Social media has completely took over the control of our lives into its hands and have thus became integral part of our loves without which expecting our lives has become quite impossible. This is so far very true practically that digital platforms has provided us new learning opportunities and we are also able to communicate easily but our group did a survey work across various districts of Kashmir regarding the impact of screen time on the attention span of students and the loosing intellectualicity of students due to this, and has affected students to a lot extent.
Our research project namely “Digital Distractions and Developing Minds,” surveyed 400 students of Classes 7th to 10th from schools in Srinagar, Anantnag, Kulgam and Shopian. The study explores how social media impacts students academic performance, attention span, stress levels, online safety, sleep, and mental health and affect student in many other ways too’
According to our findings what we came to know was tha, many students admitted that social media has become a regular part of thei regular routine. Although many students enjoy the benefits of digital technolog, the survey also find signs that more screen time is creating new challenges in both classrooms and daily life.
One of the survey questions ask students if they hesitate to post or express their real opinions online because of fear of negative comments. The our study showed that 35.75% said they rarely hesitate, while 28% said they sometimes do. Another 16.75% reported hesitating often, and 9.75% said they always feel this fear. Only 9.75% said they never hesitate. These findings suggest that many students experience at least some level of anxiety while expressing themselves online, mainly because of fear of criticism, bullying or negative comments.
The study also see how safe students feel telling their thoughts online comparing to real life. The results showed that 39.2% of students feel much less safe expressing themselves on social media, while 27.3% feel slightly less safe. Only 13.8% believes that online platforms are much safes than reallife interactions. These responses shoes that despite spending considerable time online, many students still lack confidence in expressing themselfes freely on digital platforms.
Stress emerged as another major issue. When students were asked how stress affects their decision-making ability, 42% said they become highly confused, while 38.75% reported becoming slightly confused. Only 5.5% said stress actually helps them think more clearly. These findings suggest that emotional pressure significantly reduces studentsvability to make sound decisions during stressful situations.The our survey also explores if students compare their lives with those of others on social media. Around 37.25% said yes to that they sometimes feel others have better lives, while 14.5% said they feel this often. On the positive side, 33.25% says that they never compare themselves with others online.we Researchers believe that costant exposure to carefully edited posts and pictures can create unrealistic expectations and lower selfconfidence among adolesents.
Beyond the survey graphs, the report highlights severals others concerns. We Researchers observed that very much screen time is linked with lesst concentration, declining classroom attention, poor study habits, sleep disturbances, emotional stress and lower invovlment in physical activities. Many students also reports staying awake late at night using their phones, which often effects their energy levels and classroom performance the next day
our study further notes that students are very exposed to online risks like as cyberbulying, phishing, privacthreats, identity theft and mis-information. Although students are comfortable using smartphones and social media many have not received sformal education about online safety or responsible digital behaviour. The researchers believe that this lack of awareness makes adolescents more vunerable to cyber threats.
According to the our report, digital technology itself is not the problem. Social media can support learning, creativity and communication when used responsiblity. The real concern arose when students spend long hours online without maintaining a healthy balance between digital activities, studies, sleep and physical exercise.
The researchers recommend that schools introduce digital literacy and cyber-safety programes while parents should encourage healthy screentime limits and spend more quality time with their children. Teachers can also help students develop better study habits by promoting offline learning activities and classroom interactive acticitives
The report concludes that technology should serve as a tool for education and personal growthr than becoming a source of distractions. By developing responsible digital habits and increasing awareness about online safety students can enjoy the advantage of technologies without allowing it to interference with their academic success, mental health and overall well-being. The researchers hope that these findings will encourage students parents teachers and policymakers to work together in creating a healthier and more balanced digital environment for young learners. Followings are the cracks of our findings in this picture:
Special Note of Thanks
We sincerely thank all the members of our survey group for their hard work, cooperation, and valuable contributions in successfully completing this project. We are especially grateful to our Group Leader, Shahid Ahmad Thoker (2520063), for his guidance and leadership throughout the survey.
We also extend our heartfelt appreciation to all the team members:
• Shahid Ahmad Thoker (2520063) – Group Leader
• Umais Mudasir (2522001)
• Shunaida Mubeen (2522003)
• Shakira Javid (2522047)
• Safia Aashiq (2522039)
• Mustafa Tahir (2520074)
• Farhan Rafiq (2520153)
• Uzair Hussain Reshie (2525013)
• Labeeb Bin Zaffar Wani (2520129)
Their teamwork, dedication, and support made this survey a success. We sincerely appreciate everyone’s efforts and cooperation.
Digital Distractions Reshape Student Thinking: Survey
By: UMAIS MUDASIR AND MUSTAFA TAHIR.
