Assessing the Impact of Mobile Phone Exposure on Aggression in Early Childhood

Abstract

This study uses an ex-post facto research design to examine the connection between mobile phone dependency and aggression in school-going adolescents aged 7 to 12 years in Srinagar, Jammu and Kashmir, India. A sample of 120 adolescents, comprising 60 boys and 60 girls, was chosen through convenience sampling, and data were gathered via questionnaires. The study utilized the Internet Addiction Test (Young, 1998) and the Aggression Scale (Buss & Perry, 1992). Results indicated a significant positive correlation between internet addiction and different aspects of aggression. Further, regression analysis showed that internet addiction significantly predicted aggression levels. Gender differences were notable only in the anger dimension of aggression. The study highlights the critical role of understanding the relationship between mobile phone addiction and aggression among young adolescents, with implications for intervention and future research. However, given the small sample size and reliance on self-reported data, the findings are exploratory, and future research with stronger methodologies is recommended.