Note from the author: the following article does not represent the personal opinion of the author, it is just an example of a practice essay.

A Two-Part Question: 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?

It is true that some children spend a lot of time daily on their smartphones, and this behaviour is no doubt influenced by a variety of factors. However, I believe that this is a negative development.

The main reason I believe why some youth spend hours glued to their screens is that smartphones are extremely addictive. It’s a well established fact that social media tries to maximize users’ screen time by having personalized recommendations, and video games have segmented goals to keep players engaged in the game. So in this sense, it’s not entirely the child’s fault that they are continuously addicted to their phones. Reaching for one’s phone is much more straightforward than other activities such as getting up and studying, reading a book, or writing an essay, and it’s exactly this trait that make them so compelling.

However, I don’t believe that smartphones are entirely non-beneficial. If one uses them to study and do productive activities, then it is actually very helpful for the child. However, this probably isn’t the case for many children. Most of them spend too much time on their smartphones, doing things like scrolling on social media, which is definitely a negative development.

Firstly, excessive amounts of time are wasted on unproductive non-nutritious activities. This time could have been utilized for more productive things such as studying or engaging in sports, but instead brings in minimal impact.

Secondly, decreased concentration time on actually useful activities. The mind of a child who is constantly absorbed in their screens is more likely to wander off to the social media and video games they enjoy instead of focusing on the present task like reading a book or writing an essay. This means that even when they are putting down their phones to do something useful, their productivity is still greatly reduced.

In conclusion, I believe that the fact that some children spend hours on their phones is a negative development.