IELTS Writing Task 2 with sample answer.
You should spend about 40 minutes on this task.
Do you agree or disagree with the following statement?
Technology has made children less creative than they were in the past.
Give reasons for your answer and include any relevant examples from your own knowledge or experience.
Write at least 250 words.
Sample Answer:
We already have entered into a digital world where technology has a ripple effect on every people of every age. We cannot think of a single day without the help and influence of technology in our personal and professional life. It pervades each and every aspect of human life. But when it comes to children’s creativity, we need to pause for a while to think where we are heading to? Many people are out crying that technology has a great negative impact on a child’s creativity. They contend that today’s children are less creative comparing to the past and they blame the dependency on technology for that. Although there are great numbers of people who believe that technology is conducive for children’s creativity, however, I am of my honest opinion that technology affects our child creativity negatively.
To start with, a child’s brain development or allocating “neural real estate” depends on how they spend their time. If they only confine to high speed, numbing technology, then their brain efficiently malfunctions the no longer needed frontal cortex. That is to say that executive function, impulse control and critical thinking are essential for learning are long gone. Likewise, imagination or creativity, also necessary for learning, are gone that are necessary for success and survival in the increasingly competitive world. Thus, early exposure to technology hampers a child’ creativity.
Similarly, early exposure to technology also brings changes in brain structure, chemistry, and function in areas pertaining to addiction. The addiction to technology could be deemed as a lack of imagination and creativity. For example, if a child could involve in a variety of activities alternate to technology, they would not be addicted. The younger the child is, and the more excessive exposure to technology he has, the more chances that the toddler will be in addiction.
On the other hand, in the past, children had several natural avenues of expressing their creativity than today. Just few decades ago, children used to play outside all day, building forts, playing sports and many games instantly devised by them. With their imaginative power, children of the past innovated their own form of play that did not need cost toys. Children then usually roamed a lot and their sensory world was simple and nature based which boosted their imaginative power.
In conclusion, while no one can deny the advantages of technology in today’s world, the connection to these devices may cause disconnection from what a child direly need for healthy mental growth that hones his imaginative and creative powers. So, what we need is to balance the use of technology with those crucial factors regarding child creativity.