Is Technology Harming Our Children

Is Technology Harming our Children’s Health?
1 Technology is moving at such a breakneck speed that it is enough to make your head spin. It can be difficult to keep
up. However, with each new technological marvel come consequences. Much of the research conducted has shown
the extent of the damage being done to our health by technology. It is a scary thought, and with teenagers and children
being heavy consumers and users of these gadgets, they run the risk of being harmed the most.
2The digital revolution in music has enabled people to download, store and listen to songs on a tiny, portable device
called an MP3 player. The process is quick and afterwards you can have access to a library of thousands of songs
that can fit into your palm. But experts say that continuously listening to loud music on these small music players can
permanently damage hair cells in the inner ear, resulting in hearing loss. Tor instance, old-fashioned headphones 1
have been replaced with smaller ones that fit neatly into the ear, instead of over them, which intensifies the sound. In
addition to that, digital music does not distort and keeps its crystal clear sound, even on loud settings, which 2, 3
encourages children to crank up the volume. Combine that with the fact that many children will spend hours listening
to their iPods, and you have the recipe for hearing loss. Put into further perspective, most MP3 players can reach
levels of 120 decibels, which is louder than a chainsaw or lawnmower. When you consider 85 decibels is the maximum
safe decibel level set by hearing experts over the course of a working day, and that children will listen to music at
higher decibel levels than that for long periods of time, hearing will invariably suffer.
Apart from hearing damage, there are other serious health risks. We are living in a wireless age. Calls can be made
and received on mobiles from anywhere and the internet can be accessed without the need for cables.The advantages 6
are enormous, bringing ease and convenience to our lives. It is clear that mobiles and wireless technology are here 7
to stay but are we paying the price for new technology? Studies have shown that the rapid expansion in the use of
wireless technology has brought with it a new form of radiation called ‘electropollution’.
Compared to two generations ago, we are exposed to 100 million times more radiation. The human body consists of
trillions of cells which use faint electromagnetic signals to communicate with each other, so that the necessary
biological and physiological changes can happen. It is a delicate, natural balance. But this balance is being upset by
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the constant exposure to electromagnetic radiation (EMR) that we face in our daily lives and it is playing havoc with
our bodies. EMR can disrupt and alter the way in which our cells communicate and this can result in abnormal cell
behaviour. Some studies have shown that exposure to wireless technology can affect our enzyme production, immune
systems, nervous system and even our moods and behaviour. The most dangerous part of the phone is around the
antenna.This area emits extremely potent radiation which has been shown to cause genetic damage and an increase
in the risk of cancer.
Research shows that teenagers and young adults are the largest group of mobile phone users. According to a recent
Eurobarometer survey, 70 per cent of Europeans aged 12-13 own a mobile phone and the number of children five to
nine years old owning mobiles has greatly increased over the years. Children are especially vulnerable because their
brains and nervous systems are not as immune to attack as adults. Sir William Stewart, chairman of the National
Radiological Protection Board, says there is mounting evidence to prove the harmful effects of wireless technologies
and that families should monitor their children’s use of them.
Besides the physical and biological damage, technology can also have serious mental implications for children. It can 9
be the cause of severe, addictive behaviour. In one case, two children had to be admitted into a mental health clinic
in Northern Spain because of their addiction to mobile phones. An average of six hours a day would be spent talking,
texting and playing games on their phones. The children could not be separated from their phones and showed 10
disturbed behaviour that was making them fail at school. They regularly deceived family members to obtain money to
buy phone cards to fund their destructive habit. There have been other cases of phone addiction like this.
Technology may also be changing our brain patterns. Professor Greenfield, a top specialist in brain development,
says that, thanks to technology, teenage minds are developing differently from those of previous generations. Her
main concern is over computer games. She claims that living in a virtual world where actions are rewarded without
needing to think about the moral implications makes young people’lose awareness of who they are’. She claims that
technology brings a decline in linguistic creativity.
As technology keeps moving at a rapid pace and everyone clamours for the new must- have gadget of the moment,
we cannot easily perceive the long-term effects on our health. Unfortunately, it is the most vulnerable members of our
society that will be affected.
Question 1-5
Complete the table below
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Write NO MORE THAN TWO WORDS AND/OR A NUMBER from the passage for each answer.
How MP3 players can threaten health

MP3 player features Harmful results Effects
Problem
A new 1 headphones fit inside ears creates intense sound
Problem 2 digital music is distortion-free invites children to damage to hair

increase 3 volume
B cells & loss of
with clear quality sound
hearing
Problem capable of producing sound as loud as a lawnmower or chainsaw – over
C at 4 120 decibels recommended safe 5 decibel level
Questions 6-10
Do the following statements agree with the claims of the writer in Reading Passage 2? Write
YES if the statement agrees with the writers views
NO if the statement contradicts the writers views
NOT GIVEN if it is impossible to say what the writer thinks about this
6 T There are considerable benefits to our wireless world.
7 T Wireless technology is a permanent part of our lives.
8 NG Exposure to EMR can lead to criminal behaviour.

T
9 It is possible to become obsessed with technology.
10 F Using technology always helps with academic success.
Questions 11-13
Answer the questions below using NO MORE THAN THREE WORDS for each answer.
virtual world According to Professor Greenfield, what kind of world do children occupy when playing computer
games?
moral implications
What does Professor Greenfield feel children don’t pay attention to when playing computer games?
linguistic creativity
According to Professor Greenfield, what may be lower in teenagers who play a lot of computer
games?
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Is Technology Harming our Children’s Health?

in the risk of cancer.

and that families should monitor their children’s use of them.

technology brings a decline in linguistic creativity.

society that will be affected.

How MP3 players can threaten health

Problem 2 digital music is distortion-free invites children to damage to hair

6 T There are considerable benefits to our wireless world.

7 T Wireless technology is a permanent part of our lives.

8 NG Exposure to EMR can lead to criminal behaviour.

10 F Using technology always helps with academic success.

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