Youth and Free Time

Nowadays we teenagers are being criticized for "spending a lot of time at home watching television or staring at computer screens".

I’d like to express my point of view on this problem.

Firstly, of course, most of our parents spend more time watching television than we do. But even if my generation does watch a lot of television, that's because the quality of programs has improved and it is an enjoyable pastime for us. We don't only watch soap operas. We watch interesting programs like documentaries and different education programmers.

What’s more, television is used in schools to help students understand different study topics too. So, from this point of view, watching television is beneficial.

Secondly, I agree that we spend a lot of time on computers, but that's because surfing the net is a great way to do research for school projects and gain wider knowledge about all kinds of topics. We might not read books as often as our parents used to do, but we do read. It's quicker and easier to simply look something up on the internet than go to a library and look for a book. As for computer games, I agree that many of them look violent and childish, but many of them are challenging too. I actually play chess on my computer on a regular basis. Moreover, we can communicate with each other using computer without leaving our home.

Unfortunately, I must admit, outdoor activities are in decline. Only a few teenagers would be happy to go for a walk on a free evening after school or take part in physical activities. But there are also some that young people are happy to do. Skateboarding for example, this is a top favourite among the boys in the group. And dancing is a favourite pastime for most girls.

Undoubtedly, my generation is lucky to live in the 21^st century, the period of great progress and technologies. But the question is should we be criticized for spending too much time at home watching television or playing computer games? Judge for yourself!