Question

What distinguishes young people from their parents' or grandparents' generation is a lack of physical exercise. Today's generation are spending far too long playing computer games, chatting aimlessly on social networking sites or simply watching TV, and too little time being active. To what extend fo you agree or disagree?

Model Answer

It is often said that this generation of children is lazier than past generations, with much of the blame placed upon social media. Many people believe that children nowadays are fixated upon computer screens. While it is true that children today are more sedentary, I do not think it is useful to compare different generations.

Parents have always complained about how their children spend their time, whether it be watching TV, playing video games, or listening to music. As far back as the nineteenth century, people were complaining about the unhealthy craze for reading novels, which was supposedly damaging a generation's health. If there ever were a time when children happily spent endless hours outside, it is not clear exactly when it was. So, I find it difficult to agree that this generation is worse than any other.

Furthermore, it is hypocritical for older people to bemoan inactivity when they tend to do the least exercise. A recent survey showed that on average people in their forties participated in sport less often than those aged 21 to 25. Another point of contention is rising childhood obesity. It is often used as evidence of the harm done by sedentary lifestyles. The truth is, though, that people of all ages are getting fatter, and this is a societal problem and not limited to young people alone.

In conclusion, each generation will always have a different lifestyle than the next. I do not feel it is productive to say one generation does too much or too little of any activity. We should focus on ensuring everyone is active enough to stay healthy.

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