IELTS Writing: Electronic devices’ effect on young people

Some people think that the increasing use of computers and mobile phones for communication has had a negative effect on young people’s reading and writing skills. To what extent do you agree or disagree?

Nowadays, some electronic devices, such a computers and mobile phones are widely used in the society. However, whether overuse of these devices will have negative effect on young people’s literacy skills remains a controversial issue. I agree with view that these young people may lose some of these skills if they use these things improperly.

Firstly, it is obvious that being addicted with phones and computers for casual chatting is time-consuming, which results in less time for reading. Some young addicts spend hours chatting with their friends, which takes up their reading time and gradually leads to the loss of interest in reading. Then their reading skills will be degraded.

Moreover, another negative effect is on writing skills. As some young people have become used to a kind of lazy language which consists of inaccurate spelling and wrong grammar, they might use this casual-communication-based language for formal writing unconsciously. As a result, their writing appears unacceptable and unprofessional in many formal settings.

Of course, for those who know how to take advantage of these kinds of communication tools, there might be fewer negative effects. Some young users smartly use the devices to work with their teams on their school projects. During the process they share and discuss useful reading materials for their essays or proofread one another’s writings. The communication tools in this case can contribute to better literacy skills.

In sum, if computers and mobile phones are frequently used for activities like chatting, it is possible that the overuse will adversely affect young people’s reading and writing skills. On the other hand, the proper use of these communication tools may present a positive effect.

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