4
ubiquity of such technology today—especially considering the quantum leap
in cell phone usage in recent years—only makes such concerns that much
more pressing. Various studies researching the health effects of cell phone use
have yielded mixed results. Some earlier studies suggested a link between
exposure to radiation from cell phones and an increased risk of acoustic
neuroma—a cancerous tumor of the nerve connecting the ear to the brain--
but more recent research found no such links. The issue is primarily heat.
According to the Occupational Safety and Health Department of the
Communication Workers of America (CWA), "As high frequency radio
frequency radiation penetrates into the body, the exposed molecules move
about and collides with one another causing friction and, thus, heat… If the
radiation is powerful enough, the tissue or skin will be heated or burned."
Scan Showing Human Brain Cell Phone Microwave Penetration:

(Scan showing Maximum Microwave Penetration in Young Brains)

Fig. [A]
According to CWA, "There is substantial scientific data that establishes
negative health effects associated with microwave radiation." CWA cites
cataracts as one possible negative health effect from prolonged exposure, as
well as well as nervous system damage and even reproductive problems in
both males and females. This issue was in the news in 1992 over the issue of
the safety of police radar devices, but subsequent studies were inconclusive.
As to cell phones, the results of a study recently published in the academic
journal Environmental Health Perspectives do not bode well for habitual
chatterers. Researchers documented brain damage in laboratory rats exposed
to radio frequencies from cell phones at levels comparable to what people
would experience during normal use. The study’s authors expressed concern

5
that “after some decades of (often) daily use, a whole generation of (cell
phone) users may suffer negative effects, perhaps as early as middle age.”
Prolonged usage of cell phones is usually seen in the young population
(teenagers). They are most of the time involved in talking for long hours or
sending messages more often than needed. It is indeed startling to know that a
person, who sends at least 50 SMSs on an average per day, is prone to health
disorders like insomnia, hypertension, irritation, restlessness, eye problems,
etc. Would hanging up on such an intrusive and hazardous addiction be so
terrible?
THE EFFECTS OF PROLONGED USAGE OF CELL PHONES ON
YOUNG TEENAGE GIRLS

The Research Problem:

Is prolonged usage of cell phones the source of various health disorders

caused in young teenage girls at St. Mira’s College for Girls?
Define Terminology:

Prolonged Usage: The lengthened duration in the act, manner, or amount of

using.
Cell phones: A mobile radiotelephone, often in an automobile, that uses a
network of short-range transmitters located in overlapping cells throughout a
region, with a central station making connections to regular telephone lines.
Source: One that causes, creates, or initiates; a maker.
Health Disorders: Disturbance caused in the normal condition of optimal
well-being.
Young Teenage Girls: Adolescent girls falling between the age group 13 –
19 years.
St. Mira’s College for Girls: An Educational Institute situated at Koregaon
Road, Pune.

Hypothesis:

6
Prolonged Usage of Cell Phones IS the Source of Various Health Disorders
caused in Young Teenage Girls at St. Mira’s College for Girls.
The Major Questions for Study:

1] Why do young girls become fanatical on the redundant usage of cell

phones?
2] Are young girls becoming slaves of increasing risks caused by the
excessive amount of time involved in talking on a cell phone?
3] Are there hazards to the young brains due to intense exposure to cell
phones due to hard staring caused by gaming, messaging, etc.?
4] Why do teenage girls use swanky handsets which have got more
chances of getting hot within a short span of time than those which are
still safer?
The Objective:

1] To find out whether the teenage students in St. Mira’s are being
affected by the heat radiations emitted by a cell phone due to long hours
of talking.
2] To find out whether they are facing any other effects due to other kinds
of prolonged usage of cell phones.
Assumptions:

1] The heat radiations given out from the cell phones are the major root of
all the disorders that are caused in young brains.
2] The urge to devote a lot of time for friends by talking to them and the
obsession to keep messaging friends all the time for absolutely no
reason, creates insomnia, headaches, dizziness, hypertension,
restlessness, eye problems, irritation, etc.
3] Talking for more than 20 mins., makes the ear hot, indicating that the
heat radiations are entering the brain and causing health disorders in
most teenage girls but very slowly.
4] Hard staring into the phone more than required increases risks of
hypertension and the brain starts responding faster.

7
Limitations:

The researcher faced the following limitations during the course of the
research:

1] Some students failed to give truthful and frank answers to the questions
in the questionnaires, since the questions that were put forward to them
were by a researcher who herself was a student of St. Mira’s and they
feared that their identities would be disclosed.
2] They did not want to make known of their cell phone habits or their
addiction to it.
3] Some of the students were not specific about the answers that they
gave.
4] A certain amount of manipulation had to be done to get truthful answers
from the students.

The Scope of the Study:

1] The research is restricted to the graduating students of the Bachelors of

Business Administration Degree of St. Mira’s College for Girls, Pune.
2] The research covers the cell phone habits and addictions to the same of
different teenage students with different mindsets.
3] It also makes an attempt to find out the problems that they maybe
unknowingly facing due to the prolonged usage of cell phones.

8
 CHAPTER II:

LITERATURE REVIEW

LITERATURE REVIEW

9
There are several researches done in the past regarding cell phones and its
effects due to prolonged usage which are interrelated with this research
problem that is proposed. Some of the most relevant ones on the basis of
which this research has been carried out are as follows:

1] Jan Van den Bulck and Irwin Benuck: “Long hours of chatting at
Bedtime among Teenagers Becomes really tiring”, Sleep.
Using a cell phone just once a month, raises the risk of tiredness.
Possibly teenagers who say they don't use their phones much,
underestimate the real frequency of the behaviors or the problems that
are accompanied with it. Or maybe once they have started considering
using the phone, they remain switched on. They do not mature enough
to understand the risks or even the behavioral changes that they are
bound to face. Maybe even the adults would not dare to even imagine
such a risk. Even if these teens don't call up much, they may still end
up being awake, awaiting a potential call which could become a real
big problem. Eventually, they will become used to staying awake at
nights because of insomnia and feel drowsy and tired in the morning.
They get used to staying awake at nights and falling asleep in the
morning. Due to this, even their mental balance gets disturbed. The
researcher suggests that the parents of such young teenagers should
forbid or restrict any calls and usage of the phones after bedtime.
2] Dr. Alan Preece, Lennart Hardell and Kjell Hansson, Elizabeth Cardis:
“Mobile phones may cause damage to health by speeding up the brain's
response times in teens”.
Health damages are caused in young minds because of cell phones due
to its prolonged usage. The major damage that is seen now in teenagers
is that the radiations emitted by cell phones is taking control of the
brains by speeding up the brain’s response times. Speeding of the
brain’s response times is actually the slowest process of modifying the
normal stability of the brain which is the main antecedent of creating
senility in a teenager. Radiations are more active in young brains than
in adults; therefore, penetrations of these radioactive waves are also
faster. The maturing and young brains are more prone to this kind of
permanent damage and hence the research suggests that teenagers and
children should be discouraged of using cell phones at a very early age
and of its prolonged usage also since they are more liable to this
damage.

10
3] Dr David Carpenter: “Prolonged Use helps in cooking a Child’s
Brain”.

Children in particular have developing immune systems and therefore

radiations find it easier to penetrate not only into their brains, but also
into their bodies. They are more vulnerable to the effects of EM
Radiations and are thus at a higher risk. There are clear evidences
exposure to EM radiations increases the risk of cancer and particularly
Leukemia and Brain Tumours are the main types that are caused. But in
residential studies statistical significance increased for all kinds of
cancers. There is also a whole body of evidence that prolonged
exposure of young teenage girls towards these radiations increases risks
of reproductive cancers also. The maximum risk is seen from the cell
phone radiations.

4] Stafford Lowe: “Do You or Your Family Suffer From Any Of These
Common Symptoms Of Mobile Phone Use?
This research has been particularly dealt with the most common
problems that occur in people after the prolonged usage of cell phones.
These problems are: Headaches, “Stress”, Earaches, "Hot Ear", Chronic
Fatigue, “Insomnia”, Weakened immune system, “Blurred Vision”,
Dizziness, “Lack Of Concentration”, Memory Loss, “Nausea”, Sinus
Infections, “Muscle Pains”, Drastic Mood Changes, “Behavioural
Disabilities”, Learning Disabilities, “Reduced Sex Drive”, etc. The
research suggests that people who face these problems are subject to
unimaginable brain disorders which will be seen only after a period of 5
years or a decade. They do not really come to know that they are being
disposed to such a risk while they come across such symptoms but later
these effects are quite treacherous.

5] Anonymous: “Cell Phones Release Stress Proteins”, Journal of Cellular

Biochemistry.
Severe usage of cell phones diffuses harsh radiations which diffuse into
the maturing brains of teenagers and facilitates the release of stress
proteins. These once again disturb the mental stability of that person
increasing the risks of brain disorders. Studies also show that heavy
cell-phone use could cause brain cancer and other diseases by
interfering with DNA repair of wayward cells. The stress proteins

11
 released in the brains of teenagers consequently results in causing
hypertension, irritation and make them chaotic in nature. They are
released to a larger extent in the younger brains, since they are more
susceptible to these EM radiations.
6] Don Maisch: “Children and Mobile Phones ... Is There a Health Risk?
The Case for Extra Precautions”, Journal of Australasian College of
Nutritional and Environmental Medicine, Vol. 22 No. 2.

Special concern for children followed from the research. Studies

showed that radiation penetrated deeper into the heads of teenagers and
children resulting in more exposure to potentially harmful radio waves
than adults; the type of genetic damage that was found – micronuclei in
human blood – is more likely to occur in growing tissue undergoing
mitosis, such as growing brain tissue in children; the wireless industry
had targeted children as a growth market and were succeeding in
increasing cell phone usage among children and teenagers. Therefore,
cell phones have now become the prime product for attracting children
and teenagers and its fancy features and user friendly properties don’t
allow them to accept or realize the effects the phones may have on
them. It only makes them more and more addicted not realizing that the
various common symptoms that they maybe facing are the results of the
prolonged usage of their cell phones.

12
 CHAPTER III:

ANTHOLOGY OF DATA

ANTHOLOGY OF DATA

The researcher has made use of the following methodology for the collection
of data for the proposed research problem.

Research Methodology:

Type of Research:
Descriptive Type of Research:
Descriptive Research includes surveys and fact-finding enquiries of different
kinds. The major purpose of descriptive research design is description of the
state of affairs as it exists at present. The main characteristic of this method is
that the researcher has no control over the variables; he can only report what
13
has happened or what is happening. The studies in this type of research also
include attempts by researchers to discover causes even when they cannot
control the variables. The methods of research utilized in descriptive research
are survey methods of all kinds, including comparative and correlational
methods.
Method of Research:
Survey Research Method:
Surveys are conducted in case of descriptive type research studies. Survey
type research studies usually have larger samples because the percentage of
responses generally happens to be low, as low as 20 to 30%. Thus, the survey
method gathers data from a relatively large number of cases at a particular
time; it is essentially cross-sectional. Surveys are concerned with describing,
recording, analyzing and interpreting conditions that either exist or existed.
The researcher does not manipulate the variable or arrange for events to
happen. Surveys are only concerned with conditions or relationships that exist,
opinions that are held, processes that are going on, effects that are evident or
trends that are developing. Surveys are an example of field research. Surveys
are concerned with hypothesis formulation and testing the analysis of the
relationship between non-manipulated variables. Surveys may either be
census or sample surveys. They may also be classified as social surveys,
economic surveys or public opinion surveys. Whatever be their type, the
method of data collection happens to be either observation or interview or
questionnaire/opinionnaire or some projective techniques. Possible
relationships between the data and the unknown in the universe can be studied
through surveys.
Type of Data Collected:
Primary Source of Data
Sampling:
Target Population:
110 students; combining the classes of S.Y.B.B.A and T.Y.B.B.A.

Sample Size:
20 students.
14
(10 students falling in between the age group 13 years to 19 years, each from
the S.Y.B.B.A and the T.Y.B.B.A Classes, St. Mira’s College for Girls, Pune.)
Type of Sampling:
Random Sampling: Random Sampling is also known as Probability Sampling
or Chance Sampling. Under this sample design, every item of the universe has
an equal chance of inclusion in the sample. Random sampling from a finite
population refers to that method of sample selection which gives each possible
sample combination an equal probability of being picked up and each item in
the entire population to have an equal chance of being included in the sample.
Lottery Method of Random Sampling: This is the simplest method of making
a selection through random sampling. The number of items in a data is written
on sheets of paper or cards and they are thrown into a box. A casual observer
or the researcher blindfolds himself/herself selects the number of item
required in the sample. Here there is no partiality in favour of any item. The
play of the chance is allowed to determine the items selected in the sample.
Reasons for Selection of the stated Sample:
The above mentioned sample was selected because of the following reasons:
1] The researcher has conducted the research to find out the ill effects that
the intense usage of cell phones were having on teenagers and studies
show that it is the young teenage girls who are more involved in phone
conversations than boys. Hence the sample is restricted to St. Mira’s
College for Girls, Pune.
2] The population has been restricted to the graduating students of the
Bachelors Degree of Business Administration of St. Mira’s College,
since; the teenage girls needed with the mentioned age group required
for the sample are in these classes.
3] Random Sampling method has been used with a sample restricted to 20
students; in order to get the views of teenage girls with different
mindsets.
4] Lottery Method of Random Sampling has been used to avoid any bias
in the research.
Technique of Research:

15
Questionnaire Method:
This method of data collection is quite popular, particularly in case of big
enquiries. A questionnaire consists of a number of questions printed or typed
in a definite order on a form or set of forms. The subjects or the respondents
have to answer the questions on their own.
The Questionnaire Format:
The questionnaire method for the proposed research problem was constructed
on the following basis:
1] To find out whether the teenage girls in St. Mira’s College were
addicted to cell phones.
2] To find out whether majority of them were prone to any health
disorders due to the prolonged usage of cell phones.

CHAPTER IV:

16
 DATA ANALYSIS AND
INTERPRETATIONS

DATA ANALYSIS AND INTERPRETATIONS

The researcher has made the following interpretations on the basis of the
Questionnaires that were circulated among the subjects, by analyzing the data
for each of the answers received against the questions that were presented; in
order to prove or disprove her hypothesis.

Q.1] When did you first start using a cell phone?

Ans: Beginning of the Usage of Cell Phones in Teenage Girls

CLASSES
YEAR (S.Y.B.B.A AND PERCENTAGE

17
 T.Y.B.B.A)

2000-2004 2 10%

2004-2008 18 90%

TOTAL 20 100%

[Table 1]

SOURCE: St. Mira’s College for Girls

[Figure 1]
INTERPRETATION:
From the survey the researcher has found out that 90% of the teenage girls at
St. Mira’s College started to use their cell phones only after they had crossed a
mature age of 17 years and only 10% of the girls started using their cell
phones at a very young age that is before a mature age of 15 years.

18
Q.2] Which Handset do you use? Why?

Ans: The Handsets used by different Teenage Girls

HANDSETS CLASSES PERCENTAGE

PREFERRED (S.Y.B.B.A AND
T.Y.B.B.A)

NOKIA 15 75%

MOTOROLLA 2 10%

SAMSUNG 2 10%

OTHERS 1 5%

TOTAL 20 100%

[Table 2]

19
 SOURCE: St. Mira’s College for Girls
[Figure 2]
INTERPRETATION:
From the survey the researcher has found out that from the most popular
handsets that are available in the market today, 75% of the teenage girls
preferred Nokia Handsets, 10% preferred Motorolla and Samsung Handsets
and only 5% preferred any other handset. Nokia was the most preferred
handset because of its user friendly properties and because of its attractive
features.

Q.3] Are you crazy about Mobile Phones?

Ans: Cell Phone Addiction in Teenage Girls

ADDICTION TO CLASSES PERCENTAGE

CELL PHONES (S.Y.B.B.A AND
T.Y.B.B.A)

YES 9 45%

20
 NO 11 55%

TOTAL 20 100%

[Table 3]

SOURCE: St. Mira’s College for Girls

[Figure 3]
INTERPRETATION:
From the survey the researcher found out that only 45% of teenage girls were
addicted to cell phones while 55% of the teenage girls had no craze for cell
phones at all.

Q.4] What do you do with your mobile phone? (E.g. Play games, listen to FM
Radio, chat for hours, messaging, etc.)

Ans: Different Activities done with a Cell Phone among Teenage Girls
21
 CLASSES
ACTIVITY (S.Y.B.B.A AND PERCENTAGE
T.Y.B.B.A)

CHATTING 7 35%

MESSAGING 6 30%

FM RADIO 5 25%

GAMING 2 10%

TOTAL 20 100%

[Table 4]

SOURCE: St. Mira’s College for Girls

[Figure 4]
INTERPRETATION:
From the survey, the researcher found that most of the teenage girls like to
idle away their time by chatting for long hours on their phones (35%) or
messaging (30%). Some amount of teenagers liked spending time by listening

22
to the FM Radio on their phones (25%) while very few liked playing games as
their pass time (10%).

Q.5] Do you like talking on your cell phone? How long do you usually talk
on you phone each day?

Ans: No. of Hours Spent by Teenage Girls in Talking on the Cell

Phones per Day

CLASSES
NO. OF HOURS (S.Y.B.B.A AND PERCENTAGE
T.Y.B.B.A)

LESS THAN 1 7 35%

HOUR

1 HOUR 4 20%

MORE THAN
1 HOUR 9 45%

TOTAL 20 100%

[Table 5]

23
 SOURCE: St. Mira’s College for Girls
[Figure 5]

INTERPRETATION:
From the survey the researcher found that a major 45% of the teenage girls
spent more than 1 hour, 20% of the teenage girls spent around 1 hour and 35%
spent less than 1 hour in chatting on their cell phones.

Q.6] Do you like SMSing? How many messages do you send on an average
per day?

Ans: No. of SMSs sent by Teenage Girls on an Average per Day

CLASSES
NO. OF SMSs (S.Y.B.B.A AND PERCENTAGE
T.Y.B.B.A)

LESS THAN 20 14 70%

SMSs

20 SMSs 2 10%

MORE THAN
24
 20 SMSs 4 20%

TOTAL 20 100%

[Table 6]

SOURCE: St. Mira’s College for Girls

[Figure 6]

INTERPRETATION:
From the survey the researcher found that most of the teenage girls sent less
than 20 SMSs (70%), few girls sent more than 20 SMSs (20%) and very few
girls sent around 20 SMSs (10%) on an average per day.

Q.7] Does the handset face any problem after usage for a long time? (E.g. The
phone becomes very hot, it stops responding, it functions very slowly,
etc.)

Ans: Problems faced after Prolonged Usage in Mobile Handsets of

Teenage Girls

25
 PROBLEMS
FACED IN CLASSES PERCENTAGE
HANDSETS (S.Y.B.B.A AND
(The Phone becomes hot, T.Y.B.B.A)
stops responding,
functions very slowly, etc.)

YES 10 50%

NO 10 50%

TOTAL 20 100%

[Table 7]

SOURCE: St. Mira’s College for Girls

[Figure 7]

INTERPRETATION:
From the survey, the researcher found that an equal amount of teenage girls
faced problems with their handsets after a prolonged usage and vice versa i.e.

26
50% of the girls faced problems with their mobile handsets after prolonged
usage, while 50% of the girls had no problems with their mobile handsets.

Q. 8] Do you experience any problem after using your phone more than
required? Please specify your problem. (E.g. Ears start becoming hot
after talking for more than 15 to 20 mins., dizziness, headache, etc. due
to long staring into your cell phone while playing games or messaging
or state if any other.)

Ans: Teenage Girls Experiencing Health Problems after Prolonged

Usage of Cell Phones

HEALTH
PROBLEMS CLASSES PERCENTAGE
FACED IN (S.Y.B.B.A AND
TEENAGERS T.Y.B.B.A)
(Ears start becoming hot after talking for
more than 15 to 20 mins., dizziness, headache,
etc. due to long staring into your cell phone
while playing games or messaging, etc.)

YES 9 45%

NO 11 55%

27
 TOTAL 20 100%

[Table 8]

SOURCE: St. Mira’s College for Girls

[Figure 8]

INTERPRETATION:
From the survey, the researcher found that only a minority of the teenage girls
faced health problems after prolonged usage (45%) while a majority showed
no symptoms of any kind of health problems due to the same (55%).

28
 CHAPTER V:

INTERPRETATION OF
FINAL RESULTS

INTERPRETATION OF FINAL RESULTS

In the previous chapter, the researcher has given a question-wise analysis of
the data and interpreted each result. A brief interpretation of the final result
has been made on the basis of the interpretations made previously.
Final Interpretations:

29
 1] Majority of the teenage girls at St. Mira’s College for Girls, Pune, are
not addicted to cell phones.
2] They do not make frequent use of their cell phones or use them for a
prolonged period.
3] The causes of creating any health disorders in them (like long hours of
chatting or intense staring into the phones) are seen only in a minority.
4] Therefore, they are not prone to any health problems that are caused
due to the prolonged usage of cell phones.
STUDENTS THAT ARE BEING AFFECTED/NOT AFFECTED BY
THE PROLONGED USAGE OF CELL PHONES
[Figure 9]
The above graph is the representation of the final interpretation made through
this research showing very clearly the status of health in teenagers at St.
Mira’s College for Girls, Pune, who make prolonged use of cell phones.
The interpretation is clear that, majority of the teenage girls who were selected
as subjects at St. Mira’s College are not prone to any health problems that are
caused due to the prolonged usage of cell phones.

30
 CHAPTER VI:

CONCLUSION AND
RECOMMENDATIONS

31
 CONCLUSION
From this research, the researcher has concluded that Cell phones do
not have any major effect on the teenage girls at St. Mira’s College.
This is because of the following reasons:
1] The teenage girls facing health problems due to the prolonged
usage of cell phones were lesser than those with absolutely no
problems.
2] The selected sample failed to prove the hypothesis with a very
narrow difference (9 girls being prone to health risks and
11having no problems).
Therefore, the researcher concludes that the hypothesis has failed
and has been disproved.
The Research concludes that
Prolonged Usage of Cell Phones IS NOT the Source of Various
Health Disorders caused in Young Teenage Girls at St. Mira’s
College for Girls, Pune.

RECOMMENDATIONS

Even though the research proves that cell phones and its prolonged
usage is not the source of health disorders in majority of the teenage
girls at St. Mira’s College for Girls, Pune, it is still a source of
problem-making in the other students who were part of the sample.
Cell phones definitely cause harm to the young human brains,
thanks to its powerful ELECTROMAGNETIC WAVES. It is better
to be on the safer side than fall into a permanent problem. Cell
phone usage should be discouraged amongst young teenagers
especially for long hours of chatting. The researcher has already
stressed upon the health hazards a cell phone can have on the young
human brains and the literature reviews mentioned are proof
32
enough. It is highly recommended that teenagers, especially girls
should be strictly dissuaded to make prolonged use of cell phones.

SAY “NO” TO CELL PHONES.

33
 APPENDICES

SR CONTENTS PAGE
NO. NUMBER

1. QUESTIONNAIRE 39

2. BIBLIOGRAPHY 40

Subject : IDENTITY PROTECTED

34
Hello! Please take time and fill your answers to the simple questions that are given
below. Frank and honest answers are expected. The answers you give are really
valuable. Questions marked with an ASTERISK are compulsory.

1. When did you first start using a cell phone?

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2. Which handset do you use? Why?

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3. *Are you crazy about mobile phones?

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4. *What do you like to do with your mobile phone? (E.g. Play games, listen to FM
Radio, chat for hours, messaging, etc.)

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------

5. *Do you like talking on your cell phone? How long do you usually talk on your
phone each day?

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---

6. *Do you like SMSing? How many messages do you send on an average per day?

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7. *Does the handset face any problem after usage for a long time? (E.g. The
phone becomes very hot, it stops responding, it functions very slowly, etc.)

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------

8. *Do you experience any problem after using your phone more than required?
Please specify your problem. (E.g. Ears start becoming hot after talking for more
than 15 to 20 mins., dizziness, headache, etc. due to long staring into your cell
phone while playing games or messaging, or state if any other)

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-------

Thank you very much for spending your precious time in answering the above
questions and for your kind co-operation.

35
 BIBLIOGRAPHY
BOOKS REFERRED:
Author: C.R. Kothari
Book Name: Research Methodology, Methods and Techniques
Edition, Publisher: Second Revised Edition, New Age International Publishers
Page Nos: 2, 3, 15, 38, 59, 60, 100, 104, 120, 121

Author: K. Chakraworthy
Book Name: Research Methodology
Edition, Publisher: Nil, Sumit Enterprises
Page Nos: 27, 30.

WEBSITE LINKS:

Research Literature: Long hours of Chatting at bedtime among teenagers

becomes really tiring by Jan Van den Bulck, Ph.D., Researcher, Katholieke
Universiteit Leuven, Leuven, Belgium; Irwin Benuck, M.D., attending
physician and pediatrician, Children's Memorial Hospital, Chicago, Journal:
Sleep
http://www.bio-medicine.org/medicine-news-1/Teens-Cell-Talk-at-Night-Can-Be-Tiring-
353-2/

Research Literature: Mobile phones may cause damage to health by speeding

up the brain's response times in teens by Dr. Alan Preece, Lennart Hardell and
Kjell Hansson, Elizabeth Cardis.
http://www.cellular.co.za/news_2001/092601-mobile_phones_may_do_harm.htm

Research Literature: Prolonged Use helps in cooking a child’s a brain by Dr

David Carpenter, Dean of the State of New York School of Public Health.
http://www.childrensfurniture.co.uk/phones.html
Research Literature: Do You or Your Family Suffer From Any Of These
Common Symptoms Of Mobile Phone Use? by Stafford Lowe, Former Royal
36
Australian Navy Helicopter Pilot, Aeronautical Engineer, and Owner of
“Ultimate Health”
http://www.cellphoneradiationtips.com/index1.html
Research Literature: Cell Phones Release Stress Proteins, Journal: Journal of
Biochemistry, 2002.
http://osdir.com/ml/culture.discuss.conspiracy/2005-12/msg00070.html

Research Literature: Children and Mobile Phones ... Is There a Health Risk?
The Case for Extra Precautions by Don Maisch, PhD Research Student
(Wollongong University), Journal: Journal of Australasian College of
Nutritional & Environmental Medicine - Vol. 22 No. 2.
http://www.emfacts.com/papers/children_mobiles.pdf

37