Some Children Spend Hours Every Day on Their Smartphones - IELTS Writing Task 2 Band 9 Sample Essay

You should spend about 40 minutes on this task.

Write about the following topic:

Some children spend hours every day on their smartphones.

Why is this the case? Do you think this is a positive or negative development?

Give reasons for your answer and include any relevant examples from your own knowledge and experiences.

You should write at least 250 words.

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Sample Essay 1

Children’s excessive use of smartphones has become a widespread phenomenon in today’s digital age, driven by technological advancements and societal trends. While smartphones offer benefits, I strongly believe their overuse among children is a negative development, primarily due to its harmful impact on their mental and physical health.

A major reason children spend hours on smartphones is the captivating design of digital content. Applications like social media, gaming platforms, and streaming services use advanced algorithms to sustain user engagement, often resulting in addictive behaviour. For instance, social media platforms frequently notify users of new updates, prompting children to check their devices repeatedly. Similarly, video games often include rewards and progression systems that encourage prolonged use. Another contributing factor is the lack of structured alternative activities. Many children turn to smartphones as a primary source of entertainment when opportunities for outdoor play or creative hobbies are unavailable. Moreover, parents sometimes unintentionally enable this behaviour by using smartphones as tools to pacify their children during busy moments, such as family dinners or social events.

The overuse of smartphones is overwhelmingly detrimental, particularly in terms of children’s physical and mental well-being. Excessive screen time often leads to health problems like poor posture and disrupted sleep, both of which can have long-term consequences. For example, studies have shown that exposure to blue light before bedtime interferes with melatonin production, reducing sleep quality. Mentally, prolonged smartphone use fosters dependency, making it difficult for children to focus on tasks requiring sustained attention. Additionally, over-reliance on virtual communication erodes interpersonal skills, leaving children ill-equipped for real-life interactions. For instance, a child who primarily communicates through texting may struggle with face-to-face conversations, impacting their social development. These negative outcomes outweigh any potential benefits, such as access to educational resources, as they hinder children’s holistic growth.

In conclusion, children’s excessive use of smartphones is driven by the addictive nature of digital content and the lack of alternative activities. However, this trend is largely negative due to its harmful effects on children’s health, focus, and social skills.

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Sample Essay 2

In an era where digital landscapes dominate, it's unsurprising that many children are glued to their smartphones for hours on end. This phenomenon, while rooted in the allure of connectivity and entertainment, raises questions regarding its impact on young minds. The essence of this debate pivots on whether such extensive screen time is a harbinger of progress or a detrimental development, focusing particularly on the effects on social skills and cognitive growth.

The draw of smartphones for children lies not just in their capacity to entertain but also in their role as gateways to the world. Through games, apps, and social media, these devices offer unprecedented access to information and learning resources, presenting a potential positive influence on cognitive development. For instance, educational apps transform mundane subjects into interactive experiences, thereby fostering a more engaging and effective learning environment. This digitization of education and leisure can cultivate skills pertinent to the 21st century, such as digital literacy and problem-solving in a virtual context.

However, the flip side reveals a less sanguine picture. Excessive screen time can significantly impair social skills, as it detracts from face-to-face interactions and real-life experiences. Children immersed in the digital realm often struggle with basic conversational skills and empathy, essential components of social competence. Furthermore, the addictive nature of smartphones can hinder cognitive development, with numerous studies indicating a correlation between screen time and reduced attention spans. This addiction not only displaces physical activity but also eats into the time that could be spent reading or engaging in creative play, both of which are crucial for healthy mental development.

In conclusion, smartphones offer educational and global benefits, but their excessive use can harm children's social and cognitive growth. The solution is balanced and supervised use, turning these devices from potential obstacles into assets for learning and interaction. Achieving this equilibrium is crucial for nurturing well-rounded development in the digital era.

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Sample Essay 3

With the rise of smartphones, there has been a significant increase in the amount of time children spend on their phones. While some may argue that this is simply a by-product of the convenience these devices offer, I firmly believe that this trend is having a decidedly negative impact on children's health.

One major reason for the increased use of smartphones among children is that parents see them as a practical solution to keep their children entertained and occupied. In today's fast-paced world, many parents find themselves overwhelmed and exhausted after work, and smartphones offer a quick and easy way to distract their children. It is not uncommon to see children engrossed in their phones at restaurants and airports, while their parents attend to other matters. Additionally, parents may justify their children's smartphone use by arguing that it helps them become more tech-savvy, although this is often a self-serving justification.

Despite these arguments, I believe that excessive smartphone use is detrimental to children's physical and mental well-being. Firstly, the sedentary nature of phone use means that children are more likely to adopt a less active lifestyle, spending less time playing outdoors and engaging in physical activities. This can have long-term consequences for their health and fitness. Furthermore, the constant stimulation provided by digital media can lead to shorter attention spans and difficulty concentrating on other tasks. The dopamine responses generated by these devices can become addictive, leading to a negative impact on cognitive development.

In conclusion, while smartphones may offer a convenient solution for parents looking to keep their children occupied, the negative effects of excessive screen time are too significant to ignore. Parents must take steps to limit their children's smartphone use and encourage a more balanced approach to entertainment and physical activity. By doing so, we can ensure that our children grow up healthy, happy, and well-rounded.

Sample Essay 4

In contemporary society, it is a common sight to see young people spending a considerable amount of time on their mobile devices each day. While several factors contribute to this trend, I believe that this phenomenon is creating detrimental health outcomes for children.

One of the main reasons for the high smartphone usage among youngsters is the increasing importance of virtual activities in education. In today's world, students are required to research and submit assignments online, and smartphones are the most accessible and convenient tool to accomplish these tasks. This trend was further exacerbated by the pandemic, which led to a rise in remote learning and teamwork through mobile applications. Additionally, social media has become the primary mode of communication among young people, and staying connected with peers through their smartphones has become crucial for many.

However, despite the practicality of smartphones, their prolonged use can have adverse effects on children's physical and emotional well-being. The negative effects on physical health are twofold: extended screen time can harm children's eyesight by exposing them to blue light, which is particularly damaging to developing eyes, and can lead to a sedentary lifestyle, which has long-term consequences for physical fitness. Emotionally, unregulated use of smartphones can expose young people to inappropriate and harmful content, including violent and sexual imagery and online bullying, which can cause mental health issues.

In conclusion, while there are practical reasons for the high smartphone usage among children, I believe that this trend has significant drawbacks for their physical and psychological growth. Parents and educators need to take a more active role in regulating children's smartphone use to ensure they strike a balance between virtual and physical activities, and limit their exposure to harmful content. By doing so, we can promote healthier lifestyles and ensure the well-being of the next generation.

Sample Essay 5

Nowadays, some children are found spending a plenty of their time on their phones. This is because social media today draws children’s attentions in a great way. However, I believe this trend is negative.

Social media platforms in children’s smartphones have significantly influenced their lives. Firstly, there are so many interesting videos and posts on TikTok and Instagram, which children can share to their friends. If individuals do not use these platforms, they may be isolated by others. Additionally, celebrities’ use of these social media platforms further bolster this trend. For example, a post by the famous singer Taylor Swift can draw many teenagers’ attention and lead to their discussions for weeks. This evidences what kind of impacts that these famous people can make on how children use their phones.

Despite heavily using social media platforms and phones being popular among young people, this can result in many problems. For instance, many young people show off their bodies on TikTok, simply wanting to earn more reviews and applauses from others. This could lead to other children’s imitation and even inappropriate contents. Moreover, spending too much time on phones can make it difficult for children to interact with people in real life, as they only communicate by messages and do not practice speaking with others.

In conclusion, because of many interesting contents and the trend driven by celebrities, children now spend a lot of time on smartphone. Nevertheless, while this development is popular among young people, I believe this is not positive and can harm children’s well-being.

Sample Essay 6

In today's digital age, it has become commonplace for young individuals, including small children, to spend a significant amount of their time on their phones. This essay will examine the underlying reasons for this trend and argue that it is a highly unfavourable development.

One of the primary reasons that children use their phones excessively is because they find them inherently enjoyable and even addictive. Researchers have shown that phones have the same impact on the brain as sugar or drugs, making it challenging for children to regulate their behaviour. This is due to the way that phone apps are designed to reward users with dopamine, and children are especially susceptible to this. Additionally, the vivid images, straightforward games, and immersive experiences that phones provide make them incredibly appealing to younger users.

However, this compulsive phone usage poses several significant problems, with one of the most alarming being its impact on people's health. Using a phone is something that the human body has not yet adapted to, and there are several risks associated with it. For example, the postures people adopt when using their phones can cause neck strain, which can also trigger issues in the back and head. Eyestrain is another issue that worries people, although it is yet to be proven. Furthermore, since most of children's entertainment comes in the form of these devices, they no longer go outside to play games, exercise, or socialize, leading to increased sedentary lifestyles, obesity, fragility, and lack of social skills.

In conclusion, the current phenomenon of children spending a significant amount of their time on their phones is extremely concerning. Even if there were any possible benefits, they would be far outweighed by the negative impact that these devices have on children's physical and mental wellbeing. It is, therefore, imperative that parents limit their children's phone usage and encourage them to engage in other activities that promote their health and development.

Sample Essay 7

In the digital era, a growing number of children dedicate substantial hours each day to their smartphones, a trend that is both intriguing and worrisome. This tendency can be attributed to the proliferation of technology and the way it has been integrated into daily life. Although smartphone usage can confer certain benefits, it is contended that its overuse, particularly by children, is a decidedly negative development, with the potential to precipitate numerous physical and mental adverse effects.

The reasons for the intensifying ubiquity of smartphones among young individuals are multifaceted. Children today are digital natives, raised in an environment where smartphones and other technological devices are omnipresent. These devices are frequently employed by parents as an expedient means to entertain or distract their children during daily tasks. Furthermore, smartphones offer an instant, convenient mode of communication, fostering the dominance of social media as the primary communication tool among youngsters. Platforms such as Instagram or Snapchat present an appealing avenue for interaction, allowing children to connect and share experiences from their homes' comfort.

Despite these apparent benefits, the unregulated use of smartphones by children can yield profound negative ramifications. A prominent concern is the risk of addiction; contemporary social media platforms are designed to stimulate continuous consumption of online content. Research by Stanford University discovered that smartphone usage influences dopamine levels in the brain, inadvertently fostering addictive behaviours. Over-reliance on smartphones often leads to a sedentary lifestyle, a precursor to grave health problems such as obesity, diabetes, and heart disease. Moreover, the virtual world is riddled with potential threats, including cyberbullying, which could detrimentally affect a child's mental health.

To conclude, the ubiquity of smartphones among children, driven by their status as digital natives and the allure of social media platforms, has discernible merits. However, the potential negatives - addiction, health issues due to a sedentary lifestyle, and exposure to cyber threats - warrant cautious attention. Therefore, it is essential to regulate children's screen time and foster a more balanced relationship with technology.