Some people believe that teenagers should be required to do unpaid community work in their free time. This can benefit teenagers and the community as well. To what extent do you agree or disagree?

A few people believe that adolescents must be encouraged to participate in unpaid social service during their free time as it would be beneficial for both teenagers and the society. I disagree with this view and I will defend my stand with valid arguments in this essay. To begin with, if teenagers are required to volunteer for unpaid community services, some people think that it would enhance their feeling of empathy towards mankind and nature. As teenagers are highly impressionable, working for the community will turn them into socially responsible adults. So, for the benefit of the community and teenagers, teenagers must be encouraged to occupy themselves with voluntary work in their free time. However, children between thirteen and nineteen years of age are fragile and through community work, they have to dig deep into the harsh realities of life such as hunger and poverty. This could adversely affect their young conscience and they would be carrying the negative image of society in their minds throughout their lives. Also, if the work is unpaid, there is a lack of motivation as well because if they are not paid for their efforts, they may get discouraged to participate in future. For example, many children are devastated when they interact with the deprived segment of the society and sometimes this leads to serious cognitive issues like depression and phobia of meeting new people. Therefore, it should not be mandatory for the teenagers to take part in unpaid social work in their free time. To conclude, although unpaid community service is a noble act, teenagers should not be compelled to engage in it until they are ready because it exposes them to the harsh realities of life. Hence, volunteering should be a choice and not an obligation.