Some children spend hours every day on their smartphones.
Why is this the case? Do you think this is a positive or a negative development?
Give reasons for your answer and include any relevant examples from your own knowledge or experience
Write at least 250 words
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Introduction: It has been noted that young people spend significant periods of time using smartphones. The reasons for this are related to an increase in access to technology and the nature of human beings with both positive and negative aspects.
P1: One of the primary causes of this development is the greater availability of technology to the general public, in addition to the rising demand. As such equipment becomes easier to manufacture cheaply for a population that demands it for school work and entertainment, as well as social connections, it is inevitable that more time will be spent using it. Similarly, the range of options and applications for these devices is constantly expanding, catering to a human need for novelty. Cheap, reliable, and high-quality technology can deliver a constant stream of this, which reinforces the desire of many people (particularly hyper-social young people) to engage with it.
P2: Such social trends invariably have helpful and unhelpful outcomes. Taking positive ones, first of all, more time spent on smartphones may lead to a reduction in violent crime perpetrated by otherwise unoccupied youth since they will be more focused on their phones than opportunities to engage in violence. However, negative side effects include a reduction of hours spent exercising (assuming the children involved are sedentary while using their phones), and less time spent with peers which could have adverse social consequences (for example, a lack of real-life interaction could lead to an inability to pick up on cues in body language or facial expression).
Conclusion: To conclude, there is a range of reasons why a number of younger people may spend time using smartphones, mostly connected to availability and access to novelty. As with many results of technological advances, I believe that there are significant positive and negative outcomes to consider which appear to equally balance each other.
