B1 – Intermediate
Everyone depends on technological devices nowadays. Some parents even use gadgets such as mobile phones and tablets to help them with their children. They let their young kids use these devices for many hours daily.
There have been many studies on the effects of screens on children. Perhaps it’s time we pay attention to the dangers of letting children be on their gadgets for long periods of time.
Listen to this audio and read the transcript about the WHO’s new guidelines for parents and their children’s screen time.
https://www.newsinlevels.com/products/children-and-screens-level-1/
Discussion Questions:
- What do you think of this new guidelines?
- What are the bad effects of using devices for many hours on children?
- Do you think children use gadgets too much and way too young? Explain.
- What are alternative activities for children instead of using mobile phones and tablets?
- If you have children, what are your guidelines on their screen time?
16 replies on “Children and Screens”
1. What do you think of this new guidelines?
I`m absolutely agree, because it would help to eliminate to sedentarism in the children, and would foment to develop different abilities in them that are owner to age.
2. What are the bad effects of using devices for many hours on children?
The use of devices for many hours, affect directly to develop and brain conextion of the Children.
Produc a low concentration or lack of concentration, in the babies or children of 1 years this affect in them. It making delayand in speaking, genering difficult to communication and make frustration in the children.
Affect the abilities that must develop to younger babies and children.
Also, this bad habit foment the sedentarism, producing everything illness.
3. Do you think children use gadgets too much and way too young? Explain.
Yes, it is a generation exposed to the screen, often exposed to the use of devices. Daily, if I go for a walk; I can see a lot of little children in the baby stroller watching the mobile, or in the restaurant when the children feel tired or bored, the parents gives the cell phone so the children don’t cry.
As parents we wan´t our children to get bored, sometime we don´t foment that they use the imagine, and this is absolutly necessary.
4. What are alternative activities for children instead of using mobile phones and tablets?
Absolutly sport or foment creativity in the children is the best alternative. But It isn´t possible always, because sometime the parents we can´t carry them to different activities because don´t have time or money for this.
But always there are alternative , for example I try to invent any game; don´t touch the ground line; or paint or drawing something, or make a bracelet, or play with a toy and make up a story, or listen to music and say who the singer is.
5. If you have children, what are your guidelines on their screen time?
First, we don´t have TV, so when we want to watch something we use the computer, so only they have 30 minute in the week, and in the weekend may be mor extensive because we watch a movie.
My daught old use mobile, she´s a teenagers, but only can use it since 5 pm until 20 pm; and she have 30 minutes of use in the social networks, so she must manage this time between 3 hours, if she spent this time before the time, social networks are blocked and only she can to receive our called or call me.
Welcome back to your writing practice! Good work starting with this exercise again.
Here is how you can revise this sentence:
Revised version:
Stay consistent in doing this exercise to improve more and more.
1.What do you think of this new guidelines?
In my opinion these guidelines are good and many people know them,other thing is to follow them…
2.What are the bad effects of using devices for many hours on children?
I think the worst thing is for their eyes as when you are looking at the screen you forget to blink.On the other hand you can be addicted to these kind of devices
3.Do you think children use gadgets too much and way too young? Explain.
Fully agree, I saw many children playing wih these gadgets instead of playng out as we did in the past
4.What are alternative activities for children instead of using mobile phones and tablets?
I think we should play more with them .We should be focused on
give them good alternatives on free spaces .
5.If you have children, what are your guidelines on their screen time?
My children are teenagers and it is difficult to me but I remind them that is not a good idea watching moblies before going to sleep
It’s good to see you practicing your writing again.
Here is a sentence you can revise. See how:
Hope you can write more and more to further improve your skills.
1. What do you think of this new guidelines?
I think that this advisements don’t offer new information. All the people know that the electronic screens and the sedentary are a wrong option.
2. What are the bad effects of using devices for many hours on children?
They have problems to sleep and they need physical activity to improve his grow up, but the electronic devices not promote this.
3. Do you think children use gadgets too much and way too young? Explain.
Absolutely. I think that many parents choose this option to entertain his children. This is an easy, cheap and popular way to evoid the children disturb. And also many parents don’t have a lot of time to care of them.
4. What are alternative activities for children instead of using mobile phones and tablets?
May be they can do outdoor activities with other children, play, do sports, … O they can share time with his relatives. And always we have a magic and ancestral alternative, they are … The physical Books!!
5. If you have children, what are your guidelines on their screen time?
I haven’t kids, because I think this is a big responsibility. And in my personal opinion, if I haven’t time to give to educate and care them, I prefer no have children. Children always must be responsibility of their parents. They have right to a functional family that have the capacity to can looking after them.
It’s nice to have you on the Phoneenglish blog! May you be able to improve your writing skills through this platform.
Take a look at this sentence and see how you can improve it:
Here’s to more future entries from you! Until your next one.
1. I agree with these guidelines as provide a summary of existing research on the health effects of screen time on children and young people, and outline recommendations for health professionals and families.
2. The bad effects of using devices for many hours on children watching TV, tablets, gadgets may result in less physical activity, problems with weight, poor health, relationship, insomnia etc.
3. Ye, I think children use gadgets too much and way too young and it is a very big problem. And we have to control this issue and limit the use of gadgets.
4. There are alternative activities for children instead of using mobile phones and tablets as sports, physical activities, crafts, dance etc.
5. Yes. I have children and my guidelines on their screen time are: set time and content rules around screen use, find ways to balance their child’s day with other activities such as physical activity and play to support their physical and mental health, personal recognition of the consequences of excessive screen time.
Welcome back to your writing practice! Good job expressing your ideas by writing your answers.
This response can be improved if you make the items in your series parallel by making all the items nouns. Take a look at it:
Always enjoy your writing exercise.
What do you think of this new guidelines? I totally agree with the guidelines and the importance for children to reduce the use of the electronic gadgets.
What are the bad effects of using devices for many hours on children? They become less social. Additionally, it can have effects in their communication skils.
Do you think children use gadgets too much and way too young? Explain. Yes, I do and more and more often.
Welcome to the Phoneenglish blog! Well done beginning your writing practice. Remember to try elaborating on your answers a little more.
Here is another way to write this sentence:
Keep doing this exercise to practice further.
– What do you think of this new guidelines?
I think that the new guidelines are trying to help and show parents the importance of limiting hours in front of screens. I think all parents know that it’s not healthy to spend many hours watching TV or cartoons in an iPad, but in general, they are not taking this advice seriously, because they are not conscious about the impact this have in their children.
– What are the bad effects of using devices for many hours on children?
Childrens are spending much time using devices instead of playing (alone or with other children), doing physical activities, being outside, creating, and in some cases for children under 3 years old it’s being difficult the communication, some children are taking more time to speak.
– Do you think children use gadgets too much and way too young? Explain.
Yes, I think they are using devices excessively, and there are many reasons for this: one is because in this generation, screens are available for everyone, it’s very easy to have access to a mobile, a TV or an iPad. In addition, in general both parents work , so free time is very short in almost all families. Therefore, it’s “easy” to leave them in front of a screen while we are cooking, cleaning, working, etc.
You did well in beginning writing practice through this exercise. Keep being consistent with it to achieve some improvements along the way.
Here is a sentence that can still be revised:
Here is another way to structure it:
Happy writing!
Using electronic gadgets too much time would distract children from other activities like playing with other kids, doing some sport, reading a good book or using their imagination. It doesn´t help to develop their sociability and live in a real live. I have 4 kids and we are trying to control the time in front of a TV or tablet. We encourage them to play between them when they are at home and use their toys.
Appreciate your effort in starting your writing practice. Hope you will be able to do this exercise consistently so you may be able to improve your skills.
See how these sentences can be revised:
Write more and more and see your progress come through.
– What do you think of this new guidelines? In my opinion this guidelines are 100% correct and it would be wonderful if all parents followed these instructions, which is not the reality.
– What are the bad effects of using devices for many hours on children?: It´s a fact that children become more distracted for the rest of activities, they do not listen as they should and also when they grow up if the child spent so many hours with electronic devices he/she may have hyper-activity or deficit of attention and will have difficulties in his/her school performance. Also they could have obesity due to the amount of hours spent with no physical activity.
– Do you think children use gadgets too much and way too young? Explain: YES; in these days we all spent too much time with electronic devices and children just do what they see at home…in addition, if their friends are constantly using the devices they cannot interact differently so they do the same way just to be not “the nerd” or “rare”.
– What are alternative activities for children instead of using mobile phones and tablets? I always encourage my children to practice different sports and to go outside with their friends to play football or anything without electronic gadgets. I usually do not allow them to carry or use those devices if they have a plan outside with friends or family.
– If you have children, what are your guidelines on their screen time? My older son (he will be 14 years old next week) has a mobile phone, but it is controlled from my phone and it is scheduled to turn off from 22h to 8am and has a limit o time to play games depending on laborable or weekend days. My youngest boy will turn 12 years old in december and he has no mobile phone yet. He uses my Tablet but also with a limit of time and in certain moments.
Welcome to the Phoneenglish blog! You did a great job starting your writing practice here.
Here are some sentences and take a look at how it can be improved a little bit:
Keep writing. Until your next entries!