Children and social media
Kara Swisher is a journalist, a podcast host, and a mother of four children. She is also an expert in the tech world. Her book 'Burn Book: A Tech Love Story' is a bestseller.
She discussed a new law which stops kids under 14 from having social media accounts.
This is only possible with parents' permission.
Swisher compares social media to cigarettes.
She believes that social media is addictive and has negative effects on mental health, especially among young girls.
Swisher agrees with government regulation of social media companies.
Continue reading — free account required
Sign up in seconds to unlock the full article, translations for every word, native audio, and typing practice that builds fluency.
In short
This article discusses journalist Kara Swisher's views on children and social media, highlighting her concerns about its addictive nature and negative effects on mental health, particularly for young girls. She supports a new law that restricts social media access for kids under 14 without parental permission, comparing social media's impact to cigarettes. Swisher, an expert in tech, also believes in stricter government regulation for social media companies, especially foreign ones like TikTok, and touched on AI's varied impacts.
For English learners, this text provides excellent practice for understanding news-based English and discussing contemporary issues. You can learn vocabulary related to technology, law, mental health, and policy. Pay attention to how opinions are expressed and arguments are structured.
This is a great opportunity to expand your vocabulary with words like 'addictive,' 'regulation,' 'bestseller,' 'permission,' and 'platforms.' Practicing reading and understanding such articles will help you develop your comprehension skills for current events.
Frequently asked questions
Who is Kara Swisher and why is she important?
Kara Swisher is a respected journalist, podcast host, and tech expert. Her views are important because she understands the technology world deeply and often discusses its impact on society.
What is the new law discussed in the article?
The article mentions a new law that prevents children under 14 from having social media accounts unless they have permission from their parents.
Why does Kara Swisher compare social media to cigarettes?
She compares social media to cigarettes because she believes it is addictive and can have negative effects on mental health, similar to the known dangers of smoking.
Why read the news to learn English?
Reading current news is one of the fastest ways to build real vocabulary. On Typebyline every article is rewritten at three levels so you always read at the level that challenges you just enough. Sign up free to unlock full articles, native audio, translations for every word, and a typing practice mode that tracks your speed and accuracy.
Learn English by typing real news — one line at a time
Typebyline turns every news article into a short typing lesson. You listen to a sentence, type it back, and tap any word to see its meaning in your own language with pronunciation and native audio. Reading, listening, spelling and vocabulary improve together, in a few quiet minutes a day.
The words blurred before her eyes.
This is the real practice screen — every line of every article works like this.
- 01
Listen to the line
Every sentence is read aloud by a native voice. Replay it as many times as you need, at the speed that suits you.
- 02
Type it back
Each letter is checked as you type. Mistakes turn red with a soft sound, so spelling and word order stick for good.
- 03
Tap any word
See the translation in your language, the IPA pronunciation, and hear the word alone. Save it to review later.
Read and type in your own language
Translations are available in 11 languages — Arabic, Spanish, French, German, Italian, Portuguese, Swedish, Polish, Dutch, Turkish and English. Pick your language once and every word in every article follows it.
- 🇬🇧English
- 🇸🇦العربية
- 🇪🇸Español
- 🇫🇷Français
- 🇩🇪Deutsch
- 🇮🇹Italiano
- 🇵🇹Português
- 🇸🇪Svenska
- 🇵🇱Polski
- 🇳🇱Nederlands
- 🇹🇷Türkçe
- 🇨🇳中文
- 🇮🇳हिन्दी
- 🇧🇩বাংলা
- 🇵🇰اردو
- 🇷🇺Русский
- 🇯🇵日本語
- 🇰🇷한국어
- 🇮🇩Bahasa Indonesia
- 🇬🇧English
- 🇸🇦العربية
- 🇪🇸Español
- 🇫🇷Français
- 🇩🇪Deutsch
- 🇮🇹Italiano
- 🇵🇹Português
- 🇸🇪Svenska
- 🇵🇱Polski
- 🇳🇱Nederlands
- 🇹🇷Türkçe
- 🇨🇳中文
- 🇮🇳हिन्दी
- 🇧🇩বাংলা
- 🇵🇰اردو
- 🇷🇺Русский
- 🇯🇵日本語
- 🇰🇷한국어
- 🇮🇩Bahasa Indonesia
Three levels of every article
The same news story is rewritten for beginner, intermediate and advanced learners, in short sentences of 6–13 words.
Difficult words explained
Key vocabulary from each news article comes with a simple English explanation you can read before you start.
Save words and sentences
Anything you save goes to your own list, and new practice sentences can be generated from the words you saved.
New stories every day
Fresh world news is added continuously, so you always practise with English people are actually using today.
Start learning English free
Create a free account to unlock full articles, native audio, word translations and typing practice.
Create free account