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Children and smartphones

Some children spend hours everyday on their smartphones

Why is this the case?

Do you think this is a positive or negative development?

Many children now spend the majority of their time on a daily basis on their smart devices. This recent phenomenon can be explained through the emergence of a wide range of captivating content being easily accessible to phone users, which is unequivocally negative on the whole as it increases the risks of developing sleep and major depressive disorders. 

Increased hours of smartphone usage mainly results from a myriad of entertaining videos readily available on the internet. Social media platforms usually work with the best computer scientists to devise the most addicting algorithms, which track users’ personal interests to offer them customized content, and as a result capture viewers’ attention for extended periods. These profit-driven companies generally target the young audience as their brains are still underdeveloped, leaving them more susceptible to not being able to stop consuming content at will. Major content providers ranging from Youtube to Tiktok both excel at keeping their viewers scrolling endlessly while losing track of time on their platforms with addictive short videos. Therefore, children’s excessive use of smartphones is due to large corporations competing fiercely to exploit them for profits. 

The ramifications associated with this propensity is negative. Firstly, it can lead to the disruption of sleeping patterns. Children might find falling asleep considerably more challenging as the blue light emitted from electronic devices’ screens can block the release of melatonin, which aids sleep. Recent surveys and research conducted indicate that children living in the technological age sleep much later and often suffer from sleep deprivation. The use of smartphones is also detrimental to children’s mental well-being. Online influencers often set unrealistic expectations regarding lifestyles and body images, engendering a sense of dissatisfaction and lower levels of self-esteem for young viewers. Many studies have correlated a sudden rise in cases of depression to the proliferation of the internet in general and smartphone use more specifically. 

In conclusion, adolescents’ excessive smartphone usage is attributable to its addicting nature and this propensity is decidedly negative due to its injurious impact on sleeping habits and mental health. 

Words: 340.

The majority of: phần lớn

On a daily basis: hằng ngày

Phenomenon: hiện tượng 

Emergence: sự xuất hiện

A wide range of: một loạt 

Captivating: hấp dẫn 

Easily accessible: dễ dàng có thể truy cập

Unequivocally: rõ ràng 

Major depressive disorders: trầm cảm 

Increased hours: Số giờ gia tăng 

A myriad of: rất nhiều 

Readily available: sẵn sàng có sẵn 

Social media platforms: nền tảng mạng xã hội 

Addicting / Addictive: gây nghiện 

Algorithms: thuật toán

Track: theo dõi 

Customized content: nội dung dành riêng cho người xem đó 

Capture: thu hút 

Extended periods: khoảng thời gian dài

Profit-driven companies: các công ty chạy theo lợi nhuận

Underdeveloped: chưa phát triển 

Content providers: nhà cung cấp nội dung 

Excel: xuất sắc 

Losing track of time: mất khái niệm thời gian 

Excessive use: sử dụng quá nhiều 

Large corporations: tập đoàn lớn 

Competing fiercely: cạnh tranh khốc liệt 

Exploit: khai thác

Ramifications: kết quả 

Associated with: liên quan tới

Disruption: sự gián đoạn 

Sleeping patterns: chu kỳ ngủ 

Release: giải phóng

Melatonin: một chất gây ra cảm giác buồn ngủ 

Emitted: phát ra

Aids: hỗ trợ

Technological age: thời đại công nghệ

Sleep deprivation: thiếu ngủ

Detrimental: có hại

Mental well-being: sức khỏe tinh thần

Influencers : người có tầm ảnh hưởng

Set unrealistic expectations: đặt ra những kỳ vọng không thực tế

Regarding: về mặt

Engendering: tạo ra  

A sense of dissatisfaction: cảm giác bất mãn

Self-esteem: lòng tự trọng

Correlated: liên hệ

Sudden: đột ngột

In cases of: các trường hợp

Depression: trầm cảm

Proliferation: sự gia tăng nhanh chóng

In general: nói chung

More specifically: nói riêng

Attributable to: do

Nature: tính chất

Propensity: xu hướng

Adolescents: trẻ tuổi vị thành niên

Injurious: có hại

Decidedly: rõ ràng

Sleeping habits: thói quen ngủ

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