IELTS Essay: Çocukların telefon bağımlılığı

Çocukları telefon bağımlılığına iten faktörleri sorgulatan bir IELTS writing sorusu

Many of today's children are severely addicted to smart devices, spending much of their time in front of a screen. 

What are the reasons for this problem? How can they be tackled?

Smartphone addiction has unfortunately prevailed among children from all walks of life, prompting them to waste plenty of valuable time stuck to digital screens.

Urbanization seems to have played a major role in this disturbing trend, with nearly all urban space utilized either for housing or businesses. There is little to no space in cities meant for socialization of children, who are stuck either at home or in some other cramped building. Given that there is not much to do at home, it becomes inevitable for most to seek joy in smart devices, whether by playing games or consuming video content for hours. Another reason is the way software developers take advantage of children's already fragile emotional state. Particularly in games, addiction is almost impossible to refrain from, since every little step is rewarded with trophies of different kinds, triggering dopamine rush in the body. Considering the inherent desire to seek happiness by any means possible, children have trouble not spending time in games or apps that bombard them with rewards at varying intervals. For some, it feels even more real and satisfying than what life might offer, hence impossible to give up.

Nevertheless, no matter the difficulty, it is a must for all of us to shield our children against addictions of any kind. Above all else, every single neighborhood should be home to recreational areas especially meant for children. Profitability of urban space means nothing when compared with the well-being of our own children. If necessary, an entire block of buildings should be relocated for the sake of building safe playgrounds. Only then will children probably leave their gadgets aside and get to experience real joy out with their friends.

What's more, digital content (games, vlogs ...) likely to hook children to screens must be banned without any question. Unless we want a zombie army, each member of which is barely over a meter tall, we must be able to turn a blind eye to the gaming industry and not let them be that good. There is much more to life than proceeding through levels, collecting trophies worth nothing at all. However cruel, that seems to be the only way to stop the damage from spreading further.

In conclusion, so called modernity, with its cramped urban centers and high-tech gadgets, forces children into a lifestyle wasted in front of digital screens, but with radical measures like clearing urban land for playgrounds and banning addictive content, we might be able to reverse the process.