It is true that many parents purchase a multitude of playthings for their offspring. Whether or not this is a good thing for the child, is a moot point. On the face of it the advantages seem most apparent, but could there be a downside to this phenomenon of devoted parenting as well?

Most people would consider children who have many toys to be the fortunate ones. Interesting things to play with stimulate many positives in the young boy or girl, such as optimum brain development, hand-eye coordination and colour recognition, apart from the simple joy of playing. Modern toys are designed to be educational as well as fun, and concerned parents carefully select products which might speed their child’s acquisition of numbers or the alphabet.

Is it possible that owning multiple toys could be in any way detrimental to a child? This is an unusual question, but there are some hidden pitfalls. For one, wealthy parents might spoil their son or daughter by showering him/her with toys, resulting in a negative effect on the child’s character. For another, a growing child’s concentration span may suffer if they are constantly surrounded by too many tempting objects, so that they become unable to focus on any one game for a decent length of time before being distracted. On the social side, older children may become targets of envy from classmates, if they are perceived as having far more possessions than their peers. Finally, the majority of toys today are made of plastic which commonly contains the chemical BPA, proven to be dangerous for infants to suck on or ingest.

It is clear then that this situation is not as straightforward as it first appears. It would seem that one of the many duties of parents is to make an informed choice about how many toys they buy for their young ones.

(310 words)

Since the invention of social media, many people have been better able to connect with each other and also to keep up to date with the lives of their friends, families, co-workers and even celebrities, to such a degree which was previously impossible.

However, social media has its risks. As people of all ages have access to social media, children can be exposed to adult content, and are themselves vulnerable to be approached by strangers with unknown intentions. Even if children are sure of who they’re talking to on social media, social media’s issues are not completely eliminated. Cyber bullying is frequently reported in the news, and occurs on social media between children and schoolchildren. This is problematic, as it means even when children are at home, remote from their bullies they can still be bullied when they’re inside their own homes.

Social media can be problematic for adults, too. People often feel comfortable posting things on social media that they wouldn’t say in real life. This can indirectly cause a bad impression on other people, and if employers judge the nature of the content prospective employees post on social media to be inappropriate, it can affect their chances of attaining or keeping jobs.

As long as people are aware of the risks of using social media, and are careful to post only respectful and respectable content, then the advantages of social media far outweigh the disadvantages, and children and adults alike should be allowed to benefit from such technology.

(250 words)

The question of how to learn a foreign language has become increasingly important in recent years as business has become more international. Although there are a number of effective ways, l am convinced that living in a country where that language is spoken is the most efficient way of learning.

Traditionally, people have learned languages as part of a large group in a classroom. This has the advantage of providing many opportunities to practise what you learn with a number of different people. In addition, the fees for this form of education are usually reasonable, since a large number of people are taught at once. However, the size of the group means that more demands are placed on the teacher’s time. Students may not get the individual attention they require to improve.

The amount of individual attention you receive is certainly an advantage of working with a private tutor. Also, the student can work at a pace which is comfortable for them. On the other hand, working with a private tutor can lack the social element, which is crucial in learning to communicate well in a foreign language. It can also prove to be beyond the means of many people.

By far the most natural way to acquire a language is to go where it is spoken. Not only is every social interaction a chance to practise, but you are also exposed to the real, living language. As well as that, you are able to acquire a natural accent by imitating the people around you. This is not to say, of course, that there are not drawbacks. Many people suffer from culture shock away from home, and it can be very difficult to integrate into a foreign culture.

In conclusion, I would argue that the advantages of going to another country to learn far outweigh the disadvantages, making it the best option.

(312 words)

People today can expect to live a longer and healthier life than people in the past. People often see retirement as a time for relaxation and letting go of the stresses of working life. However, many who reach retirement age are more interested than ever in contributing actively to their communities. This essay will outline two ways in which this interest can benefit society.

Becoming involved in schools is one of the ways in which the life experience of the elderly can be made available to the community. Because families now are often more mobile than in the past, many children do not have regular contact with grandparents. Yet children are often fascinated by stories of life in the past. Inviting local retired people into schools to speak to children can help to maintain a vital link between past and present.

Another way in which society can benefit from a more active older generation is by inviting older employees to remain in work part-time. Older people may not want to or indeed be able to do a full day’s work; however, their experience may continue to be valuable to their employers. A good example of this can be seen in one scheme in the UK in which elder employees remained in work as mentors for younger employees.

In my opinion, schools and the workplace are just two of the areas in which those who have reached retirement age can continue to contribute to their communities. As life expectancy improves, the need to maintain an active and socially meaningful life may also increase. Experience suggests that this trend can have benefits for all, not just the elderly.

(276 words)

These days, many people are afraid of nuclear technology because of the dangers associated with its use. In my opinion, although it is true that nuclear weapons pose the greatest threat to life, the use of nuclear technology for peaceful purposes also carries some serious risks.

Nuclear power stations provide an important source of cheap power for many industrialised nations and some developing countries. However, there is always the danger of radiation leaking from these plants. Even though safety precautions are taken, there have been numerous disasters such as the explosion of a nuclear plant in Russia not long ago.

Nuclear technology is even used to help cure some diseases such as cancer. Radiation can be applied to the body to burn away cancerous cells. This is, however, a dangerous procedure, and the application of radiation is almost always painful and not always successful.

The most worrying aspect of nuclear technology, though, is its use for military purposes. Enough atomic bombs have already been built to completely destroy the planet, and the real danger is that one day some country will start a war with these weapons. Too many countries now have the technology required to make such bombs, and there is currently much debate about how to control the situation.

In conclusion, nuclear technology certainly has positive uses, but is, nonetheless, dangerous. However, it would have been better if it had never been used to create nuclear weapons. If life on Earth is to continue.

(246 words)

In order to keep up with the competition, businesses continuously identify and invest in the training needs of their employees. Nowadays, online trainings seem to be the emerging preference among corporates in order to educate their staff, which has positive as well as negative implications.

To begin with the advantages, the most prominent factor for which businesses favor online trainings is the reasonably low cost of such trainings. In order to increase their market share, online training platforms provide lucrative discount offers to businesses. These discounts are sometimes as big as 95% off the actual cost. In addition to humungous discounts, employees save their travelling time, which further saves cost to the company, and thus creates a win-win situation for businesses in terms of cost and time. Another benefit offered by online education is the accessibility of excellent trainers online, who might not be available otherwise due to their location constraints. Online training platforms – such as Mindvalley and Udemy – are becoming increasingly popular among corporates for the enormous value they are able to bring to the table in terms of discounts and accessibility to various international experts under one roof.

At the same time, online education has a major repercussion too. Online trainings, some of which are merely pre-recorded sessions, do not provide a fair opportunity to trainees to clarify their doubts with the trainer. Trainees might not be able to understand concepts in an absolute manner, which can make the whole training exercise rather ineffective. A direct, face to face interaction with the trainer can facilitate the assimilation process for students.

At the end, I would like to say that online trainings might be less effective as compared to classroom trainings; however, the trend of online education is likely to grow in future, as businesses are usually on a lookout for ways to save cost as well as the time of the company.

(313 words)

In today’s world where we all have access to the internet, more and more children are playing computer games and their popularity is increasing all the time. This essay will look at the positive aspects these games can have and also the negative effects on children.

Firstly, as education is becoming more demanding for many young people, computer games can provide a way of relaxing and reducing stress. Computer games can take us into different worlds where we can escape from reality. In addition to this, computer games today are very advanced and can help children develop their thinking skills. Instructions need to be understood and games often include complicated problems which need to be solved.

However, there are also many problems with the increasing popularity of computer games. Many children become addicted to them and they play for hours, sometimes through the night. In South Korea, the government has banned children from playing games after midnight as the problem was so great and the effect on education was very negative. Furthermore, some children find it difficult to identify what is real and what is virtual. Some people argue that this has led to a rise in crime inspired by video games. This is not proven, but it is undeniable that games today can be very violent.

To sum up, there are both advantages and disadvantages with computer games and it seems that parents need to exercise caution and monitor their children’s activity as some games may be more suitable than others.

(252 words)

The way in which we work has changed a great deal in recent years. Whilst some people still travel to their place of work each day, others have the option to work from home. This has all become possible since the birth of the internet and smartphones, which enable workers to be in constant contact with their colleagues and clients all over the world.

There are both advantages and disadvantages to this new development. There are definite advantages to people being allowed to work from home. The main advantage is that it gives workers more flexibility in their working lives. This can be particularly useful for parents or people who live far from their workplace. Working from home is also more comfortable – you can take a break whenever you need. Another advantage is that you have the possibility to work for companies in other countries through the use of the internet. Therefore, people can apply for jobs globally as well as locally.

On the other hand, working from home can also have its disadvantages. Travelling to work and working in an office with others can be a very sociable activity which many people enjoy, especially if they live on their own. Without this social interaction many people might feel very lonely. Furthermore, many people may lack sufficient discipline to complete the work they need to do without colleagues around.

In conclusion, therefore, there are clearly advantages and disadvantages to working from home. Perhaps the ideal arrangement would be to spend part of the working week in an office with colleagues, and part of the working week at home, with a certain amount of flexibility and comfort.

(277 words)