Prompt:
What can you do to change the world for the better? Your local paper has hired you, a student
reporter, to do some investigative reporting. Choose a current issue that affects your community
in some way, such as fracking laws, education reform, or even less far-reaching issues such as
skateboarding restrictions. Research the issue, take a stand for or against it, and write a fiveparagraph argumentative essay that presents your claim, provides evidence and explanation,
counter-claims and rebuttals, and concludes with a call to action. Support your argument with
specific, compelling facts from credible sources.
Sample Essay:
Do you think you could survive without your computer for a week? A recently developed
program Shut Down Your Screen week suggests just that. This is a program in which kids in
school and out of school avoid using any electronics for one week. Everyone in the school would
participate, for this is a way to improve the way students think and try something new. The
question is: Should we participate in the national “Shut Down Your Screen week? Our school
ought to participate in this event because it could help thinking and behavior, sharpen focus, and
improve social interactions.
We should participate in Shut Down Your Screen Week because using too much
technology can negatively affect thinking and behavior. In the article “Attached to Technology
and Paying a Price” by Matt Richtel, it provides evidence that over-using technology negatively
affects the way people think. People who are juggling e-mail, phone calls and other incoming
information tend to lose focus. Also, as the text states, “The stimulation provokes excitement that
researchers say can be addictive. In its absence, people feel bored.” This means that people can
become addicted to electronics, and when not using technology, they often become bored with
activities they once found exciting. Some people may argue that technology can help improve
focus and skills. While information may be easier to access on the Internet, such as looking up an
unknown word on Dictionary.com, that does not mean the information is better or even that the
person has learned. In fact, using computers to easily access information has denied younger
learners the challenges of digging for information without the ease of a search engine. In addition
to being addictive, technology can impair people’s ability to focus.
Technology can lower focus. Specifically, using technology while completing another
activity (multitasking) really just creates more trouble focusing. In the article “Multi-tasking
Myths” by Dr. Elena Tran, she conducted an experiment comparing someone who multi-tasks
with someone who does not. It was proven that even though the multitasker was able to complete
more activities, that person did a worse job than the one who focused on one task at a time.
Therefore, people who multi-task with electronics are less likely to do an effective job. Another
example is texting and driving. In a study by Michael Austin in Car and Driver magazine,
Austin found that in some instances, the reaction time for texting drivers was 600% worse than
the reaction time for impaired drivers. That suggests that texting while driving is at least equally
as dangerous as driving while impaired, and perhaps much worse. Opposition might argue that
electronics such as GPS systems or smart phones can help people focus on a destination or
manage a busy calendar, but merely managing the electronics adds additional stress to people’s
lives. Furthermore, when those electronics break or fail to work properly, people are often left in
difficult situations. Electronics can impair focus; likewise, they can also lessen the quantity and
quality of people’s social interactions.
Use of electronics can lower people’s social interactions and skills. As shown in the
article “Younger Users Spend More Daily Time on Social Networks” by eMarketer Inc., young
people, in particular, are using social media to communicate. According to the study, 72% of
Internet users subscribe to Facebook, and 51% of Facebook users fall into the youngest category
and spend an average of 54 minutes on Facebook each day. Therefore, young users are spending
an average of nearly seven hours a week on social media, which does not include phone or
computer time. The average Internet user spends 47.2% of his or her waking hours accessing
either the computer or a mobile device, and this is a significant amount of time. As a result,
electronics often replace face-to-face communication, and the lack of that in-person interaction
results in lower social skills. Some people might argue that texting and e-mailing actually
improve social skills because they require people to write; however, most people use a shorthand
version of the language when texting, and e-mail may not accurately reflect more subtle human
interactions such as sarcasm and humor. In order to improve social interactions, students ought to
spend less time on electronics and more time in face-to-face situations.
In conclusion, schools should participate in the Turn Off Your Screen for a week
program. One reason why is that dependency on electronics can negatively affect the user’s
cognitive abilities and attitude, leading to both lower performance and less happy people. In
addition, many people lose focus when they multi-task using electronics, which can cause
confusion and even serious accidents. Finally, electronic users have become increasingly reliant
on technology for communication, and this can result in impaired social skills and fewer inperson social interactions. Clearly, people need to unplug and rejoin the real world, so stop
sending e-mails, put away your phone, and turn off your screen for a week. Will you take the
challenge?