One of the main causes of pressure on children today is the increased use of social media. Nowadays children spend (39)______ hours interacting with social media platforms. It is thought this has led to pressures to maintain a particular image. If children share an image or video online, the number of likes or comments can have a dramatic effect on how they feel about themselves. They also feel under pressure to maintain a particular image to show how exciting their lifestyle is. (40)______ , there is a constant focus on their social lives, and they feel judged about their vacations and the things they like and do.
In addition to pressures from social media, children are feeling increasing pressure from living in an environment (41)______ they are always in contact with people. Previously, if a child had a difficult time with friends, they could leave this behind at school. The shift to smartphones has meant that this has become increasingly difficult. A number of surveys have (42)______ how not being able to switch off and walk away has increased stress levels for children. If technological (43)______ was limited, it would significantly reduce stress levels for young people.
(Adapted from Skillful 2 Second Edition by Emma Pathare & Gary Pathare)