The College of Pharmacy at the University of Basrah organized a symposium about (Negative aspects of communication devices and social media) with contribution of instructors , researchers and specialists. The symposium included several lectures First lecture was introduced by Dr. Karamullah Shaker Mahmoud from the College of Pharmacy.The lecture showed the extent of using mobile electronic devices and social communication methods, as well as it revealed the physical, psychological and social effects of these technologies . The second lecture introduced by Dr. Heba Al-Safar, Director of the Sara Center for Rehabilitation and Psychological Training, her lecture was about the negative impact of social media A realistic view from the point of view of modern psychiatry. The lecture revealed the negative aspects of using social media in adolescence and how it can negatively affect mental health and the formation and construction of an individual's personality after puberty and maturation .The lecturer also clarified the ways to control these methods and monitoring the teens . On the other hand ,Dr. Batoul Banai Zubeiri explained how much internet and communication are important in our life ,while Dr. Raqia Abbas Khudair from Babylon University kept focus on the negative effect of internet and how continued using may lead to an addiction, causing many social problems. Therefore, it is a double-edged sword, as it is a useful means and also has harms. Dr. Ali Adel Yassin from the College of Education for Pure Sciences discussed in his lecture piracy and theft of personal data the importance of securing personal data and how to protect it from malicious attacks and avoid the occurrence of such attacks such as social engineering attacks that are linked to bank accounts and others. Finally the last lecture was introduced by the Brigadier Bassem Ghanem Hanoun, the Director of Relations and Media Department, Basrah Governorate Police, he showed in his lecture the security, criminal and legal aspect of electronic crimes and how they became spread .The symposium had showed several important recommendations, including tightening censorship , monitoring the children and adolescents , the necessity to not leave them isolated with the internet , as well as it is an important to get interest in a phenomenon of Internet addiction and making broadcasting awareness programs that help to solve the problems of this phenomenon in addition to encouraging students and helping them to join clubs and various social activities in order to fill their time.
