Heads up, people! 抬頭吧，低頭族！

Many travelers are “phubbers,” staring at their smartphones while waiting on the platform in Taipei on Feb. 17 this year.
今年二月十七日，許多乘客在月台等車時都成了低頭族，埋頭看手機。

Photo: Liao Chen-huei, Liberty Times
照片：自由時報記者廖振輝

Due to the popularity of smartphones and tablets, more and more teenagers have become members of the “heads down,” or phubbers, group. To safeguard the physical and psychological development of the youth, the National Communications Commission (NCC) has instructed manufacturers of these devices to add warnings on the devices, packages and manuals of smartphones and tablets, reminding people that they should not spend a long period of time staring at the screens.

The amendment of the Protection of Children and Youths Welfare and Rights Act was passed by the legislature on the third reading on Jan. 23, stipulating that children and youths may not spend a long period of time using electronic devices.

In addition to reminding people that overusing electronic devices can harm visual acuity, the NCC also urged people should take a 10-minute break after using smartphones or tablets for 30 minutes; children younger than 2 years of age should not stare at screens; children older than 2 years of age should not stare at screens for longer than 1 hour per day.

(Liberty times, translated by Ethan Zhan)

TODAY’S WORDS
今日單字

1. manual n.

說明書 (shuo1 ming2 shu1)

例: I’ve never read such an interesting manual before.

(我從沒讀過這麼有趣的說明書。)

2. legislature n.

立法院 (li4 fa3 yuan4)

例: Laws are made by the legislature, but legislators are elected by the people.

(法律是立法院制定的，但立法委員是人民選出來的。)

3. visual acuity phr.

視力 (shi4 li4)

例: If you want to grow up to be a pilot, you must have good visual acuity.

(如果你長大後想當機長，視力一定要好。)

智慧型手機、平板滿街跑，愈來愈多青少年加入「低頭」一族。為保障兒少身心發展，國家通訊傳播委員會（NCC）輔導業者在手機、平板的機身、外包裝及說明書上加註警語，提醒民眾勿長時間看螢幕。

立法院在今年一月二十三日三讀通過兒童及少年福利與權益保障法（簡稱兒少法）修正案，明定兒童及少年不得長時間使用電子類產品。

除了提醒3C產品使用過度恐傷害視力，NCC也呼籲，國人使用三十分鐘手機、平板請休息十分鐘；二歲以下幼兒不看螢幕，二歲以上每天看螢幕不要超過一小時。

（自由時報記者蔡穎）

Are smartphones making young people emotionally stunted? 智慧手機使年輕人 情緒感受遲鈍嗎？

A visitor tests a smartphone on display at the IFA Consumer Electronics Show in Berlin, Germany on Sept. 5.
一名訪客九月五日在德國柏林消費電子展上試用一台智慧型手機。

Photo: Bloomberg
照片：彭博社

It is the generation that can understand exactly how you are feeling through a few simple emoticons.

But now researchers claim that children are so engrossed in their phones, they are unable to accurately read how people are feeling in real life.

This is the result of less face-to-face time interaction, according to the study, which found young kids are glued to electronic devices for nearly five hours each day.

The finding was made after testing the ability of 11 to 12-year-olds to recognize the emotions of people pictured in photos.

“Many people are looking at the benefits of digital media in education, and not many are looking at the costs,” said study author Patricia Greenfield, professor of psychology at the Children’s Digital Media Center, part of the University of California, Los Angeles.

“Decreased sensitivity to emotional cues — losing the ability to understand the emotions of other people — is one of the costs.”

Lead author Yalda Uhls said that emoticons are a poor substitute for face-to-face communication: “We are social creatures. We need device-free time.”

(Courtesy of Liberty Times)

這是個只要透過幾個簡單的表情符號就能了解你感受如何的世代。

但是現在研究人員宣稱，現在孩子花太多時間在他們的手機上，以至於無法精準解讀真實世界中人們的感受。

根據這份研究，這是較少面對面互動的結果。這項研究發現孩童每天有將近五小時的時間3C設備不離手。

這項發現是經測試十一到十二歲者辨識照片中人們情緒的能力所得出。

「許多人看的是數位媒體在教育中的好處，審視必須為此付出何種代價的人不多，」研究報告作者洛杉磯加州大學兒童數位媒體中心心理學教授派翠希亞．葛林菲爾說。

「對情緒訊號的敏感度降低，即失去理解他人情緒的能力，就是其中的代價之一。」

報告第一作者亞爾達．烏爾斯說，表情符號不能取代面對面的溝通，「我們是社交動物。我們需要有拋開電子器材的時間。」

（自由時報提供／翻譯：管淑平）

TODAY’S WORDS
今日單字

1. stunted adj. 遲鈍的；發育不良的 

(例: The poor diet resulted in stunted brain development.

(飲食不均衡導致腦部發育遲緩。)

2. engross v. 使全神貫注 

例: Benny is engrossed in his Internet business.

(班尼全心投入他的網路事業。)

3. cue n. 暗示；提示；訊號 

例: The bus bombing was the cue for a more wider terrorist attack.

(這起巴士爆炸案表示一場更大規模的恐怖攻擊開始了。)