To: University Faculty

Re: Grant Proposal

Statement of Purpose

The purpose of obtaining a research grant is to study the risks children are being exposed to by
utilizing cell phones at a young age. Performing research in my local community will help to
determine these risks and create an awareness to parents of young children. By finding these
risks, we can help prevent and/or reduce the negative effects that cell phone use can bring to
physical, social, and mental health. The methods used to acquire research data will include
surveys and interviews. The total amount of time spent on this study will be nine months
performed out in an academic year.
Introduction

Children are now being entertained by technology more than ever, rather than socializing and
playing games. It is more common to see young children with a cell phone than it is to see them
playing outside. “According to a Nielsen report released in February 2017, approximately 45
percent of U.S. children between the ages of 10-12 had their own smartphone with a service
plan” (Children and Cellphones: Weighing the Risks). Using cell phones at a young age can lead
to many health problems in the future for these children. Health problems can include mental,
social, and physical health problems. Some of the problems can begin to occur as soon as
entering high school, when they are fourteen or fifteen years of age. A negative impact on social
skills and an increased risk of depression are only a few risks that cell phone use in children can
create (French, 2017).

The significance of the research to be done is to determine what health risks children are being
exposed to by having a cell phone at a young age. Children are beginning to own a cell phone
between the ages of 10 and 12, around the time they are in middle school. By owning a cell
phone, children have access to social media, games, YouTube, and other sites that may have an
impact on their mental health. They are being exposed to unhealthy influences, pressuring them
to feel like they have to be a certain person. This can include self body image, acting a certain
way, owning certain products, bullying and other influences pressuring them to be perfect. There
are many different types of influences that come from owning a cell phone that contribute to
overall health. Understanding the risks from the moment a child owns a cell phone can help to
find methods to prevent the health issues that occur in the near future, as close as entering high
school. Understanding the risks can help parents take action to be more precautious when it
comes to handing their child a cell phone. Parents should be able to look at the risks and
determine when is the best time for their child to own a cell phone.
 Background

Owning a cell phone, with a service plan, is a gateway to virtual communication and
socialization, the internet, entertainment, and productivity. Before our modern day cell phone, a
cell phone was only capable of calling and, later, sending text messages. Now, a cell phone is a
device that is capable of doing anything and is now a necessity in our lives. Many articles have
stated that there is an addiction to using cell phones. There has even been a term created for a
phobia of not having access to a cell phone, nomophobia. Nomophobia consists of four
dimensions: “(1) not being able to communicate, (2) losing connectedness, (3) not being able to
access information and (4) giving up convenience” (Yildirim, et. al., 2015). Adults used to be the
only ones with a cell phone. This phobia is an outcome of the adults. Now, how would this look
in children who are growing up with technology highly advanced?

A journal titled “Mobile Phone Use and Mental Health. A Review of the Research That Takes a
Psychological Perspective on Exposure”, the author, Sara Thomeé, explains the outcomes found
from high usage in cell phones. Most of the study took place in children and adolescents. She
found that the most common outcomes were depression, sleep problems/lower sleep quality, later
bedtimes/shorter sleep, tiredness/reduced daytime function, lower mental well-being, stress, and
anxiety. Many of these outcomes are associated with mental health. Stress, anxiety, and lower
mental well-being are all commonly seen in most people. These three outcomes can lead to
further complications in overall health. Stress and anxiety can affect physical health by causing
poor eating habits, weight gain, and a sedentary lifestyle. From weight gain and poor eating
habits, there is a higher risk for diabetes, heart disease, gallstones, and many other health
problems.

Anxiety is a common issue found in mental health. Cell phones have allowed many people to
hide behind their screen to communicate, rather than participate in human interaction. This is
commonly seen in people who suffer from anxiety or low self-esteem. A study found that
“anxious participants used texting as a diversion, to kill time or avoid some other activity” (Reid,
et. al., 2007). This study was done in an age group of children to young adults. Cell phones are
making it difficult to communicate and increasing anxiety in people, while decreasing their
social skills by diverging communication. Content found on the internet, through cell phone use
can be a factor to this. Cell phones are making it difficult for children to develop lifelong skills.

Rationale

I became interested in this topic when awareness of mental health became higher. It seemed like
every so often we’d hear about someone committing suicide or would injur themself. Many of
the stories told were about teenagers and their story dealt with bullying, unhealthy influences on
the internet, or felt neglected by their parents and family. As Health Science major, in most of
my previous courses, mental and physical health were always major topics we learned about. Our
modern day technology made me wonder how it has affected our health overall. Wondering
about this, I became aware of the people around me whenever I was out eating at restaurants,
downtown, and other places where people gather together. I noticed that many teenagers and
young kids were always recording everything, on their cell phones most of the time, and would
communicate mostly to show them something on their phone. There has been an increase in
childhood obesity, Type 2 diabetes, and many health problems seen in the young population. At
my age, I have experienced technology enough to know it is both beneficial and harmful to
society. As I have previously learned about mental and physical health, I would like to make the
connection between cell phone use and health risks.

Methods

In order to obtain the information required for this topic, the method of gathering data needs to
be focused on student perspectives. Since the main group of focus is on middle school students, I
will be creating surveys. I will be distributing the surveys to local middle schools in Ventura, the
schools include Balboa Middle School, Anacapa Middle School, and Cabrillo Middle School.
The total amount of students between the three schools is 3,013 students. Since students will be
doing the surveys, “you want your survey to be something that can be filled out within a few
minutes” (Driscoll, 2011). The schools will be handing out the surveys during class in order to
obtain a large number or completed surveys. Some possible questions may look like the
following:
● Do you own a cell phone? If yes, proceed to answer the following questions
● Do you have any social media accounts such as Instagram, Twitter, Snapchat, etc.?
● Do you feel influenced to be like social media influencers?
● How much time do you spend using your cell phone?
● Do you socialize/communicate with friends more in person or through your cell phone?
● Would you rather text or talk over the phone?
● Have you ever been bullied (physically or cyberbullying)?

Along with surveys, I will also be doing interviews. The interviews will be for the parents of the
children. “Face-to-face interviews have the strength that you can ask follow-up questions and use
non-verbal communication to your advantage” (Driscoll, 2011). By doing face-to-face
interviews, I will be able to ask parents multiple questions and allow them to elaborate on certain
questions. The following is a list of topics to be covered in the interviews:
● Difference in behaviors and physical activity seen in their children after giving them a
cell phone
● Noticing hints of isolation, self-harm, or showing signs of eating disorders
 ● Decrease in personal hygiene, giving “what-if” stories, or loss of interest in activities

“What-if” stories is a story told of a certain scenario that is occurring to themselves but they
claim it is happening to someone else in order to see your reaction to the scenario. For example,
a child might say, “Mom, what happens if a kid in a higher grade is throwing my friend’s food
on the floor?” The truth behind it is that it might be happening to himself and would like to know
your response without you suspecting it’s actually happening to him. These methods will allow
me to understand how children are reacting to multiple experiences a cell phone can bring and
connecting them to current research. This also allows me to connect cell phone use and the
differences in health to determine possible risks.

Timeline

The time of research is expected to last a total of nine months, (August - April). The following is
an approximate timeline of events:

Date Range Tasks

August ● Identify local Middle Schools in Ventura

● Obtain permission from local schools to conduct research
● Set deadlines for upcoming tasks

September ● Hire assistant researcher

● Purchase required equipment, software, and supplies
● Finalize date for survey distribution
● Develop questions for class surveys
● Develop interview questions for parents

October ● Finalize and print surveys and interview question

● Distribute surveys and scantrons to local schools
● Allow a week or two after distribution for schools to distribute
and receive all completed surveys
● Acquire all completed surveys

November ● Assess amount of completed surveys and interviews

● Assess follow-up surveys and interviews if required
● Adjust budget as needed

December ● Begin data analysis

January ● Organize achieved results

● Assess results to determine if further research is needed
● Perform secondary research (if needed)
 February ● Gather, analyze, and organize results

March ● Draft a summary of research performed and results found

● Finalize methodological journal of research, findings, and
recommendations

April ● Present findings and recommendations to WHO (World Health

Organization) and other interested communities

Budget and Justification

With a total budget of $10,000, the following is a breakdown of the grant will be used:

Amount Justification

$4,000 Self Payment - $30/hr Approx. 135 hours total of expected research, data
analysis, organization of results, and present findings

$3,000 Assistant Researcher Payment - $30/hr Approx. 100 hours total to consist of
assisting primary researcher in research, data analysis, and organizing results.

$1,500 Technological Equipment - Laptop, Printer, etc.

$1,000 Software - SPSS Analysis Software

$500 Supplies - Paper, Pens, Ink, Clipboards, Scantrons, etc.

A majority of the budget will be used to pay the researcher (myself) and assistant researcher.
Only one laptop, printer, and analysis software will be purchased and shared to minimize
expenses. If there are any left over funds from any categories, it will be saved for any unforeseen
expenses.
 Works Cited

“Children and Cell Phones: Weighing the Risks and Benefits.” ​Nationwide Children's​,
Nationwide Children's Hospital,
www.nationwidechildrens.org/family-resources-education/700childrens/2018/10/children
-and-cell-phones​.

Driscoll, Dana Lynn. “Introduction to Primary Research: Observations, Surveys, and

Interviews.” Writing Spaces: Readings on Writing, vol. 2, 2011, pp. 166–168,
wac.colostate.edu/books/writingspaces2/driscoll--introduction-to-primary-research.pdf.

French, Maddy. “Technology May Have Negative Social Effect on Kids.” ​The Daily Universe​,
12 Apr. 2017,
universe.byu.edu/2017/04/12/technology-may-have-negative-social-effect-on-kids/.

Reid, Donna J., and Fraser J.m. Reid. “Text or Talk? Social Anxiety, Loneliness, and Divergent
Preferences for Cell Phone Use.” ​CyberPsychology & Behavior,​ vol. 10, no. 3, 2007, pp.
424–435., doi:10.1089/cpb.2006.9936.

Thomée, Sara. “Mobile Phone Use and Mental Health. A Review of the Research That Takes a
Psychological Perspective on Exposure.” ​International Journal of Environmental
Research and Public Health,​ vol. 15, no. 12, 29 Nov. 2018, p. 2692.,
doi:10.3390/ijerph15122692.

Yildirim, Caglar, and Ana-Paula Correia. “Exploring the Dimensions of Nomophobia:

Development and Validation of a Self-Reported Questionnaire.” ​Computers in Human
Behavior​, vol. 49, 14 Mar. 2015, pp. 130–137., doi:10.1016/j.chb.2015.02.059.