Are Mobile Phones Impacting Your Teenagers' Behaviour ?

Over the last few years I've been examining a new phenomenon gradually start to have an effect on our behavior; society in general that is.

The use and reliance on mobiles and specifically 'smartphones' seem at the root of the change in behavior.

These pocket sized, 'always connected' computers that have more processing power, memory and applications readily accessible than our desktop and laptop computers of not that many months ago.

Don't get me wrong - I'm all for technology and these devices without a doubt bring a wide variety of positive influences to our lives - there's no question of that.

Having worked within the mobile and associated industries since the mid 90's it's just recently that I've personally started to heed major changes in human behavior that seem to be directly connected with the use of mobile devices.

My main concern is that particularly within the younger generations this behavior is shaping how they develop into teenagers, young people and finally adults.

The sort of things I'm referring to include the almost catatonic like state of someone intent on the 4" display in their palm - the 'fading' consciousness of everything and everybody around them, the mobile induced halting 'zombie' step or the downright dangerous driving + mobile combo.

This type of stuff is the tip of the iceberg of how mobiles affect our daily lives. This piece is a starting point - a 'scene setter' for a string of articles; my personal and developing views on how mobile phones are increasingly impact our lifestyles, how we learn, behave and how we interact with each other.

) About Me

Firstly I am not a psychologist (not even an amateur one) - I am, I suppose an observationalist (not even a real word I know!) and these observations, notions and any thing that is developed from them are down to my own experience and the experiences of others that I have contact with.

I am 45 years old, a parent of two teenage children and I've worked in numerous aspects of the mobile sector for 17 years from building GSM mobile networks in the early days through to mobile services, support and applications.

Currently I run two companies based in the UK - the first delivering mobile guidance and expertise to business customers. The second is an offshoot of the first - being a mobile phone application service provider.

We started off providing mobile phone tracking plus other 'performance' tools to companies that help [make their remote workforces more productive.

From my own experience as a parent using our product to keep a watchful eye on my own young teenagers commencing in 2006 a family mobile tracking service was born.

Whilst the phone tracking product has continued to develop, my own observations around how the mobile is influencing how we behave has prompted the idea that we should actually be heeding the adverse consequences of this 'mobile culture' that we are seeing.

I'm intending this series will cover some of the concerns of business owners but I have particular concern for pre-teens and teenagers, a journey I am myself experiencing as a parent. Due to the attraction and reliance on smart mobiles I feel that their own social and/or academic growth could be in jeopardy.

As a very plain example, the use of smartphones during lesson times and late at night (causing sleep deprivation) are just a couple of areas that I have observed personally.

I find myself in what is quite possibly a rather unique position - parent, mobile industry veteran (that sounds older than I would have liked ...) involved in an arena that is responsible for, but also essentially able to help how mobile usage fashions our kids habits as they move towards their adult years.

As this series develops I'm expecting to learn more from the wider online discussion and shared experiences - an open discussion so if you would like to agree, disagree or put your own views forward please do so as I think this issue is going to get much, much bigger in a reasonably brief time.

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