You should spend about 40 minutes on this task.
Children nowadays watch TV programmes more than ever before. Is watching television good or bad for children?
Give reasons for your answer and include any relevant examples from your own knowledge or experience.
You should write at least 250 words.
Sample Answer
In recent years, television has become popular in the most parts of the world. As a result, children have an easy access to a TV set or even their mobile phone serves many TV channels. Undoubtedly, this may have a significant impact on the development of the youth. In this essay, the advantages and disadvantages of children watching television will be analysed and the author’s opinion provided at the end.
On the up side, the youngest people of society have an additional resource of useful information by watching broadcasted programmes. For instance, they can learn about nature, science and politics from documentaries. Additionally, children may see the complex relationships of adults in dramas. Therefore, they might become more empathetic. Another major positive aspect of staying on end in front of a screen is that it is possible to learn a foreign language. In my experience, some of my friends honed their English language skills when they were younger. To sum up, it can be seen that television can be an alternative to learning.
Turning to the other side of the argument, watching television can affect children in a negative way. Firstly, a lot of films are created that are praised for the special effects, not for the underlying ideas. Thus, children may waste their time by enjoying only the views. Secondly, generally speaking, offensive language and violence are used to make films more intense. As a result, the youth might think that being aggressive in daily situations can be a solution to some of their personal problems. Therefore, our society can become more competitive and justify violence in the future. It is clear now, why some broadcasted programmes are considered negative.
In conclusion, the benefits and drawbacks of children watching television were analysed. Noteworthy is the fact that the usefulness of the delivered information by broadcasting depends solely on the personal choice. In my opinion, the advantages of television outweigh the disadvantages as I believe that children either can choose wisely what to watch themselves or they are advised by their parents.
[ Written by – Karolis Kusas ]