In an X context, where........have become the norm,........and represent......

Watching movies and playing video games have long been debated, with having instant access to them via modern devices like smartphones, laptops and tablets being common. While this trend is beneficial in some respect, I contend that its downsides are more significant.

Gaining immediate access to films and games can provide a cathartic experience, aiding mentally exhausted people in relieving stress. While enjoying twists and turns of, for example, a comedy or shooting arrows in an online game, intrusive, negative thoughts are bound to lose their power, which, as a result, allows people to recover their energy. Another upside, one that is mostly the case with game players, is the development of skills. To elucidate, having a team to work on and strategies to use or improve, gamers are likely to nurture their team work, analytical and critical decision-making skills, all of which are also crucial in academic and professional lives. Some prevalent examples of such games are PUBG and Counter-Strike – the two video games that require a high level of group cohesion and perfect decision-making.

However compelling these merits may sound, I am still convinced that potential demerits overshadow them. Firstly, long exposure to screens can take a heavy toll on eyesight, posture and, in extreme cases, mental health, leading to addiction. These adverse effects have particularly been reported by healthcare professionals around the world, with children and young adults being the most affected. On top of that is another, no less considerable, drawback – poor interpersonal skills. Naturally, as people—now more than ever—tend to spend long hours on film and game playing platforms, their real-life interactions within society may be reduced, thereby resulting in underdeveloped social abilities, from negotiation to public speaking. With such skills lagging behind, social life is bound to be limited to online communication, which is often known for being not the best substitution for face-to-face interactions.

To infer, although quick access to films and games via mobile devices offers a stress-reliving environment and cultivates some cognitive abilities, I assert that they confer even more consequential disadvantages: deterioration of mental and physical health, as well as poorly-developed person-to-person skills.

One primary benefit of modern teaching techniques is the versatility they offer. This is often the case as such approaches aim to provide students with an engaging environment—one that would curb the feeling of being confined to certain strict rules that most schools impose on. Feeling at liberty to express their thoughts and discuss nuances of the subject matter with classmates, students are more likely to gain a better understanding of the discipline, with schools also becoming places where student independence is not fettered, but rather fostered. Private schools could be seen in such light; though not affordable to people of all stations, these schools normally have competent staff driven by the desire to create an inclusive and stress-free atmosphere on lessons, which would translate into high academic performance. It is therefore justifiable for up-to-date techniques in teaching to be set in place.