IELTS Essay: Young People and Shopping Malls

Sample Answer

In certain countries, it has becoming increasingly common for young people to spend their free time at malls and this is often viewed as a negative. In my opinion, though there are more productive activities, it should be considered a positive overall given the most likely alternatives.

Proponents of this statement point out that malls are typically not a productive use of one’s time. A person who goes to a mall is likely shopping, watching a movie, hanging out idly with friends, eating from a fast food establishment, or engaging in another similarly passive activity. A better use of time could involve playing sports, reading a book, creating art, or working. The rise of malls globally beginning in the 1980s signaled a period when younger individuals strayed from healthy activities and took part in more socially and personally subversive pastimes.

However, the fears detailed above are overblown compared to other free time activities. These days, most young people who are free spend an outsized proportion of their time doing truly unhealthy, passive activities. These largely center around technology and include wasting time on social media, taking pictures, playing online games, chatting online, streaming movies and videos, and using the internet. The mall is now actually a better use of one’s time since it likely will involve in-person socializing, precisely the domain that is most at risk for younger generations and society today.

In conclusion, though time spent at malls is not the ideal activity for a younger person, it is preferable to a more passive lifestyle and should therefore not be condemned. It is likely, however, that malls will continue to decline in popularity in the future so this concern will become less relevant.