Introduction
The above stated topic of research is just but a tip of the iceberg of the area that it is going to cover. The technology of cell phones was welcomed with much awe that enabled it to be the most worldwide spread device in the history of science. Just like everything else, the cell phones had their share of disadvantages, negative effects and losses, or whatever one may refer it to. Some of these were never anticipated and that is what this research is going to find out, but in more specified terms.
This research is first confined to children, the so called “preteens”, who are of the age between 10 and 14. There is the possibility of looking at the effects of the cell phones to everyone but that would mean a wider coverage of the areas of investigation. The group chosen (children) was due to the ignorance that has been accorded to them. Very few have endeavored to look at the concerns raised by what children do, compared to the attention that adults and their lives have been given. Secondly, the research is limited to only consider the social effects of the cell phones to children in an effort to determine whether they are a bad idea or not. The health effects are existent yes, but they have been left out as for this particular research.
The bibliography used for this research is time bound; not that it has a coming deadline but it has a past time limit. The oldest source in the bibliography is less than a decade ago and that, therefore, means the research just covers the events that have occurred within the last ten years. The sources in the bibliography are considered recent given that the cell phone is a device whose prominence just became significant, recognized and acknowledged by many all over the world in the past decade. Apart from their decency, the sources have been considered appropriate and suitable to be used in the research due to the broad area that it covers to satisfy the areas of investigation as listed in the research proposal.
Some of the sources advocated for children to have cell phones while some detested the idea, but of course, with reasons. Some sources left the readers to decide for themselves whether the cell phones were okay to be owned by children or not – whether schools should allow their students to have cell phones or not. A comprehensive analysis of the sources proved that some of the reasons given towards a certain concept or idea or proposal were met with an equal force from counter-arguing statements from other sources in the same bibliography. The analysis concluded that there was a certain form of a great conversation between the authors that could be seen from the way they presented their arguments in their books.
In finding the sources, various methods were employed. The internet formed the foundation of the search for sources. Now basing on the type of information I needed, which had been obtained from the areas of investigation, the internet search gave a feedback of results that were narrowed down to books only. Some of the books had previews while some did not. Only books with previews were selected to be used as authentic sources of information. The year of publication was one of the most paramount considerations also taken in to account Apart from the normal search, the books that coincidentally bumped into in the internet were scrutinized and if found to contain valid information, then they were also listed down in the bibliography. The type of information found in the books was later determined- were the books scholarly, popular, informative or reportive? From the analysis, it was also found that there were no books that shared the same author(s), despite their academic credentials, professions, qualifications, achievements and above all, their reputations. Most of the authors are bearers of title like ‘Professor’ and ‘Doctor’.
This annotated bibliography is designed to give the readers an overview of the effects of cell phones, the views that others have towards the same, the proven theories of their effects and above all centralize them to a point where they would make their own views towards the idea of children having cell phones. Since the advantages of cell phones are quite easy to see, hear, deduce and understand, the research will focus mostly on the negative effects but will also mention some of the strong arguments poised by some authors who advocate for the cell phones.
In summary, this introduction attempts to give the reader on overview of what the research will contain. The history of the cell phones dates back to the closure of the twentieth century, precisely the year 1976, when the first was invented. It was a huge block of machine and was not portable. They were then integrated into cars and later on several advancements followed until the present smart phones, which are existent and common to almost every living soul in the globe. There are several effects that came along with the spread of the cell phones; from physical effects, social effects, health effects to psychological effects. But based on this research, the social effects are the only ones delved into.
Children of the age between 10 and 14 raised the major concern that this research opted to look into. They are nowadays counted as customers in the cell phone business regardless of their methods of acquisition, be it their parents, relatives, friends, strangers or their own efforts. What matters is that they are owners of cell phones and the effects also tend to extend to them too. Social effects such as sexting, online harassment, pornography, truancy, disrespect among many others, accompany them as they get influenced by what the devices have to offer. Parents and schools, those who are the protectors of these children are aware of these effects and as a result, they have taken steps to secure their beloved children and students. Even so, there are still more ways proposed in this research concerning how parents can protect their children from the effects of cell phones. The methods already employed are also discussed to some extent. Schools have also tried to curb these effects by setting policies to govern the use and ownership of cell phones. Some of these policies are mentioned in the research and argued out. All the above works towards ensuring that children can own cell phones yes, but with minimum, and if possible, no effects at all.
Conclusion
The whole research is focused on the social lives and relations of children, but how is his affected by the inclusion of cell phones among their possessions? The answers to this question are outlined in the research with full elucidations and arguments regarding the same. The annotations provide the reader with an idea of what the main theme of the research is alongside some of its contents. The methods used to obtain the bibliography have been mentioned and the information that some of them provided. The research is all about children of that specified age and their relation to cell phones. In light of that, there are other factors that are inevitably encompassed. Factors such as parents, teachers/facilitators and their schools are encompassed and their role in the conjunction with the subject mentioned. The research covers quite a large area, including the policies that institutions with children have in relation to cell phones, what parents are doing in order to maintain the social values and norms exhibited by their children, and the factor of the presence of the internet capability of the cell phones. The above listed areas show that the research is more than just the meaning of its topic. Children spend more than two thirds of their time in school. School, therefore, becomes one of the areas investigated to get information about children and cell phones. Parents are the sole providers of the cell phones that most of their children have, they are also, therefore, a major area of investigation. The most prolific feature of the cell phones is the internet. It thus becomes an area of prime concern to the research. These topics show that there is more to cell phones than just their owners (children in this case). It will be found out that the research had so much to offer than it was expected, anticipated, required and predicted.
