Band 9 essay sample | Children are getting into crime because of the lack of emotional support from parents and teachers

IELTS essay

Recent figures show an increase in violent crime among youngsters under the age of 18. Some psychologists claim that the basic reason for this is that children these days are not getting the social and emotional learning they need from parents and teachers. To what extent do you agree or disagree with this option?

Give reasons for your answer and include any relevant examples from your own knowledge or experience. Write at least 250 words.

Here is a sample essay. It is an edited version of an essay submitted by one of our readers.

Psychologists claim that the rise in criminal activities among young people is due to the lack of social and emotional guidance from teachers and parents. I agree with the above statement to some extent; however, in my opinion, other social and economical factors also contribute to the surge in criminal offences.

Parents and teachers play an important role in the moral development of children. They are their source of guidance and support. For example, a child who is bullied at school may go up to his/her teacher for support. Here it is the teacher who tells the students what is right and wrong. By doing so the teacher is inculcating good values in the students. However, nowadays, teachers only focus on academics; they do not spend time on instilling values. Interactions between parents and children are also becoming fewer and fewer. In many families now both parents work. Long working hours prevent them from interacting with their children. Children who don’t have a good rapport with their parents often turn to other sources for support and guidance. Unfortunately, such sources may get them into unhealthy or illegal activities like drinking, smoking and gambling. Children who get into bad company will eventually become criminals. Parents and teachers can prevent this from happening by providing children the emotional support they need.

External influences such as media, availability of drugs and peer pressure also contribute to the rise in crime rates. When commercials and movies glorify smoking and drinking, young people often get carried away and experiment with them. They end up getting intoxicated and this increases their chances of committing crimes.

To conclude, several factors contribute to the alarming increase of crimes all over the world. Not getting emotional support from parents and teachers is one of them. There are several other factors too. Identifying and eliminating all of these factors is necessary to reduce crime rate among youngsters.

Manjusha Nambiar

Hi, I'm Manjusha. This is my blog where I give IELTS preparation tips.

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