tech_youngsters.pdf
tech_youngsters.mp3
BBC LEARNING ENGLISH
6 Minute English
Is technology harmful to
?youngsters
Neil
Hello This is 6 Minute English from BBC Learning English I’m Neil
Sam
And I’m Sam
Neil
When you were a teenager did your parents worry that you were watching too
much television, Sam?
Sam
They used to tell me that watching too much TV would turn my eyes square - but
they were only joking
Neil
When I was growing up there were only three or four television channels For
parents today, there are hundreds of TV channels to worry about, not to mention
the internet, video games and social media – and all of it is accessible through a
smart phone No wonder parents are worried about the impact of technology on
young people!
Sam
I don’t think it’s all bad news, Neil In fact, in this programme, we’ll be taking a
look at a new report which finds little evidence to link technology with mental
health problems in adolescents – that’s young people who are in the process of
developing from children into adults
Neil
I’m not convinced, Sam Think about how much time youngsters spend staring at
screens every day
Sam
True, but unlike passively watching television today’s technology is interactive,
connecting teenagers to their friends around the world
Neil
Well, maybe my quiz question will change your mind Are you ready? On average
how many hours per day do British teenagers spend on their screens? Is it:
a) 5 and a half hours?
b) 6 and a half hours? or
c) 7 and a half hours?
Sam
I’ll say it’s b) 6 and a half hours
Neil
That sounds a lot to me!
Sam
Well, whatever Neil thinks, a new study from the Oxford Internet Institute paints
a more hopeful picture The study analysed data from over 400,000 British and
American teenagers and found little or no link between adolescents’ tech use
and mental health problems
Neil
Listen to Gareth Mitchell and Ghislaine Boddington, co-presenters of BBC World
Service’s, Digital Planet, as they discuss the report’s findings:
Gareth Mitchell
Ghislaine Boddington - you’ve been looking at some of the findings yourself,
haven’t you? So, what’s your response so far? Were you expecting, Ghislaine, to
see some kind of smoking gun? Some kind of link that would say, ‘Here we are
Here are the harms’?
Ghislaine Boddington
Not really, because I think we’re at a point where teenagers are much more savvy
than many adults think, so we are at risk, all of us as journalists and research
community to assume, maybe, this is a more a terrible terrible problem than we
understand… because I know the teenagers around me and one thing that they
do all have is app blockers on their sites and they are actually quite aware of the
addiction problem - the design - you know, designed for addiction
Neil
Many people assume that social media harms teenagers, so Gareth asks
Ghislaine whether she was expecting to find a smoking gun in the report
Sam
The expression a smoking gun means evidence that proves something is true, for
example, evidence proving that technology is harmful to young people
Neil
But Ghislaine doesn’t think this is true Actually, she calls teenagers savvy,
meaning that they have practical knowledge of technology and a good
understanding of how to use it
Sam
One example of teenagers being technologically savvy is their use of app
blockers - software that prevents unwanted apps and websites from popping up
and allows users to set timers which limit screen time
Neil
And reducing screen time is important because nowadays most video games and
social media are designed for addiction – intended to manipulate human
psychology to make the user want to keep playing
Sam
But it seems that today’s adolescents are savvy enough to know how to use
electronic devices sensibly How else can we explain the fact that, according to
this research, there‘s no clear link between using tech and mental health
problems?
Neil
Yes, that’s certainly the view of the research team leader, Dr Matti Vuorre Here
he is speaking with BBC World Service programme, Digital Planet, about an
interesting and very modern term – see if you can hear it:
Dr Matti Vuorre
We often hear the term, digital native, you know you grow up with a device in
your hand almost, and then it’s not a surprise that you are skilled in using those
technologies to your benefit
Neil
Did you hear the expression Dr Vuorre used, Sam?
Sam
Yes He called teenagers digital natives, meaning someone who is very familiar
and comfortable using computers and digital technology because they’ve grown
up with them
Neil
So maybe there are benefits to spending hours looking at screens, after all In my
quiz question I asked Sam about the average daily screen time for British
teenagers
Sam
I said it was b) 6 and a half hours
Neil
Which was the correct answer! Very savvy of you, Sam! OK, let’s recap the
vocabulary from this programme about the impact of tech on adolescents –
that’s young people who are developing into adults
Sam
Today’s adolescents are digital natives – people who are very familiar with
digital technology because they’ve grown up with it
Neil
If you are savvy, you have a good practical understanding of something
Sam
A smoking gun refers to information or evidence that proves that something is
true
Neil
An app blocker is software that blocks pop-up apps and websites and allows
users to set screen time limits
Sam
And designed for addiction describes immersive video games and social media
which are designed to manipulate human psychology and make it hard to stop
playing
Neil
That’s all for this programme but if you’re interested in the issues around digital
technology and want to find out more, then why visit the BBC Digital Planet
website or follow them on their Twitter handle @digitalplanet ?
Sam
Bye for now!
Neil
Goodbye!
VOCABULARY
adolescent
young person in the process of developing into an adult
smoking gun
information or evidence that proves that something is true or that someone has
committed a crime
savvy
having a good understanding and practical knowledge of something
app blocker
software that blocks pop-up apps and websites and allows users to set timers
which limit their amount of screen time
designed for addiction
immersive video games and social media which are designed to manipulate
human psychology
digital native
someone who is very familiar and comfortable using digital technology and
computers because they have grown up with them
