The young today spend a large amount of their leisure time in shopping centres. It is feared that this could have a negative influence on the young and society. To what extend do you agree or disagree with this view?

In many big cities, there are many shopping centres that have been established and where it is possible to find not only shops, but also plenty of restaurants, cinemas and entertaining areas. These places particularly attract young people who spend their leisure time there, walking without a purpose. It is often claimed that this trend should be considered a social problem and, to my way of thinking, it is. The consequences of this tendency on young people are various. Firstly, the more time they spend there, the less they have to practice sports. This could be considered one of the explanations of overweight among the youngest. Secondly, it is not an efficient way of spending their own free time. in order to deeply understand the problem, we should consider what alternative activities they could do. For instance, they could study or partecipate to extra courses, improving their knowledges and skills. Moreover, they could find a job that could help them to become more independent. Many people often claim that parents should let teenagers do what they prefer during their free time. That is true up to a point because parents have the duty to educate children, giving them the opportunity to learn and, one day, become good citizens. If young people are alienated from reality in a huge shopping centre spending their entire life there, it is a problem. As a result, they could learn wrong values, namely the importance of appearence or being rich. In conclusion, young people should learn to find a balance between shopping centres and other activities. They should cultivate more interests in their leisure time, thinking about themselves, their education and health.