Part 1
You should spend about 20 minutes on this task. Write at least 150 words.
Part 2
You should spend about 40 minutes on this task. Write at least 250 words.
The table and charts below give information on the police budget for 2017 and 2018 in one area of Britain. The table shows where the money came from and the charts show how it was distributed.
Summarise the information by selecting and reporting the main features, and make comparisons where relevant.
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Some children spend hours every day on their smartphones.
Why is this the case? Do you think this is a positive or a negative development?
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The provided table and charts elucidate the police budget allocations for the years 2017 and 2018 within a specific region of Great Britain, with monetary values expressed in millions of pounds.
It is evident that national government funding constituted the predominant source of income, while allocations for salaries represented the largest expenditure. Additionally, notable fluctuations occurred in the budget allocation towards various sectors.
In 2017, the national government contributed £175.5 million to the police budget, complemented by £91.2 million from local taxes and £38 million from other sources, culminating in a total budget of £304.7 million. In 2018, the national government increased its contribution to £177.8 million, while local taxes rose to £102.3 million, and other sources contributed £38.5 million, resulting in a total budget of £318.6 million. This reflects an overall increase in budget income of £13.9 million, or approximately 4.6%, between the two years.
Examining the expenditure patterns as depicted in the pie charts, it is observed that salaries, which constituted 75% of the budget in 2017, decreased to 69% in 2018, marking a 6% reduction. Conversely, the allocation for technology saw an increase from 8% to 14%, also indicating a 6% rise in expenditure aimed at enhancing technological capabilities. Notably, spending on buildings and transport remained unchanged at 17%. These changes reflect a strategic shift in budget allocation priorities over the two-year period.
The issue of children spending long hours on smartphones is prevalent in the contemporary world. This phenomenon can be attributed to several factors, including parental influence and the availability of engaging content. While smartphones offer some benefits, I believe the overall impact of excessive use is more negative than positive.
One primary reason for children’s overuse of smartphones is parental influence. Many parents use smartphones as a tool to keep their children busy. Nowadays, parents are too busy to spend time with their children and to care for them, so they prefer to keep children occupied with smartphones. Another striking reason for children’s overuse of smartphones may be the content that keeps children engaged to a large extent. For instance, the abundance of interactive games, social media content, and YouTube learning videos is so appealing that children tend to spend long hours watching such content on smartphones.
Although smartphones have some positive aspects regarding convenience in communications and online learning, excessive smartphone use creates negative consequences for children’s mental and physical well-being. As young generations are more obsessed with smartphones, mostly for watching video content, this will significantly affect their mental health. For example, a study reveals that more than 60% of young children aged between 3 and 8 years face a decline in mental health. Additionally, overuse of smartphones greatly impacts children’s eyes, contributing to more children needing eyeglasses.
In conclusion, despite some advantages of smartphone usage by young people, I strongly believe that the harmful effects of smartphones on children’s physical and mental health have significantly impacted their well-being. If parents control their children’s smartphone usage, it will be beneficial for their overall growth.
The table provides data on sources of money for the budget of the police in a particular area of Britain for 2017 to 2018, and the pie charts illustrate the uses of money on three different segments: salaries, technology, and buildings and transport. The data in the table are denoted in pounds sterling in millions, whereas the charts’ figures are in percentages.
Overall, the total budget increased by around 5% in 2018 compared to the previous year, and spending on technology increased, while salary expense decreased in 2018.
Looking at the table in more detail, it can be seen that the total budget increased from 304.7 million in 2017 to 318.6 million in 2018, showing around 5% growth. The national government was the highest segment of income source out of the total budget, which rose from 175.5 million in 2017 to 177.8 million in 2018. Out of the total budget, local taxes were the second largest income source for the police budget, which grew from 91.2 million to 102.3 million in 2018; while other sources, for instance, grants, were the lowest income source among all sources.
Turning back to the pie charts, it is evident that 75% of the money was spent on salaries in 2017, which decreased by 5% in 2018, to reach 69%. Money spent on technology increased from 8% in 2017 to 14% in 2018, whereas the total cost on buildings and transport remained constant, at 17% in both years.
The hours children spend on their smartphones is increasing by the day. This is a result of advancements in technology where there are applications children use to play games online. I think this is a negative development, as too much screen time has an effect on their health, including the ability to be creative.
First of all, smartphones support many online games, and there are platforms that children can stream live movies with their peers, making them spend hours without realizing. Applications like YouTube have made room for live game competition that captivates children, and they tend to spend more hours than required. Statistics show that about 78% of online gamers are children from the age of 10 to 12 and 68% being 7 to 9 years old.
On the other hand, too much screen time has negative effects on children; like affecting their physical and mental health, including their ability to be creative. Spending hours on the phone will not allow them to realize they need to eat, which will eventually lead to other illnesses. In addition, the ability to concentrate and be productive in other activities will keep diminishing, making it difficult to be creative. This is because the time needed to study and do activities that will facilitate creativity and productivity are spent on phones. For instance, a child who uses most of his time doing and concentrating on other activities like painting, is likely to create an impressive artwork.
To conclude, the reason behind minors having to use most of the hours in the day on their phones is because of online gaming and streaming. I believe this is a negative development as too much screen time will affect their health and creativity.