Youth and social media

1. You tell your children that they can go on Facebook if you can monitor, but later you find out you’ve only been allowed to see a dummy account. You set the password and they change it. You ban them from Facebook so they spend all their time on Tumblr, and once you finally figure out what Tumblr is they switch to another social media site. Keeping up with your child’s internet use can feel as futile as chasing the elusive White Rabbit across Wonderland. Says Dr Katie Davis, University of Washington Information School Assistant Professor in her research about youth and social media.

2. Parents can relax and stop worrying that their child has fallen down the proverbial rabbit hole. Her research has found that young people’s use of digital media isn’t all bad. It might actually be helping teenagers to reach developmental milestones, such as fostering a sense of belonging and sharing personal problems. She calls this ‘Friendship 2.0’. “What they are doing is different from generations of teenagers from before the digital era, but it comes from the same place of basic developmental needs,” Dr Davis said. “It’s just that they’re using different tools to satisfy these needs.”

3. “It is challenging for parents to keep up,” Dr Davis said. “It is hard to strike that balance between being vigilant with what children are doing online and making sure they are safe and allowing them room to grow and respecting their privacy because it is totally an open digital world.”

4. At Harvard University Dr Davis asked a group of freshmen to draw a pie chart of what they did all day. The results were startling. The internet took up a huge chunk of their time. One 17-year-old student, Emma , reported “Facebook is just like an addiction, I guess, like it’s hard, like if I don’t go on, I feel like I am missing something, like someone has written on my wall, and I can’t wait to see what they are saying.”

5. “Across the board once they looked at how much time they spent online or on their cell phone, they couldn’t believe it,” said Dr Davis. “Those little moments of opening your e-mail or Facebook during the day add up very quickly. Although there is a lot of learning to have online, they often felt like they were wasting their time. They found it hard to find that balance. It takes a lot of discipline for young people which is hard because they are still developing that ability to show restraint and discretion.”

6. Dr Davis said open communication between parents and children was really the key, as was setting ground rules for internet use. «I think that if you start with that base of good communication with children, even if they do go online without you, at least you can feel they are communicating with you openly about what they are doing. There is also a lot to be said for parents being good role models themselves. They themselves have to model proper online behaviour. They can do this by not using their own cell phones too much or posting inappropriate content on their Facebook page. They can model balanced lifestyles and respectful conduct online.”

I. Comprehension (15 points)

Answer these questions from the text (3 points)

a. Who is Dr Katie Davis?

………………………………………………………………………………………………………

b. How can social media help teenagers?

……………………………………………………………………………………………………..

c. Why it is hard for parents to balance their vigilance and sureness of their children’s safety?

………………………………………………………………………………………………………

Are these sentences true or false? Justify. (3 points)

1. It is easy for parents to follow their children use of social media.

………………………………………………………………………………………………………….

2. There is a little time spent by university students on social media …………………………………………………………………………………………….

3. According to Dr Katie, one can learn online

………………………………………………………………………………………………………

Complete the table with the information from the text (4 points)

Problems caused by social media	Suggested solutions
–	–
–	–

 

Find in the text words or phrases meaning the same as (3 points)

1. Stupid (paragraph 1): …………………………
2. Promoting (paragraph 2): …………………………
3. Unsuitable (paragraph 6): …………………………….

What do the underlined words refer to in the text (2 points)

1. Her: ………………………………
2. Them: …………………………….

II. Language

FILL IN THE GAPS WITH THE CORRECT PHRASAL VERBS. (2 points)

Set up – come back – calm down – look up – fill in – apply for

I need to…………….. this application form. I want to……………. a visa to Canada. I’m going to study management there and hope to ……………….a new business when I ………………… to Morocco.

PUT THE VERBS IN BRACKETS IN THE CORRECT TENSE OR FORM. (3 points)

Bob and David enjoy (watch) ………………………..….science fiction films. Yesterday, they (go) …………………… to the cinema, but when they arrived, they found that the film (already/start) ………………………. So, they decided to have a walk along the coast.

JOIN THE PAIRS OF SENTENCES WITH THE WORDS BETWEEN BRACKETS. (2 points)

1. Jamal spent all the afternoon chatting. He didn’t have time to do his homework. (Because)

…………………………………………………………………………………………………

2. My friends decided to go on an excursion to the Atlas Mountains. They might face difficulties. (Despite)

……………………………………………………………………………………………………

REWRITE THE SENTENCES BEGINNING WITH THE WORDS GIVEN. (4 points)

1. What a pity! I didn’t send them the message on time.

If only………………………………………………………………………………………………

2. “Why don’t you eat more vegetables and fruit?” the doctor said.

The doctor advised the patient……………………………………………………………………..

3. You must send your application before the end of March.

Your application …………………………………………………………………………………..

4. I don’t have a modem, so I can’t have access to the Internet.

If ……………………………………………………………………………………………………

GIVE THE CORRECT FORM OF THE WORDS BETWEEN BRACKETS. (2 points)

Active (citizen)…………………….. Can be defined as the (involve)………………….. Of citizens in public life through their (participate)……………………………….. In the communities’ projects that can (contribution)………………….. To the improvement of people’s living conditions.

MATCH THE EXPRESSIONS WITH THEIR APPROPRIATE FUNCTIONS. (2 points)

1. “You’d better do some exercises in the workbook.” 2. “Could you close the window, please?”

a. requesting b. apologizing c. suggesting

1 → …………………………                      2 → …………………………..

 

III. Writing (4 pts.)

Describe one of your friends or someone you know. These cues can help you:

• Physical appearance: tall, short, medium, slim, frail, well-built, face (round, oval), eyes (big, small, round)…..
• Abilities and attitudes: intelligent bright talented optimistic pessimistic extroverted introverted calm tense practical helpful sociable quarrelsome egoist honest

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