Read a survey report on how teenagers really choose which apps to use, then practise the future tenses you need to talk about where social media is heading next.
Read the survey report below. Then answer the comprehension questions.
A recent survey of over 2,000 secondary school students across Germany set out to answer a question many parents and teachers have been asking: how do teenagers actually decide which social media platforms are worth their time? The results reveal a generation that is far more selective — and more critical — than adults often assume.
According to the survey, 68% of respondents said they had deliberately deleted at least one app in the past year because it made them feel anxious or wasted too much of their time. When asked what criteria mattered most when choosing a platform, students ranked three factors above all others: whether the app helps them stay in touch with close friends, whether the content feels genuinely interesting rather than addictive, and whether they can control how much time they spend using it.
Interestingly, the survey also found a growing awareness of so-called "digital wellbeing" features — built-in tools that track screen time or limit notifications. Nearly half of the students said they already used these tools regularly, and a further 30% said they planned to start using them soon. Researchers behind the survey suggest that by next year, schools will probably be offering workshops on healthy social media habits as standard, since students themselves are now driving the demand for balance rather than simply following trends set by influencers and advertisers.
1 How many students took part in the survey?
2 What proportion of students had deleted an app because it made them anxious or wasted time?
3 Which of the following was one of the three top criteria students used to judge a platform?
4 What are "digital wellbeing" features designed to do?
5 About how many students said they already used digital wellbeing tools regularly?
6 What do the researchers predict will happen by next year?
Choose the correct future form to complete each sentence. Think about whether it's a spontaneous prediction, a fixed plan, an arrangement, or an action seen as already finished at a future point.
will — spontaneous decisions and predictions based on opinion: I think it will disappear.
going to — plans already decided, or predictions based on present evidence: She is going to launch a new app.
present continuous — fixed arrangements with a time/place already set: I am attending a workshop tomorrow.
future perfect (will have + past participle) — an action finished before a future point: They will have surveyed 5,000 students by then.
future continuous (will be + -ing) — an action in progress at a future point: They will be tracking their screen time.
future perfect continuous (will have been + -ing) — an action continuing up to a future point: She will have been using the app for a year.
1 Look at how quickly this app is losing popularity — I think it within a year.
2 The school has already announced the plan — next term they a new digital wellbeing course.
3 According to my calendar, I a workshop on online safety at 10 a.m. tomorrow.
4 By the end of this year, researchers over 5,000 more students about their app habits.
5 This time next week, thousands of teenagers their screen-time limits for the new school challenge.
6 Experts believe that in ten years, social media platforms almost unrecognisable.
7 Her screen time has tripled this month — look at those figures, she burn out if she doesn't slow down.
8 By next summer, many students digital wellbeing apps for over a year.
Match each term to its definition. All words are useful for discussing social media habits and criteria.
1 The amount of time someone spends using a phone, tablet or computer:
2 A deliberate period without digital devices, used to reduce stress:
3 The set of rules a platform uses to decide what content to show a user:
4 The habit of continuously scrolling through negative or upsetting content:
5 The anxious feeling that you are missing out on something others are experiencing:
6 An online environment where someone mainly encounters opinions similar to their own:
7 Someone with a large online following who is paid to promote products or ideas:
8 The trail of data a person leaves behind through their online activity:
Write 6–8 sentences making predictions about how social media will change in the next ten years. Use a range of future forms from Exercise B (will, going to, present continuous, future perfect, future continuous).
Some ideas to help you get started — you don't have to use all of them:
How will platforms change the way they use algorithms? Will digital wellbeing tools become standard, or even required by law? Are schools going to teach digital habits the way they teach other subjects today? By 2035, how much time will young people have been spending on screens compared to now? Will new technology (AI, virtual reality) replace today's apps completely, or will they just add new features?
Review your answers below, then send them to your teacher.
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