Some families in America are very upset with big computer companies. They say the companies let kids use things that are not good for them. A person named Taylor Little used these things too much and felt very sad for a long time. Taylor calls the companies “big, bad monsters” and says they make things that hurt kids on purpose. The families want the companies to say sorry and fix the problems.

Lots of families and schools are telling the computer companies they did something wrong. A judge said the companies can’t say they didn’t do anything bad. The companies say they didn’t do anything wrong and will fight back. Taylor was only 11 when they saw bad things on the computer. They want the companies to make the computer safer for kids.

Original news source: ‘I was addicted to social media – now I’m suing Big Tech’ (BBC)

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Group or Classroom Activities

Warm-up Activities:

– Vocabulary Pictionary
Instructions: Write down key words from the article on pieces of paper, such as “families,” “computer companies,” “kids,” “sad,” “judge,” and “safe.” Divide the class into two teams. Have one student from a team draw a picture representing the word without speaking or writing letters or numbers, while their team guesses the word. Each correct guess earns a point for the team.

– Charades
Instructions: Prepare cards with actions related to the article, such as “using a computer,” “feeling sad,” “saying sorry,” “fighting back,” and “making safe.” Students take turns picking a card and acting out the action without speaking. The rest of the class tries to guess what the action is. This can be done in teams or as a whole class activity.

– Opinion Poll
Instructions: Write statements on the board like “Computer companies should make their products safer for kids” or “Kids should not use computers without adult supervision.” Ask students to stand in a line based on how much they agree or disagree with the statement, with one end of the line being “strongly agree” and the other end being “strongly disagree.” Then, have students discuss their opinions with the person next to them.

– Sketch It
Instructions: Give each student a piece of paper and ask them to draw a simple scene related to the article, such as a family discussing computer safety or a courtroom with a judge and computer company representatives. After sketching, students can show their drawings to the class and describe in simple English what is happening in the scene.

– Think-Pair-Share
Instructions: Pose a question to the class such as “What can we do to make the internet safer for kids?” or “Do you think it’s okay for companies to make products that can be bad for kids?” Give students a moment to think about their answer individually, then have them pair up with a classmate to discuss their thoughts. Afterward, ask pairs to share their ideas with the class.

Comprehension Questions:

1. Why are some families in America upset with big computer companies?
2. Who is Taylor Little and how did they feel after using the computer too much?
3. What do the families want the computer companies to do?
4. What are Taylor and other people calling the computer companies?
5. What do schools and families want from the computer companies?
6. What did the judge say to the computer companies?
7. How old was Taylor when they saw bad things on the computer?
Go to answers ⇩

Listen and Fill in the Gaps:

Some families in America are very upset with big computer (1)______. They say the companies let kids use things that are not (2)______ for them. A person named Taylor Little used these things too much and felt very sad for a long time. Taylor (3)______ the companies “big, bad monsters” and says they make things that hurt (4)______ on purpose. The families want the companies to say sorry and fix the problems.

Lots of families and schools are telling the (5)______ companies they did something wrong. A (6)______ said the companies can’t say they didn’t do anything bad. The companies say they didn’t do anything wrong and will (7)______ back. Taylor was only 11 when they saw bad things on the computer. They want the companies to make the computer (8)______ for kids.
Go to answers ⇩

Discussion Questions:

Students can ask a partner these questions, or discuss them as a group.

1. What is a computer?
2. Do you like to use computers? Why or why not?
3. How would you feel if you saw something bad on the computer?
4. Do you think big companies should make computers safe for kids? Why?
5. What is a monster? Do you think a company can be like a monster?
6. Have you ever felt sad after using a computer? Can you tell me about it?
7. Do you think it’s important to say sorry when we do something wrong?
8. What can we do to make computers better for kids?
9. Do you think schools should help keep kids safe on the computer? Why?
10. Have you ever learned something good from a computer?
11. Do you think parents should watch when kids use computers?
12. If you could tell a computer company one thing, what would you say?

Individual Activities

Vocabulary Meanings:

Match each word to its meaning.

Words:
1. upset
2. companies
3. hurt
4. sorry
5. wrong
6. fight
7. safer
8. kids

Meanings:
(a) To argue or try to win
(b) Not right or good
(c) Big groups of people who make things
(d) Children or young people
(e) More protected and not as dangerous
(f) Feeling sad and angry
(g) To cause pain or harm
(h) To feel bad and say you’re sorry
Go to answers ⇩

Multiple Choice Questions:

1. Why are some families upset with big computer companies?
(a) They think the companies make good things for kids.
(b) They think the companies let kids use things that are not good for them.
(c) They think the companies are sorry for what they did.
(d) They think the companies fixed the problems.

2. What did Taylor Little feel after using these things too much?
(a) Very sad
(b) Very happy
(c) Very angry
(d) Very tired

3. What does Taylor call the computer companies?
(a) Big, bad monsters
(b) Big, good monsters
(c) Small, bad monsters
(d) Small, good monsters

4. What do the families want the computer companies to do?
(a) Say they didn’t do anything bad
(b) Say they did something wrong
(c) Say sorry and fix the problems
(d) Say they will fight back

5. What did a judge say about the computer companies?
(a) They can say they didn’t do anything bad
(b) They can’t fix the problems
(c) They can’t say they didn’t do anything bad
(d) They can’t fight back

6. What do the computer companies say about what they did?
(a) They did something wrong and will fix the problems
(b) They are sorry for what they did and will fix the problems
(c) They are sorry for what they did and won’t fix the problems
(d) They didn’t do anything wrong and will fight back

7. How old was Taylor when they saw bad things on the computer?
(a) 10
(b) 11
(c) 12
(d) 9

8. What do the families want the computer companies to do for kids?
(a) Make the computer more dangerous
(b) Make the computer faster
(c) Make the computer slower
(d) Make the computer safer

Go to answers ⇩

True or False Questions:

1. Taylor wants the companies to make the computer more dangerous for kids.
2. The families want the companies to applaud and exacerbate the problems.
3. Taylor Little used things on the computer rarely and felt very sad.
4. The companies say they didn’t do anything wrong and will fight back.
5. A judge said the companies can’t say they didn’t do anything bad.
6. Some families in America are angry with big computer companies.
7. Taylor thinks the computer companies are like big, bad monsters.
8. Many families and schools are telling the computer companies they did something right.
Go to answers ⇩

Write a Summary:

Write a summary of this news article in two sentences.

Writing Questions:

Answer the following questions. Write as much as you can for each answer.

1. Why are some families in America unhappy with big computer companies?
2. What did Taylor Little say about the computer companies?
3. What do the families want the computer companies to do?
4. Who said the computer companies can’t say they didn’t do anything bad?
5. How old was Taylor when they saw bad things on the computer?

Answers

Comprehension Question Answers:

1. Why are some families in America upset with big computer companies?
Families are upset because they think the companies let kids use bad things on the computer.

2. Who is Taylor Little and how did they feel after using the computer too much?
Taylor Little is a person who used the computer too much and felt very sad.

3. What do the families want the computer companies to do?
The families want the companies to say sorry and make the computer safe for kids.

4. What are Taylor and other people calling the computer companies?
They are calling them “big, bad monsters.”

5. What do schools and families want from the computer companies?
They want the companies to admit they did something wrong.

6. What did the judge say to the computer companies?
The judge said the companies can’t say they didn’t do anything bad.

7. How old was Taylor when they saw bad things on the computer?
Taylor was 11 years old.
Go back to questions ⇧

Listen and Fill in the Gaps Answers:

(1) companies
(2) good
(3) calls
(4) kids
(5) computer
(6) judge
(7) fight
(8) safer
Go back to questions ⇧

Vocabulary Meanings Answers:

1. upset
Answer: (f) Feeling sad and angry

2. companies
Answer: (c) Big groups of people who make things

3. hurt
Answer: (g) To cause pain or harm

4. sorry
Answer: (h) To feel bad and say you’re sorry

5. wrong
Answer: (b) Not right or good

6. fight
Answer: (a) To argue or try to win

7. safer
Answer: (e) More protected and not as dangerous

8. kids
Answer: (d) Children or young people
Go back to questions ⇧

Multiple Choice Answers:

1. Why are some families upset with big computer companies?
Answer: (b) They think the companies let kids use things that are not good for them.

2. What did Taylor Little feel after using these things too much?
Answer: (a) Very sad

3. What does Taylor call the computer companies?
Answer: (a) Big, bad monsters

4. What do the families want the computer companies to do?
Answer: (c) Say sorry and fix the problems

5. What did a judge say about the computer companies?
Answer: (c) They can’t say they didn’t do anything bad

6. What do the computer companies say about what they did?
Answer: (d) They didn’t do anything wrong and will fight back

7. How old was Taylor when they saw bad things on the computer?
Answer: (b) 11

8. What do the families want the computer companies to do for kids?
Answer: (d) Make the computer safer
Go back to questions ⇧

True or False Answers:

1. Taylor wants the companies to make the computer more dangerous for kids. (Answer: False)
2. The families want the companies to applaud and exacerbate the problems. (Answer: False)
3. Taylor Little used things on the computer rarely and felt very sad. (Answer: False)
4. The companies say they didn’t do anything wrong and will fight back. (Answer: True)
5. A judge said the companies can’t say they didn’t do anything bad. (Answer: True)
6. Some families in America are angry with big computer companies. (Answer: True)
7. Taylor thinks the computer companies are like big, bad monsters. (Answer: True)
8. Many families and schools are telling the computer companies they did something right. (Answer: False)
Go back to questions ⇧