Grace+-+Persuasive+Writing

Speeches are coming up in Week Two of Term Two, so Room 43 decided that they would practice by doing some persuasive writing. We had to plan and write at least three persuasive pieces of writing, and we could choose one to put on our wiki. This is the piece that I chose.

**PLAN:** **Statement:** Social networking sites should not be used by children under the age of 15 years. **Reason 1:** The more time that is spent on the computer, the lower the standard of homework
 * Reason 2: ** The main reason why children use these websites is because they want to chat to friends that they are going to see the next day anyway.
 * Reason 3: ** Children are very gullible and can be easily persuaded to do something - even by a complete stranger.

**Social networking sites such as Facebook, Twitter, Skype, e.t.c. should not be used by children under the age of 15 years.** Most families have a rule in place that after school homework comes first, and the computer comes second. Most students, when they hear this, rush to get their homework done so that they can get more time on the computer. This results in a low standard of work, and it slows down brain power. This may seem like a good rule, but really what students need is no computer time at all after school. Furthermore, I think people have forgotten the main reason why social networking websites were invented. So that people could talk to or communicate with relatives or friends that live far away, or cannot be reached easily. They were not invented so that young people could chat to their friends that they have seen half an hour before, and are going to see in the morning. I am sure that students can survive overnight and they don't need to contact their friends urgently. In addition, children can be very gullible and if they are told to do something by a stranger, they might do it. The name of this common condition is 'selective hearing.' Just because children do not listen to their parents, does not mean they will refuse to talk or listen to a complete stranger. Most parents are worried about letting their kids walk home from school, when really they should be worried about letting them chat online. In the real world, it is very hard to disguise yourself, but in cyberspace, an eleven year old girl from Pukekohe Intermediate could really be a forty year old man from Auckland. These sites can be dangerous and inappropriate. They can affect school studies, waste time that could be spent doing homework, and result in tiredness and lack of brain power. Is this the future we want for our Y7, Y8, and Y9 students? It's not going to be mine.