If I could have your attention, please. I'd like to talk to you about young people's screen time. There is so much to look at: photographs, social media feeds, messages and emails; it is no wonder they are glued to their screens.
There have been many claims about the damage looking at screens does to our eyesight. This is a particular concern for children and young people, who spend a higher percentage of time using electronic devices.
But a new study says time in front of computers and phones might not be as bad for young people as many people think. Research by the Oxford Internet Institute examined data from more than 17,000 teenagers in the UK, Ireland and the United States. Professor Przybylski, director of research at the institute, said, "99. 75% of a person's life satisfaction has nothing to do with their use of social media." The research found that family, friends and school life all had a greater impact on health.
The Oxford researchers are confident that their study is strong in its findings and that any relation between screen time and mental health is very small. Dr. Max Davie, officer for health improvement at the Royal College of Paediatrics and Child Health, calls the study a "small first step", but he said there were other issues to explore, such as screen time's interference with other important activities like sleep, exercise and time with family or friends.
A. But is it good for them?
B. People are addicted to the screens and chatting on social media.
C. People's life satisfaction is closely related to their use of mobile phones.
D. So, does this mean young people can spend longer looking at social media?
E. Some people feared staring ata small bright box could make us short-sighted.
F. Perhaps, deciding the "right" amount of screen time has to be of personal judgment
G. Their study found most links between life satisfaction and social media use were "small".
