New research suggests that nearly half of American teenagers say they use the Internet “almost constantly.”

The United States-based Pew Research Center released a study this month. It found that the share of teens who say they are online almost all the time rose from 24 percent in 2015 to 46 percent this year. The results were based on a Pew public opinion study. The study involved 1,316 teens aged 13 to 17 years old. The research found that about 95 percent of American teens have smartphones. About 54 percent of teens questioned said it would be “hard” to give up social media, while 46 percent said it would be “easy.” About 25 percent of teen boys said giving up social media would be “very easy.” But just 15 percent of teen girls said the same.

Experts in online technology behavior have accused large technology companies of targeting teens with methods to get them to spend more time on their social media services. One method uses algorithms(算法) to repeatedly suggest content to keep users on the services for longer periods of time.

Child rights groups and U.S. Congress members have warned that heavy use of social media services can harm the mental health of young users. They have called on large technology companies to take steps to reduce such harm.

Several services—including Instagram, Snapchat and TikTok—have introduced features that they say are designed to make their services safer and more fitting for young users. The tools do offer some help, such as blocking unknown individuals from messaging children. But experts say the measures also come with weaknesses. For example, teens can get around limits if they lie about their age. The services also largely depend on parents to enforce(强行实施) rules. And the measures do little or nothing to limit inappropriate and harmful material suggested by algorithms.

“These platforms know that their algorithms can sometimes be amplifying(增强) harmful content, and they’re not taking steps to stop that,” said Irene Ly. She is a privacy advisor at the nonprofit group Common Sense Media based in San Francisco, California. She added that the longer teens spend on the services, the more profitable the technology companies become.

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1.What can we know from the study?

A It is easier for teen boys to give up social media than girls.

B 24 percent of American students use the Internet almost all the time.

C The age of 1,361 teens in the study ranges from thirteen to fifteen.

D About half of American teens have smartphones at home.

解析：选A。A细节理解题。根据第二段最后两句“About 25 percent of teen boys said giving up social media would be ‘very easy.’ But just 15 percent of teen girls said the same.”可知，大约25%的青少年男孩表示放弃社交媒体非常容易。但只有15%的女生有同样的想法。因此可知青少年男孩比女孩更容易放弃社交媒体。故选A。

2.How do technology companies make their social media services appealing to teens?

A By recommending more friends to them.

B By teaching them how to use technologies.

C By giving them some material rewards.

D By recommending content that attracts them.

解析：选D。D细节理解题。根据第三段最后一句“One method uses algorithms to repeatedly suggest content to keep users on the services for longer periods of time.”可知一些网站会使用算法反复给用户推荐他们感兴趣的内容，让用户长时间使用他们的网络服务。故选D。

3.What is the experts’ attitude to the measures by social media services?

A Favorable.

B Cautious.

C Doubtful.

D Uncaring.

解析：选C。C推理判断题。根据第五段第三句“But experts say the measures also come with weaknesses.”可知，专家们觉得这些措施有缺点，因此他们对这些措施持怀疑态度。故选C。

4.What type of writing is this text?

A A practical guide.

B An advertisement.

C An announcement.

D An investigation report.

解析：选D。D推理判断题。通读全文可知，通过调查美国青少年持有智能手机和上网人数比例，本文对调查结果进行了说明，即本文是一篇调查报告。