New Technologies Have Changed the Way Children Their Free Time

Do you think the advantages of this trend outweigh the disadvantages?

Band 9 IELTS essay sample

Technological innovations like computers, smart phones, video games and television have significantly altered how children spend their leisure time. In my opinion, the benefits of this development do not really outweigh the drawbacks.

Earlier children used to spend a lot of time outdoors. They would play with their friends and interact with the people around them. Consequently, they tended to be healthier. They also had better social life and communication skills. Back in those days, hardly any child suffered from lifestyle diseases like diabetes or high blood pressure. They were happy and carefree.

Nowadays, children spend much of their free time in front of a device like a television or a computer. They stare long hours at a screen watching a movie or playing a game. They rarely go outside or engage in physical activity. Consequently, many ailments that used to only affect the adults are now rampant among young children too. Spending time on gadgets also affects the social skills of young people. Because they do not go outside or interact with other people, they feel awkward in social settings. In addition, excessive screen time affects the eyesight of young children. It affects their grades too. There is also the danger of young children accessing content harmful or inappropriate for their age when they surf the internet unsupervised. They may also befriend the wrong people on the internet and put their own safety at risk.

Of course, there are some advantages to this practice. When children spend a lot of time on gadgets, they become adept at using technology. Nowadays, even 2 or 3 year olds can play games or access other apps on social media. Exposure to technology also enables students to do well in their studies. For example, many of them make use of the educational resources on the internet. This enables them to learn their lessons more easily.

In short, new age technologies have limited children’s exposure to the real world outside and made them unhealthy couch potatoes instead. Of course, there are some benefits to using technology. However, those benefits pale in comparison to the downsides.

Analysis

This essay should get band 9. The writer has addressed the task well. Grammar is good and transitions are used correctly. Lexical resources are adequate. Words appropriate for the context are used.

How to answer this question

Here the question says that the way children spend their free time has changed because of technology and then asks whether the advantages of this development outweigh the disadvantages. You can take any stand. If you believe that there are more advantages, mention more of them.

While writing this essay, first you have to explain how technology has changed the leisure time habits of children. You have to discuss both the advantages and disadvantages of this development and then compare them. You do not have the option to claim that there are only advantages/disadvantages. Your body paragraphs should support your opinion. If you believe that there are more advantages, you have to present them in such a way that they sound really significant. Also, try to downplay the disadvantages. If you believe there are more disadvantages, the focus of your essay should be on those disadvantages.