The Reading / Listening - Social Media - Level 1

Social media has changed the world. The USA's top doctor said one bad thing is it can cause mental health problems. Dr Vivek Murthy wants mental health warnings to be put on social media sites. He is worried that youngsters see too much sexual and violent content online. He said it was time to put warning labels on social media sites. The label would say social media is linked to mental health harms in young people.

In 2023, Murthy warned that social media could harm the mental health of children. In his recent warning, he wrote: "The mental health crisis among young people is an emergency. Social media [is] an important contributor." He also said young people spend too much time online. He said teenagers "who spend more than three hours a day on social media face double the risk of anxiety and depression".

Try the same news story at these levels:

    Social Media - Level 0 Social Media - Level 2   or  Social Media - Level 3

Sources
  • https://www.foxbusiness.com/politics/us-surgeon-general-calls-social-media-platforms-display-mental-health-warnings
  • https://www.theverge.com/2024/6/17/24180005/surgeon-general-warning-labels-social-media-mental-health
  • https://apnews.com/article/surgeon-general-social-media-mental-health-df321c791493863001754401676f165c


Make sure you try all of the online activities for this reading and listening - There are dictations, multiple choice activities, drag and drop activities, sentence jumbles, which word activities, text reconstructions, spelling, gap fills and a whole lot more. Please enjoy :-)

Phrase Matching

Paragraph 1

  1. Social media has changed
  2. one bad
  3. it can cause
  4. mental health
  5. put on
  6. He is worried that youngsters
  7. sexual and
  8. social media is linked to
  1. violent content
  2. mental health problems
  3. social media sites
  4. mental health harms
  5. the world
  6. warnings
  7. thing
  8. see too much

Paragraph 2

  1. harm the mental health
  2. In his recent
  3. The mental health crisis
  4. Social media is an important
  5. people spend too much time
  6. spend more than three hours
  7. double the
  8. anxiety and
  1. online
  2. depression
  3. of children
  4. a day
  5. warning
  6. contributor
  7. among young people
  8. risk

Listening — Listen and fill in the gaps

Social (1) ___________________ the world. The USA's top doctor said one (2) ___________________ it can cause mental health problems. Dr Vivek Murthy wants mental health (3) ___________________ put on social media sites. He is worried that youngsters see too much sexual and (4) ___________________. He said it was time to put warning labels on social media sites. The (5) ___________________ social media is linked to mental health (6) ___________________ people.

In 2023, Murthy warned that social (7) ___________________ the mental health of children. In (8) ___________________, he wrote: "The mental health crisis among young people is an emergency. Social media [is] (9) ___________________." He also said young people (10) ___________________ time online. He said teenagers "who spend more than three hours (11) ___________________ social media face double the (12) ___________________ and depression".

Put a slash (/) where the spaces are

Socialmediahaschangedtheworld.TheUSA'stopdoctorsaidonebadthi
ngisitcancausementalhealthproblems.DrVivekMurthywantsmental
healthwarningstobeputonsocialmediasites.Heisworriedthatyoungst
ersseetoomuchsexualandviolentcontentonline.Hesaiditwastimetop
utwarninglabelsonsocialmediasites.Thelabelwouldsaysocialmediais
linkedtomentalhealthharmsinyoungpeople.In2023,Murthywarnedt
hatsocialmediacouldharmthementalhealthofchildren.Inhisrecentwa
rning,hewrote:"Thementalhealthcrisisamongyoungpeopleisanemer
gency.Socialmedia[is]animportantcontributor."Healsosaidyoungpe
oplespendtoomuchtimeonline.Hesaidteenagers"whospendmoretha
nthreehoursadayonsocialmediafacedoubletheriskofanxietyanddepr
ession".

Student survey

Write five GOOD questions about this topic in the table. Do this in pairs. Each student must write the questions on his / her own paper. When you have finished, interview other students. Write down their answers.

(Please look at page 12 of the PDF to see a photocopiable example of this activity.)

Discussion — Write your own questions

STUDENT A’s QUESTIONS (Do not show these to student B)

(a) ________________

(b) ________________

(c) ________________

(d) ________________

(e) ________________

(f) ________________

(g) ________________

(h) ________________

STUDENT B’s QUESTIONS (Do not show these to student A)

(i) ________________

(j) ________________

(k) ________________

(l) ________________

(m) ________________

(n) ________________

(o) ________________

(p) ________________

Free writing

Write about this topic for 10 minutes. Comment on your partner’s paper.

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Answers

(Please check your answers against the article above.

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