Name: Zheng Jiayin Index number: 10 Class: 5E

The worst of times. Is this an accurate description of a childs life today? In the modern society, with the worldwide increase in wealth due to globalization, children are enjoying a higher standard of living than before. Now, they possess certain benefits of technological advancements not available to children half a century ago. However, even with the improvements made to a childs life today, some people still argue that children are now living in the worst of times. This is mainly due to the higher levels of stress that children today are suffering. They are also more materialistic and have reduced tendency to value things than before. Although there are both positive and negative aspects of a childs life today, children still enjoy better living conditions than before, hence it is not accurate to describe a childs life today as the worst of times. Technological progress has brought overall improvements to the life of a child today from that of a child fifty years ago. These technological advancements have enabled children of the modern era to have wider access to the mass media as compared to fifty years ago, where the forms of mass media were limited to radio programmes, newspapers and books. Now, children can gain access to a wider pool of information through diverse mediums --- the ubiquitous internet and television programmes, in addition to the forms of mass media available fifty years ago. With the internet being the main form of mass media in the modern society, children are able to receive more information readily and quickly. The unlimited and diverse information available now and easy access to it increases the convenience and ease of learning for todays children. They are able to learn about worldwide issues and expand their knowledge at a much faster pace than children living half a century ago, whose attainment of knowledge was dependent on limited forms of mass media with lesser influence than their modern counterparts. Moreover, the multifariousness of the forms of entertainment provided by modern mass media keep todays children well-entertained.

However, the wide availability of information and convenience of obtaining it may encourage a culture of instant gratification and consumerism in todays children, resulting in reduced tendency to value things than children living fifty years ago. Comparatively, life for children then was simpler, slower and more carefree without the rapid onslaught of information from various mediums. Nevertheless, the negative effects of todays mass media are inevitable byproducts of the necessary pursuit of greater knowledge, which was slower half a century ago due to limited exposure and accessibility of information. Although children in less developed countries now do not enjoy as many varied forms of mass media as children in developed nations, they still have greater access to worldwide information now than fifty years ago. Therefore, technological progress has improved the quality and ease of acquiring information from modern mass media, which makes the life of a child today, in this respect, better than that of a child fifty years ago. Today, children enjoy greater accessibility and diversity of education as compared to children in the past. With the improvement of social conditions and increase in global wealth, there are more education opportunities for various groups of children now in both developed and less developed nations. Reduced gender discrimination today has led to equal opportunities for boys and girls. According to United Nations statistics, thirteen countries have higher secondary school enrolment rates for girls by ten percent or more. Government grants in modern society have increased educational opportunities for the poor. Also, more modern educational facilities have been set up and personnel employed, with primary education made compulsory in certain countries. An increased number of educational facilities now provide educational opportunities to children with learning disabilities, which children living half a century ago could not gain access to. For example, the National Centre for Learning Disabilities (NCLD) in United States works to ensure that the nations 15 million children with learning disabilities have every opportunity to succeed in school, work and life. Furthermore, as compared to the more teacher-based education provided in schools fifty years ago, children now have interactive texts and hands-on learning courses to assist their learning. The diversified curriculum in todays pursuit of holistic education also allows children to engage in music and arts, as well as

being involved in overseas integration programmes, which broadens the mindsets of children and increases their channels of acquiring knowledge. The improved educational opportunities not only aid childrens development, but also translate into increased work opportunities in the future. On the other hand, an increasingly result-oriented modern education may cause todays children to suffer the effects of growing competition for academic achievements, resulting in higher levels of stress and fatigue, as compared to the relatively simpler and more carefree lives of children in the past. But, the number of help systems for relieving stress has increased considerably in the modern era, which include easily accessible hotlines as well as free stress management online services. Furthermore, such stress can be treated with modern medical help, and more schools employ counsellors to tend to the psychological problems of students now. Thus, the educational opportunities available to a child today are a definite improvement from fifty years ago. Compared to the children half a century ago, children today enjoy better health and are less susceptible to illnesses due to improved medical facilities and services. Modern scientific research has resulted in the creation of more vaccines not available to children living fifty years ago. For example, todays children in Singapore receive compulsory injections to immunise their body systems against certain medical conditions, such as Hepatitis B. In the modern era, the number of medical facilities has also increased and they have become more advanced, hence tackling a greater range of illnesses. Moreover, there is greater accessibility and increased efficiency of modern medical services, like the ambulance call-system, such that young patients today can receive medical help easily and quickly. Due to improved education, more well-trained medical personnel are now available to tend to the physical, as well as psychological wellbeing of patients. Comparatively, there were less hospitals and clinics fifty years ago, so patients had to travel long distances in order to receive medical treatment for their illnesses. Hence, limited availability of medical facilities and educated personnel, as well as lower efficiency of medical services, had resulted in more deaths of children in the past, as the weak immune systems of children were unable to overcome serious illnesses without proper and timely medical treatment.

Worldwide statistics show that since 1979, death rates for children have declined thirty to forty-seven percent depending on age group. With the increase in medical costs today, children from poor families may still be unable to afford medical treatment even with the greater availability and accessibility of medical facilities and services. But, the government of more countries have taken measures to tackle this problem, such as providing medical subsidies and setting up polyclinics to cater to the less wealthy. Promising cutting edge technologies of health, such as DNA sequencing and bioinformatics, are now becoming available to many in developing countries due to decreased costs. Therefore, with improved modern medical services and facilities, todays children enjoy better health than children living half a century ago. Even with the modern culture of instant gratification, consumerism and materialism, the life of a child today is still an improvement from that of a child fifty years ago. Now, children have greater and faster accessibility to worldwide information, enjoy better health and receive greater knowledge through diversified education, which aids the development of different aspects of their lives, than ever before. Even in less developed countries, children today have better educational opportunities and greater accessibility to information, as well as medical help. Therefore, even though the modern era, with its numerous flaws, is definitely not the best of times for children, neither is it the worst.