- Do you have a smartphone? If yes, when did you switch from having a flip-phone? What model do you use? Is it good? Why? If no, why not?
- Which carrier do you use? Are you happy with that carrier? Why?
- There are over a billion smartphone users in the world. Tell me about one thing people around the world do on their smartphones? Do you do that? Why?
- Doctors say we are spending too much time staring at computers, tablets and smartphones. Tell me about one thing you do with your 'screentime'?
- Do you believe you spend an unhealthy amount of time each week staring at a screen? Why?
- If you had a son, daughter, wife, husband, mother, father or friend who was getting too addicted to screentime, what would you do? Are smartphones hurting young people? Why or why not?
Question 1
Yes, I do. I have an iPhone 5s. I made the switch from a flip-phone around the time the iPhone 4s came out. I have had two flip-phones and two smartphones in the last fifteen or so years. I'm pretty happy with my current phone. I use it on a daily basis and I find all of the apps and functions to be highly useful.Question 2
I am currently using SoftBank. I started with them because once upon a time they were the only carrier to offer a smartphone. I have been with them ever since. I have no complaints about their service though I'm told they are a bit expensive compared to other carriers. I'm thinking of changing to my wife's carrier, au, so we can go on a family plan and save some money. I'll wait until it's time to upgrade to a new phone.Question 3
One thing people do on their smartphones, the world over, is talk to other people. I actually don't do that so often. I prefer communicating via text messages and live chats. Unless there is an urgent need to speak to someone directly, I think texting is a lot more convenient. It allows for breaks in the conversation and the ability to choose your words carefully.Question 4
I submit EP-Express compositions for the reading pleasure of my students. 🙂Question 5
Probably? I mean, objectively, I'm sure I do. Subjectively though, I don't think it's an "unhealthy" amount of time. I think what you do with the time itself determines if it's healthy or unhealthy. Is spending a ton of time on YouTube unhealthy? That's up for debate. And I am a big believer in the notion that time you enjoy wasting is not wasted time.Question 6
I'm very conscious of this with my daughter. She is of the first generation to grow up with these things around her from infancy. It remains to be seen if this is harmful or not. If I notice she is developing a screentime addiction, I'll put a stop to it immediately and do what I can to course correct. As I said above though, I don't think spending all your time in front of a screen is automatically unhealthy.Tough Vocabulary
| - English - | - Japanese - |
|---|---|
| make the switch | 切り替えます |
| on a daily basis | 日常的に |
| once upon a time | 昔々 |
| ever since | それ以来 |
| the world over | 世界中に |
| an urgent need | 緊急の必要性 |
| up for debate | 議論のために |
| a big believer in | の大きな信者 |
| from infancy | 幼児期から |
| remains to be seen | 見られたままで |
| put a stop to it | 何かを止める |
| course correct | 正しいコースに変更する |