I Saw a Baby Centipede in My House What Does That Mean1/

The digital landscape has put increased pressure on

teenagers today, and we feel it. There are so many social

media channels: Facebook, Twitter, Instagram, Snapchat,

Tumblr, you name it. I made a conscious decision to avoid

Snapchat and Instagram because of the social pressure I saw

them putting on my 14-year-old little sister. If my mum

turned off the WiFi at 11pm, my sister would beg me to turn

my phone into a hotspot1. She always needed to load her

Snapchat stories one more time, or to reply to a message

that had come in two minutes ago because she didn't want

her friend to feel ignored. If I refused, saying she could

respond in the morning, I'd get the "You're ruining my social

life" speech. Even as a teenager as well, I sometimes find this

craze a little baffling.

A new study has found that teenagers who engage with

social media during the night could be damaging their sleep

and increasing their risk of anxiety and depression.

Teenagers spoke about the pressure they felt to make

themselves available 24/7 and the resulting anxiety if they

did not respond immediately to texts or posts. Teens are so

emotionally invested in social media that a fifth of secondary

school pupils will wake up at night and log on just to make

sure they don't miss out. Perhaps the worst thing about this

is that teenagers need more sleep than adults do, so night-

time social media use could be detrimental to their health. A

lack of sleep can make teenagers tired, irritable, and

depressed.

During the summer holidays, I lost my phone. And for the

week that I was phoneless, it felt like a disaster. I love my

phone. It gives me quick access to information and allows

me to be constantly looped in with my friends, to know

exactly what is going on in their lives. So when I didn't have

my phone for a week, I felt a slight sense of FOMO, or if

you're not up to speed with the lingo, fear of missing out. By

the end of the week, I'd got used to not having a phone and

I'd quite enjoyed the break from social media. But there was

still a lingering sense of sadness at the back of my mind that

there would be conversations I had missed, messages that

had been sent, funny videos shared and night-time chats

that I would probably never get to see.

By June Eric Udorie

in http://www.theguardian.com/commentisfree/2015/sep/16/social-media-

mental-health-teenagers-government-pshe-lessons

1 a place where a wireless Internet connection is available

I – Reading Comprehension

1. Read the text and in note form write down

a) four things teens usually use social media

for.

b) the effects of night-time social media use

on teens.

2. Complete the sentences according to the

text.

a) June kept away from a couple of social

networks since …

b) June's sister would ask June for her phone

when …

c) It is very important for her sister to reply to

every message at night so that …

d) She would accuse June of messing up her

social life whenever …

e) For teens not being able to reply instantly

to a message …

f) Some teens are so obsessed with social

media that …

3. True or False? Quote from the text to

justify your answers.

a) June doesn't understand her sister's

obsession with social media at times.

b) Teenagers feel pressured to be constantly

online.

c) June simply hated it when she was unable

to log on for a week.

4. Identify the phrasal verb in the first

paragraph and explain its meaning.

5. What do the following mean?

a) 24/7

b) FOMO

6. Find the words in the text which mean the

same as

a) greater than before (paragraph 1)

b) exaggerated enthusiasm (paragraph 1)

c) harmful (paragraph 2)

d) easily annoyed (paragraph 2)

e) connected with (paragraph 3)

7. What do the underlined words in the text

refer to?

a) we

b) them

c) that

d) this

e) their

I Saw a Baby Centipede in My House What Does That Mean1/

Source: https://www.studocu.com/pt-br/document/instituto-federal-de-educacao-ciencia-e-tecnologia-de-santa-catarina/ingles-aplicado/social-media-test/15335473