Author: Priyanshi Bansal and College Name: Meerut College
To the Point
The global world is developing with the changing needs and demands of society. The world is transforming their traditional aspect of living standards according to technological extension. Nations, worldwide, are witnessing the augmentation of digital advancement and artificial intelligence in their day today life that the ignorance of such standard of living seems unimaginable. Now- a- days the life of every human being revolves around digital platforms i.e. be it a business industry, household assistance or educational opportunities, every activity of the human living is dependent upon digital access. The digitalisation has come so far that it seems non- viable to take a step back from it.
This digitalised standard of living has also influenced children’s education. It tends to improve the cognitive thinking of a student which refines their reading and listening skills. The student life has turned out to be a ‘screen media native’ that is influenced by the digital ecosystem. The screen media has thereby deeply impacted the regular life of the children that instead of productively using the media screen they are addicted towards the digitalisation. The screen media has an empirical impact on the way of living of student life that may be both advantageous and detrimental. Therefore, the new technologies like smartphones, ipads, headphones, airpods etc if strategically used then it’s a powerful tool for the student life. However, excessive usage can affect the executive functioning of the student life. So has been observed by the Delhi High Court in its recent judgement. The Hon’ble Court took into the consideration the positive impact of the smartphones in a student life and thereby asked the school authorities to regulate the usage during the school hours. The court through the order demanded for a balanced approach for the usage of smartphones and technology. Thereby, it issued the nine guidelines as the regulatory measure for usage of smartphones during school hours. However, the court highlighted the cognitive benefits of smartphones but failed to reach the effect of excessive screen media on the mental and physical health on student’s lives.
Use of Legal Jargon
Cognitive Development is the judicious and logical development of the student. This form of development focuses on the education and training of children. The key characteristic of cognitive growth is about the nurturing of mental development which focuses on the analytical processing of the information. Moreover, it is also associated with the perception of clarity of the skills. Therefore, the changing trends of gaining education has improved the creative as well as logical skills of the students.
Language Development is related to vocabulary and phonology skills. The language is developed by way of interactions in the educational institutions as well as in the society. This form of skill is concerned about the quality and frequency of interaction that a person exchanges in their daily lives. This is indeed inculcated by way of listening and speaking.
Social- Emotional Development is the fostering of active and practical standards of living. The social development of any person is analogous to standards of living. The psychological and physiological development depends on the culture and society in which a person lives. This indeed affects the emotional behaviour of that person. The amount of patience, aggression, optimism, anxiety etc are all connected to the emotional development of the person. This is why the students are expected to live a healthy lifestyle so as to develop their cognitive and mental abilities.
The Proof
New technologies and digital platforms are an essential part of the life of young minds. The digital platform develops the cognitive mind of the young talent by assisting them in accomplishing their goals. The technological advancement has become so indispensable that education cannot come to an end, even during the pandemic period. It is indeed the technological evolution that processes the young minds. It has become feasible for everyone to attain knowledge from anywhere or everywhere. The talented minds need not to wait for the resources to accomplish their tasks. Moreover, they are facilitated by the digital platforms in the indoor competitions, skill development, analytical process of mind and many more. This is possible due to the efficient use of digital devices. These devices have ushered the technological revolution by easing the mode of learning, dissemination of information, communication, research and so on. However, the only matter of concern is in nexus to the adverse usage of the devices. The recent studies have highlighted the chronic behavioural problem in the students, downfall in the overall performances, obesity, lack of proper conversations between the caregivers and children, reducing the mental concentration, addictive behaviour of the young minds resulting in causing depression. Such are few highlights that the researchers have discussed about. These problems will indeed be resolved by distribution of responsibility between the parents, society and schooling. The usage of smartphones is part and parcel of life and thus, it needs to inculcate the digital ethics in the young talent.
Abstract
The 21st century is an era of digital advancement that focuses on the utilisation of technology in every condition of life. This thereby encourages the technological growth of the nation. In light of this philosophy, the Delhi High Court in recent times, delivered a promising order which signifies the importance of the tech world in a student life. The court passed an optimistic opinion which favoured the use of digital devices in the school premises. It was observed that the world is developing with the passing years and this development needs to be positively utilized for educational purposes. The court asserts to look into the positive aspect of the smart devices instead of deteriorating outcomes. Indeed, the judgement is a progressive step towards the sea of education. The study thereby throws some light on the progressive and preventive jurisprudential approach of Hon’ble Justice Mr. Anup Jairam Bhambhani. The Hon’ble Justice focused on the salutary purposes served by a device for the educational development of the children and hence, demands the school authorities to be vigilant and protective while regulating the conditions of usage. The decision through nine guiding principles shown the concern in respect of safety measures. Moreover, the operation of digital devices is unavoidable so it comes the responsibility of parents amd society to reform their parenting and inculcate the digital ethics in the living standards of their children Henceforth, avoiding or complete ban of smartphones will be of no solution rather educating the children behaviour can develop the world in a sound direction.
Case Law
- Y.V. v Kendriya Vidyalaya & ors (2025)
The facts of the case involved a school going minor student who was caught using a smartphone in the school premises and was disciplined for misusing it. The minor then filed a petition in the Hon’ble Delhi High Court demanding an order for allowing the use of smartphones in the school premises. On such a petition, the school asked the court to issue the clear advisory guidelines for the usage of smartphones in the school boundaries. The court ordered the pro- active judgment in favor of the students and allowed them to carry and use the smartphone in schools. However, the order was directory in nature and there are the following 9 guidelines that the court asked the schools to take into consideration:
FAQ
Do the school authorities have all the responsibility to control and regulate the usage of smartphones?
The Hon’ble High Court directed the school authorities to execute the regulatory measures for the usage of smartphones during school hours. However, it does not deny the role of parents and society from the life of students. The parents and society play a keen role in nurturing and regulating the behaviour of children. Therefore, the parents and society should also guide the children to maintain a balance between the effective usage and excessive usage.
How does the regulatory allowance of smartphones in the school premises increase the threat of cyber crimes?
The technology of digital devices is developing to another level and artificial intelligence is playing a prominent role in the education of students. This can attest the multiplication of cyber crimes in the school fields. The crimes such as pronography, cyber bully, financial frauds, sexual harassment, cheating etc can be the another side of the coin. The execution of regulatory measures in the digital world needs more scrutiny and advancement to control the commission of cyber crimes.
How can the counselling of students by the parents and school management be sufficient to control the exhilaration of students?
The counselling of students would not be sufficient to regulate the behaviour of students. In the practical world, there is a need for transparent and fair discipline that modulates the pros and cons of any action. There needs to be other pro- active measures also that assist to educate the students about the usage of the digital world.
What can be the harmful outcomes of exposure to the screen world?
The first and foremost outcome will be the addictive behaviour of the students. The students are getting dependent on the technological world. This can affect their analytical thinking and challenge the skills of concentration. Moreover, apart from the education development, it may result in obesity and emotional insanity like depression, anxiety, insomnia etc. Therefore, the regulatory measures can not control these harmful outcomes.