Band 8 IELTS Essay Sample | Young People No Longer Read Newspapers Or Watch Television

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In many countries, very few young people read newspapers or follow the news on TV. What do you think are the causes of this? What solutions can you suggest?

Band 8 IELTS essay sample

Young people no longer read newspapers or watch TV to keep themselves abreast of the happenings around the world.  This trend has been observed in most of the countries around the globe. The main reason behind this shift / change in preference is the increase in the popularity of a small gadget called smart phone and easy and cheap accessibility of the internet on it. The smart phone has, in fact, replaced not only the television and newspapers, but many other famous old-fashioned devices like computers, watches and cameras also.

However, we need to make sure that the young generation is not deprived of the benefits that newspapers and television channels provide. We also need to ensure that they are aware of the limitations of smart phones and the consequences of their overuse. Firstly, gadgets like TV and radio would bring the whole family together in the living room. Thus they created a sense of unity. By contrast, the smart phone isolates people from their family and friends. Also we cannot ignore the various health problems caused by the excessive use of mobile devices.

I feel that we should help the young generation understand the benefits of these age old means of communication that have been used for generations. The shift can be brought about only if we start from the grass root level such as primary or middle school. Use of mobile phones or tablets should be banned in the schools and children should be encouraged to read and gather more and more information from books and newspapers. Things like reading out newspaper headlines in the morning assembly or discussing the headlines from last night’s news bulletin in the class should be encouraged and rewarded with marks.

To conclude, the easy access to the internet on mobile devices like smart phones is the main reason that discourages young people from reading the newspaper or watching news channels on television. However, if parents and teachers make a spirited effort, it is still possible to inculcate reading habits in children again.