Mobile Phone in the Lives of Young People of Rural Mountainous Areas of Gilgit-Baltistan, Pakistan: Challenges and Opportunities

This research aims to investigate the impact of mobile phones in the lives of youths of mountainous rural areas of Gilgit-Baltistan (GB). A total of 272 (133 male and 139 female) respondents of ages between 16 and 25 years participated in this study. To analyze the demographic data such as age, gender, district, the descriptive statistics (mean, SD and percentage) and inferential statistics such as independent sample t-test were used. The regression analysis was used to analyze the relationship between independent and dependent variables such as mobile phone features (M = 3.66, SD = 1.15); a mobile phone as a tool for socio-economic impact (M = 3.80, SD = 1.20); as a fashion symbol (M = 1.29, SD = 0.11) and a tool for safety (M = 3.91, SD = 1.06). The findings show that 97% (M = 1.026 SD = 0.159) of youths from GB own a mobile phone (47% male and 48% female). The findings also verify that a mobile phone is beneficial to its users in the fields of economic, education, safety, and security. However, using a mobile phone as status symbol could have a negative impact on the lives of youths. This study recommends that the government should develop effective and efficient policy for mobile phone usage and users should also be aware of the blessings and risks associated with using a mobile phone in their lives.