July 17, 2024 • 17 mins
Introduction
Mobile phone addiction and excessive screen time are increasingly pertinent issues, particularly among children. This article examines the societal impact of these phenomena and discusses various perspectives on the topic.
Full tutorial available here:
https://www.ieltspodcast.com/audio-tutorials/vocab-mobile-phone-addiction/
Mark as Played
Transcript
Episode Transcript
Available transcripts are automatically generated. Complete accuracy is not guaranteed.
(00:00):
IELTS vocabulary. Hello there, IELTS students. In this tutorial we are going to look at IELTS
(00:24):
vocabulary. We're going to look at hedging, which is what you need for your academic writing,
and we're also going to look at the vocabulary. We're going to look at ideas, we're going to look
at collocations, and mobile phone addiction is one of those typical, typical IELTS topics.
(00:46):
And what do I mean by that? Well, the IELTS examiners and the writers, the exam writers,
they are influenced by modern society, by what's going on here in the West, in the UK,
in Australia, in the US. And mobile phone addiction is, you know, you see it at least once a week in
(01:08):
the news, especially talking about social media and TikTok and all of this and the algorithms.
So it's incredibly useful and it's probably one of those typical IELTS topics that gets,
that catches you or can catch you off guard. That means, you know, one of these topics that
you've never thought about. You're using your phone happily for eight hours a day. Why would
(01:33):
you even think about mobile phone addiction? No, so what I'm saying is like, it's just,
it's, it's one of those where you might think, I can talk about that. But then once you actually
start moving, once you actually start trying to explain ideas that are in your head,
it's quite easy to trip up because it's not until we've like actually put our thoughts out there,
(02:01):
either on pen and paper or even spoken, do we realise that it could be a tricky topic to talk
about. Now, as I said, we're going to go into the pros and cons. We're going to look at hedging.
We're going to look at some topic collocations, which are incredibly useful for your essay.
We're going to look at a quick body paragraph using the collocations, using the vocabulary,
(02:26):
and then we'll look at some sample questions and model answers. So it's a very, very deep dive
into this topic, all using the vocabulary in context, which is the best way to learn
and also covering a grammar point. So let's get started. Hedging. Hedging is the, it's a,
(02:50):
it's a device in academic writing that refers to the use of cautious or non-committal
language to make assertions or to be less definitive. Now, we do this because we want
to make the argument believable. And if we don't hedge it, if we don't add might, could, possibly,
(03:16):
or it seems in front of a sentence or in the middle of a sentence, wherever,
we can be accused of making a sweeping generalisation. So in this context, if I said
mobile phone addiction affects every single teenager in the UK, that's factually wrong
(03:39):
because I cannot prove that every single teenager has a mobile phone addiction.
But what I could say is mobile phone addiction affects most teenagers in the UK.
And now it's a little bit easier. And the thing is with hedging is that in that earlier sentence,
(04:02):
I emphasised it, I said every single student, so it's making it clear. But we can make a sweeping
generalisation without the emphasis, we can say mobile phone addiction affects students in the UK
or affects teenagers in the UK. Even though I didn't say explicitly that it affects all
(04:24):
teenagers, that's basically what I'm implying. So I still have to hedge even an innocent sentence,
such as mobile phone addiction affects teenagers. We'd have to say mobile phone addiction affects
most teenagers in the UK. So that's hedging. Let's have a look at some of the
(04:45):
pros and cons regarding mobile phone addiction. So the pros of mobile phone addiction are quite,
it's quite difficult to say that. But what we can say is the pros of mobile phone usage.
And in these pros, in these advantages, in these benefits, we could say access to educational
(05:08):
content. You've got the ability to stay informed with global events. You can use your phone for
relaxation for entertainment purposes. You can get specialised apps for children with learning
disabilities. It makes you more accessible in case of emergencies and more sociable through
(05:31):
social networks. So there's some advantages to mobile phone usage. I have to be very
clear here. We don't want to talk about the pros of addiction. You know, even addiction to sport
can be damaging. So it's better just to, again, hedge this or rephrase it or reframe it. Say,
(05:54):
although mobile phone addiction is quite severe or is quite dangerous or harmful,
there are benefits to mobile phone usage such as, and then list some of those benefits that I
mentioned before. What are the downsides? Well, you can develop addictive behaviours. It can reduce
(06:17):
your, it can reduce physical activity. The blue light from the screen can increase sleep disturbances.
It can actually increase social isolation if you're just scrolling on your phone all day instead
of going out there and talking face to face with people. And it could have, and this is my favourite,
(06:42):
not because I enjoy cyber bullying, but it's just one of those topics, again, that's quite frequent
on IELTS exams. So we can say heightened exposure to cyber bullying. And then finally, you could have
a risk of impaired vision from just staring at your phone all day. Now, topic specific vocabulary
(07:02):
collocations. This is my favourite, digital detox program, online safety measures,
parental control apps, social media awareness, eye strain symptoms, cyber bullying prevention
strategies. So it's quite useful phrases there. Now let's have a listen to those in context.
(07:30):
Implementing screen limitations might help reduce the risk of addiction. Can you see how we hedge
that? Might help. We didn't say screen time limitations help reduce the risk of, we didn't
say screen time limitations reduce the risk of addiction. We said might help reduce the risk of
(07:50):
addiction. Using parental control apps could possibly enhance online safety for children.
Participating in digital detox programs may potentially decrease dependency on mobile devices.
That's a great sentence. Potentially decrease dependency on mobile devices. Potentially,
(08:16):
again, is a great hedging term. May potentially do X, Y, Z. Next sentence. It is likely that
developing technological literacy skills at a young age can lead to better handling of digital
tools. Wow. Cyber bullying prevention strategies may be effective in mitigating online harassment.
(08:40):
Mitigating is a great academic word there. You're only going to find that in academic
literature. Very rarely will you find it in everyday speech or online in blogs or news,
maybe in some higher end news sites. Final sentence. Adopting online safety measures
(09:02):
might protect children from harmful digital content. Again, all of those sentences hedged.
Let's have a look at a body paragraph. The benefits of moderate screen time, such as access
to interactive educational apps and development of technological literacy skills cannot be
overlooked. These tools offer educational content that may enhance learning and creativity in
(09:29):
children. For example, language apps such as Bye Bye Human English Tutor dot com and Duolingo
have been shown to greatly improve language learning abilities and enjoyment. Therefore,
it is abundantly clear that moderate screen time or controlled screen time
(09:58):
can actually be an educational advantage rather than a danger. Okay, so all of that was hedged.
We put in some real world examples in there. I plugged, I mentioned our own language speaking
app, Bye Bye Human English Tutor dot com, where you can speak for free. We've been getting lots
(10:20):
of users on that. So it's just an example there. Body paragraph, we started off general,
we gave a few reasons, we gave an example, real world example, Duolingo, Bye Bye Human
English Tutor dot com, real world examples, and then finished it off with a therefore sentence,
(10:41):
just to wrap it up and make it clear and add some cohesive devices to our body paragraph.
Let's have a look at some speaking part three questions. Why is it important to manage children's
screen time? Managing children's screen time is crucial because it can help prevent addiction
(11:02):
and other negative impacts on health and development. This moderation, which might involve
the use of parental control apps, is essential for ensuring that children benefit from technology
without suffering its drawbacks. And I guess that's why it's important to manage children's
screen time. So again, we kind of reflect the question in the first sentence,
(11:27):
we build it up with a few more reasons there. And then again, we finish it, we wrap it up with
therefore, just to signal to the examiner that we've finished, and we then avoid the awkward
silence, we avoid interruptions, the examiner knows that you're going to signal when you finish,
(11:48):
so it's not going to interrupt you. So when you are doing that, when you are wrapping up your
question, your part three speaking question, try to remember a few phrases, a few words from the
initial question, so you can use those when you end your answer, just as a summary sentence.
(12:10):
Should schools play a role in teaching students about screen time management? Yes, absolutely.
Schools should definitely play a role. They could provide programs that teach students about the
dangers of excessive screen time and ways to manage it. This educational effort, which could
involve lessons on digital detox programs, can be pivotal in fostering a balanced approach to
(12:35):
technology use. There we go. Again, we could wrap that up if we thought it was necessary.
Therefore, I honestly believe schools should definitely play a role in educating
pupils about mobile phone and screen time usage on management. Again, all of that was hedged,
(13:02):
and you can see we started, we reflected the first sentence, which is a skill I teach
all my private students when we're practicing the speaking. We said schools should definitely
play a role. Then we go into a little bit more specificity. We give specifics. We say they could
(13:22):
provide programs. We give examples. Then we go a little bit further by mentioning digital detox
programs. Just like our IELTS essay, we're going to start with general, go a little bit more specific,
perhaps give an example, and then wrap it up with a therefore sentence if you feel it's necessary.
(13:46):
What are the potential benefits of digital devices in education?
Digital devices can significantly enhance education by providing access to vast resources
and interactive learning. These tools, which include interactive educational apps,
might offer personalized learning experiences that are both engaging and effective. Super duper.
(14:11):
Super duper. Okay. So again, all of these answers are using material that we just mentioned a few
minutes ago, talking about the collocations, the example sentences, just to help you learn.
I would strongly recommend you listen again to this tutorial, write down some of the phrases,
(14:33):
try and use them the next time you have your English class. Say I want to talk about mobile
phone addiction. Your tutor might think it's a bit bizarre. If there are decent tutors,
they'll jump on it and they'll start asking you questions. You can get to use your phrases.
(14:54):
I'm mentioning this because the more times you hear the phrases, even if it's from your own mouth,
and the more times you use them, the more comfortable you are going to be with them
and the more likely you are to remember them. As I've said a million times,
repetition is the mother of all learning and it's no different with language learning.
(15:17):
Final question, is mobile phone addiction common in your country? Very typical IELTS question.
In my country, mobile phone addiction is becoming increasingly common, especially among the younger
population. Many people are turning to digital detox programs to mitigate this issue, which
suggests a growing awareness of the problem. So I guess yes, mobile phone usage and over usage
(15:43):
is definitely a common issue in my country. There we go. Now, if you are still struggling
with your IELTS preparation and you don't have a student, a teacher to practice with, you can go
to ByeByeHumanEnglishTutor.com and you can practice there. At the moment, it's free. We will
be limiting it and putting on some paid plans so you can use it more, so we can develop it more.
(16:10):
We're building it out at the moment, but sometimes there's a waiting list there because we've got too
many users, but I would still recommend just leaving your email, signing up and you'll be
alerted to when we reopen. But at the moment, it is free to use and it's working, which is the
important thing. And also, as I mentioned before, we've got the AISA Checker. We've got the frameworks,
(16:35):
Band 9 frameworks course that just help you accelerate with your preparation. Frameworks,
as I've mentioned before, just incredibly valuable tools for fast preparation and just getting you up
to speed for the IELTS exam. So you can find all of that at IELTSPodcast.com. Sign up to our newsletter.
(16:57):
You'll get lots of free material and invites to use. ByeByeHumanEnglishTutor.com. And yeah,
basically these tutorials sent to your inbox every single week. So have a beautiful day
and good luck with your IELTS preparation.
IELTS vocabulary. Hello there, IELTS students. In this tutorial we are going to look at IELTS
(00:24):
vocabulary. We're going to look at hedging, which is what you need for your academic writing,
and we're also going to look at the vocabulary. We're going to look at ideas, we're going to look
at collocations, and mobile phone addiction is one of those typical, typical IELTS topics.
(00:46):
And what do I mean by that? Well, the IELTS examiners and the writers, the exam writers,
they are influenced by modern society, by what's going on here in the West, in the UK,
in Australia, in the US. And mobile phone addiction is, you know, you see it at least once a week in
(01:08):
the news, especially talking about social media and TikTok and all of this and the algorithms.
So it's incredibly useful and it's probably one of those typical IELTS topics that gets,
that catches you or can catch you off guard. That means, you know, one of these topics that
you've never thought about. You're using your phone happily for eight hours a day. Why would
(01:33):
you even think about mobile phone addiction? No, so what I'm saying is like, it's just,
it's, it's one of those where you might think, I can talk about that. But then once you actually
start moving, once you actually start trying to explain ideas that are in your head,
it's quite easy to trip up because it's not until we've like actually put our thoughts out there,
(02:01):
either on pen and paper or even spoken, do we realise that it could be a tricky topic to talk
about. Now, as I said, we're going to go into the pros and cons. We're going to look at hedging.
We're going to look at some topic collocations, which are incredibly useful for your essay.
We're going to look at a quick body paragraph using the collocations, using the vocabulary,
(02:26):
and then we'll look at some sample questions and model answers. So it's a very, very deep dive
into this topic, all using the vocabulary in context, which is the best way to learn
and also covering a grammar point. So let's get started. Hedging. Hedging is the, it's a,
(02:50):
it's a device in academic writing that refers to the use of cautious or non-committal
language to make assertions or to be less definitive. Now, we do this because we want
to make the argument believable. And if we don't hedge it, if we don't add might, could, possibly,
(03:16):
or it seems in front of a sentence or in the middle of a sentence, wherever,
we can be accused of making a sweeping generalisation. So in this context, if I said
mobile phone addiction affects every single teenager in the UK, that's factually wrong
(03:39):
because I cannot prove that every single teenager has a mobile phone addiction.
But what I could say is mobile phone addiction affects most teenagers in the UK.
And now it's a little bit easier. And the thing is with hedging is that in that earlier sentence,
(04:02):
I emphasised it, I said every single student, so it's making it clear. But we can make a sweeping
generalisation without the emphasis, we can say mobile phone addiction affects students in the UK
or affects teenagers in the UK. Even though I didn't say explicitly that it affects all
(04:24):
teenagers, that's basically what I'm implying. So I still have to hedge even an innocent sentence,
such as mobile phone addiction affects teenagers. We'd have to say mobile phone addiction affects
most teenagers in the UK. So that's hedging. Let's have a look at some of the
(04:45):
pros and cons regarding mobile phone addiction. So the pros of mobile phone addiction are quite,
it's quite difficult to say that. But what we can say is the pros of mobile phone usage.
And in these pros, in these advantages, in these benefits, we could say access to educational
(05:08):
content. You've got the ability to stay informed with global events. You can use your phone for
relaxation for entertainment purposes. You can get specialised apps for children with learning
disabilities. It makes you more accessible in case of emergencies and more sociable through
(05:31):
social networks. So there's some advantages to mobile phone usage. I have to be very
clear here. We don't want to talk about the pros of addiction. You know, even addiction to sport
can be damaging. So it's better just to, again, hedge this or rephrase it or reframe it. Say,
(05:54):
although mobile phone addiction is quite severe or is quite dangerous or harmful,
there are benefits to mobile phone usage such as, and then list some of those benefits that I
mentioned before. What are the downsides? Well, you can develop addictive behaviours. It can reduce
(06:17):
your, it can reduce physical activity. The blue light from the screen can increase sleep disturbances.
It can actually increase social isolation if you're just scrolling on your phone all day instead
of going out there and talking face to face with people. And it could have, and this is my favourite,
(06:42):
not because I enjoy cyber bullying, but it's just one of those topics, again, that's quite frequent
on IELTS exams. So we can say heightened exposure to cyber bullying. And then finally, you could have
a risk of impaired vision from just staring at your phone all day. Now, topic specific vocabulary
(07:02):
collocations. This is my favourite, digital detox program, online safety measures,
parental control apps, social media awareness, eye strain symptoms, cyber bullying prevention
strategies. So it's quite useful phrases there. Now let's have a listen to those in context.
(07:30):
Implementing screen limitations might help reduce the risk of addiction. Can you see how we hedge
that? Might help. We didn't say screen time limitations help reduce the risk of, we didn't
say screen time limitations reduce the risk of addiction. We said might help reduce the risk of
(07:50):
addiction. Using parental control apps could possibly enhance online safety for children.
Participating in digital detox programs may potentially decrease dependency on mobile devices.
That's a great sentence. Potentially decrease dependency on mobile devices. Potentially,
(08:16):
again, is a great hedging term. May potentially do X, Y, Z. Next sentence. It is likely that
developing technological literacy skills at a young age can lead to better handling of digital
tools. Wow. Cyber bullying prevention strategies may be effective in mitigating online harassment.
(08:40):
Mitigating is a great academic word there. You're only going to find that in academic
literature. Very rarely will you find it in everyday speech or online in blogs or news,
maybe in some higher end news sites. Final sentence. Adopting online safety measures
(09:02):
might protect children from harmful digital content. Again, all of those sentences hedged.
Let's have a look at a body paragraph. The benefits of moderate screen time, such as access
to interactive educational apps and development of technological literacy skills cannot be
overlooked. These tools offer educational content that may enhance learning and creativity in
(09:29):
children. For example, language apps such as Bye Bye Human English Tutor dot com and Duolingo
have been shown to greatly improve language learning abilities and enjoyment. Therefore,
it is abundantly clear that moderate screen time or controlled screen time
(09:58):
can actually be an educational advantage rather than a danger. Okay, so all of that was hedged.
We put in some real world examples in there. I plugged, I mentioned our own language speaking
app, Bye Bye Human English Tutor dot com, where you can speak for free. We've been getting lots
(10:20):
of users on that. So it's just an example there. Body paragraph, we started off general,
we gave a few reasons, we gave an example, real world example, Duolingo, Bye Bye Human
English Tutor dot com, real world examples, and then finished it off with a therefore sentence,
(10:41):
just to wrap it up and make it clear and add some cohesive devices to our body paragraph.
Let's have a look at some speaking part three questions. Why is it important to manage children's
screen time? Managing children's screen time is crucial because it can help prevent addiction
(11:02):
and other negative impacts on health and development. This moderation, which might involve
the use of parental control apps, is essential for ensuring that children benefit from technology
without suffering its drawbacks. And I guess that's why it's important to manage children's
screen time. So again, we kind of reflect the question in the first sentence,
(11:27):
we build it up with a few more reasons there. And then again, we finish it, we wrap it up with
therefore, just to signal to the examiner that we've finished, and we then avoid the awkward
silence, we avoid interruptions, the examiner knows that you're going to signal when you finish,
(11:48):
so it's not going to interrupt you. So when you are doing that, when you are wrapping up your
question, your part three speaking question, try to remember a few phrases, a few words from the
initial question, so you can use those when you end your answer, just as a summary sentence.
(12:10):
Should schools play a role in teaching students about screen time management? Yes, absolutely.
Schools should definitely play a role. They could provide programs that teach students about the
dangers of excessive screen time and ways to manage it. This educational effort, which could
involve lessons on digital detox programs, can be pivotal in fostering a balanced approach to
(12:35):
technology use. There we go. Again, we could wrap that up if we thought it was necessary.
Therefore, I honestly believe schools should definitely play a role in educating
pupils about mobile phone and screen time usage on management. Again, all of that was hedged,
(13:02):
and you can see we started, we reflected the first sentence, which is a skill I teach
all my private students when we're practicing the speaking. We said schools should definitely
play a role. Then we go into a little bit more specificity. We give specifics. We say they could
(13:22):
provide programs. We give examples. Then we go a little bit further by mentioning digital detox
programs. Just like our IELTS essay, we're going to start with general, go a little bit more specific,
perhaps give an example, and then wrap it up with a therefore sentence if you feel it's necessary.
(13:46):
What are the potential benefits of digital devices in education?
Digital devices can significantly enhance education by providing access to vast resources
and interactive learning. These tools, which include interactive educational apps,
might offer personalized learning experiences that are both engaging and effective. Super duper.
(14:11):
Super duper. Okay. So again, all of these answers are using material that we just mentioned a few
minutes ago, talking about the collocations, the example sentences, just to help you learn.
I would strongly recommend you listen again to this tutorial, write down some of the phrases,
(14:33):
try and use them the next time you have your English class. Say I want to talk about mobile
phone addiction. Your tutor might think it's a bit bizarre. If there are decent tutors,
they'll jump on it and they'll start asking you questions. You can get to use your phrases.
(14:54):
I'm mentioning this because the more times you hear the phrases, even if it's from your own mouth,
and the more times you use them, the more comfortable you are going to be with them
and the more likely you are to remember them. As I've said a million times,
repetition is the mother of all learning and it's no different with language learning.
(15:17):
Final question, is mobile phone addiction common in your country? Very typical IELTS question.
In my country, mobile phone addiction is becoming increasingly common, especially among the younger
population. Many people are turning to digital detox programs to mitigate this issue, which
suggests a growing awareness of the problem. So I guess yes, mobile phone usage and over usage
(15:43):
is definitely a common issue in my country. There we go. Now, if you are still struggling
with your IELTS preparation and you don't have a student, a teacher to practice with, you can go
to ByeByeHumanEnglishTutor.com and you can practice there. At the moment, it's free. We will
be limiting it and putting on some paid plans so you can use it more, so we can develop it more.
(16:10):
We're building it out at the moment, but sometimes there's a waiting list there because we've got too
many users, but I would still recommend just leaving your email, signing up and you'll be
alerted to when we reopen. But at the moment, it is free to use and it's working, which is the
important thing. And also, as I mentioned before, we've got the AISA Checker. We've got the frameworks,
(16:35):
Band 9 frameworks course that just help you accelerate with your preparation. Frameworks,
as I've mentioned before, just incredibly valuable tools for fast preparation and just getting you up
to speed for the IELTS exam. So you can find all of that at IELTSPodcast.com. Sign up to our newsletter.
(16:57):
You'll get lots of free material and invites to use. ByeByeHumanEnglishTutor.com. And yeah,
basically these tutorials sent to your inbox every single week. So have a beautiful day
and good luck with your IELTS preparation.
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