作者：北美考试教学中心 托福写作组 王雨婷

The achievements human-beings have made on technology has brought forth great benefits as well as some problems. The phenomenon that some children become obsessed with electronic devices has aroused wide public concern. Although some hold an optimistic view, believing that the overuse of electronic devices is not as threatening as one may assume, to my mind, it is still necessary for parents to have some control of children’s screen time.

First, there is the negative impact on children’s physical health to consider. For one thing, longer time sitting before the screen equals to remaining a sedentary position, which will do harm to their spine and physical growth. Children, especially those under thirteen, are at the critical period of physical development, and thus parents’ ignorance on it will produce irreparable consequence for children’s future. For the other, screen time over an hour after finishing the homework will also deprive children of sufficient time for outdoor activities. Outdoor activity provides great opportunities for children to get close to nature, relax their muscles and eyes, all of which contribute to physical well-being. On the contrary, without sufficient outdoor activities, children have a greater chance to become overweight or develop into a poor eyesight. 

Next, too much screen time will also do harm to their interpersonal relationship. Children spending too much time in virtual world also find it difficult to blend in their surrounding. Although some may argue that internet is providing a much more convenient approach for people to communicate, let’s be honest, there is a great difference between a communication online and the one in real life. When communicating in real life, children are exposed to an social environment in which there are more to weigh, such as their manner, intonation and facial expression, while those do not matter in a communication online. Such being the case, parents should hold a sway over children’s time spent before screen, so that there is sufficient time left for children to participate in real life social interaction and properly develop their interpersonal skill.

Admittedly, some may argue that electronic devices play a significant role in relieving children’s pressure accumulated in learning and only with a refreshed mind afterwards can children embrace more challenge in learning the next day. However, they have underestimate the lure of those gizmos on children. Even an adult will find it hard to resist the appeal from the fascinating sequential images or great joy brought by them, let alone a child who does not have fully-developed cognitive ability and self-control. Without parents’ supervision and control, children will finally end up with becoming addictive to those devices, posing a great threat on their learning.

All in all, although screen time can be seen as a good way to help relieve the pressure of children, the time should still be controlled due to its negative influence on children’s physical health and socialization.