13873 Computers
IELTS Writing Task 2 Topic:
Computers and Children
Example Essay by Jeenn Lee Hsieh
ielts360toefl@hotmail.com 谢振礼
IELTS Essay Topic:
Do you agree or disagree with the following statement? "Using a computer every day can have more negative than positive effects on your children."
Give reasons for your answer and include any relevant examples from your own knowledge or experience to support your opinion.
Writing example (Jeenn Lee Hsieh 谢振礼)
Overusing a computer daily can have undesirable effects on people, particularly small children. Despite the many undeniable benefits brought about by computers, there are negative effects on those kids who are excessively exposed to computer screens. Obsession with a computer, and with it the Internet, can affect children's physical and mental health.
It is harmful to children's physical conditions when sitting in front of a screen for too long every day. Both the eyes and the physical posture can be damaged to varying degrees depending on how extremely they tend to be addicted to technology. Among other devices, such wonders as video games, chat, webcam, and Facebook make many children refrain from not only doing regular homework at home but also from doing normal physical exercise in the open air. For the matter of physical health, obviously it is not doing any good that computer screens are in part taking the place of the playing grounds. Accordingly, spending too much time and energy on the computer can result in children having sleepy eyes because of a change in sleeping patterns, and in chronic fatigue uncommon to what kids used to be.
Mentally speaking, all work on computation and no play on developing a healthy mind leads a child to become a dull boy or girl. Besides distracting kids from homework, computers encourage uncritical thinking and replace face-to-face interaction between students and teachers, and lead many immature minds to compulsive behavior. Although computers are maginificient learning tools, actually no machine can substitute the human spark of spirit, compassion, love and understanding. These human qualities turn out to be the most essential part of young children's healthy mental growth. Furthermore, easy access to so much information with violent and adult content is by no means suitable to a teenager, let alone to a smaller child.
Unfortunately, such negative mental and physical effects are as real as all the good things that computers have to offer, including emailing friends, sharing experiences, learning a foreign language, or simply Googling for a subject of study. So, the point is about good use rather than abuse of technology. The uncomfortable truth is that digital change is happening and modern kids are going to be using computers more and more, whether it is healthy or not. (Essay created by Jeenn Lee Hsieh, ielts360toefl@hotmail.com 谢振礼 pigai zuowen)
