Author Name: Choa Pei Rong Alicia
Age: 16
School:

In the 21st century, smartphones and electronic devices are ubiquitous and are found in everyone’s hands. No matter where you go, be it shopping or eating, everyone’s eyes will be glued on to the screen. Parents say that children using smartphones and electronic devices are spoiling family ties which I cannot agree more as I myself,as a child is also guilty of that.

In such an affluent city like Singapore, even children, as young as two years old, own smart devices and because of that, they become addictive to it and neglect family ties. Wherever families go, children will be using their mobile phones texting, calling or be on social media. This way, they hardly interact with their family members and are in their own world. Family bonds will thus be broken and they will not be as close as they were beforehand. They will feel awkward with their family and will not talk to their family members and instead, blog to voice out. This will in turn make family members more distant from one another.

As children value privacy a lot, they will often lock themselves in the room and hardly come out of there to use their mobile devices to FaceTime or Skype their friends. They will not go out with their family or to family gatherings. The only time they come out of the room is during eating (meal) time or just to go to the toilet. Even during meal time, they will use their phones and eat quietly despite everyone sitting together around the table. This is definitely spoiling family times as they hardly even see one another, let alone talk to one another.

However, parents are the ones complaining children’s use of mobile devices are spoiling family ties but have they looked at themselves? Have they set a good role model for their children? Have they set rules for their children? Well, clearly they don’t(have not). Parents are also using mobile devices themselves to play games or on social media. They are equally contributing in spoiling family ties. Whenever families are outside, not only the children are using their phones but parents too.

Despite parents are also the ones spoiling family ties, children still play the most part in it. Children are the ones looking at their phones 24/7 and did not make any effort to talk to their family members. They always straight away go back to their rooms after school and do not communicate with their family members. With the recent craze of ‘Pokemon go’ , it worsens the situation as children often go out with their friends after school elsewhere to catch pokemons and go back home late and there will be no family time spent which thus worsen family ties

To encapsulate, children’s use of mobile devices indeed spoil family ties yet a small part of it are also the parents who are also using their mobile devices and not controlling their children. Someone once said ‘family is everything’ which is absolutely true.

Without our parents, there will be no us, children. Our family members are the ones who will support us when we are down, not the mobile devices. Our family members are the ones that will always be with us and not the mobile devices. Therefore, it is true that children using electronic devices may spoil family ties but if one makes an effort to be united as a family, family ties can still be strengthen regardless whether if there are electronic devices.