Children, (and adults!) are beginning to scroll and swipe on physical books- is our addiction to devices going too far?
As a society, we are becoming more and more attached to our screens and devices and it is something that is starting to affect the newer generations. Studies based on UK schools, published in the Times, found that 28% of kids are struggling to turn pages of physical books, attempting to tap or swipe the pages, as they are accustomed to screens. What’s even more frightening, is some adults have admitted to doing the same thing!
Babies are accustomed to mobile phones from the day they are born, and start developing independent use of them between the ages of two and five. It is estimated that children as young as eight can spend up to 4 and a half hours of entertainment on phones and tablets per day. This is not only affecting children’s abilities to use books but it is also delaying their reading. Teachers are observing that some students are struggling to read, with research still ongoing.There is no doubt, there are negatives to our over exposure to mobiles for all generations and we have all felt the side-effects. Our attention span is being reduced to just a few seconds due to ‘scrolling’ and short videos; our patience is decreasing due to accessibility to instant information; tasks which take time and concentration are becoming more difficult as we get bored a lot quicker and we are even losing our ability to think deeply as we are rarely left alone with our own thoughts. Not to mention, our social and communication ability, which is majorly in danger due to our ease to hide behind a keyboard.
Naturally, if our adults and older generations are feeling these effects, children will be hit even harder. Our kids are not stupid, impatient or easily distracted, they are just living the consequences of our society’s addiction. However, not everything is negative. Technology is playing a crucial part in improving education: finding innovative ways to teach, more visual and interactive learning and enabling a more personalized method of teaching.
While we are all aware of the pros and cons of mobiles and screens- let’s make the most of the benefits. So take an evening off, switch off your phone and read through a book with your child. Let’s help our future generations and allow them to have a relationship with literature.
We chat about this on our recent programme:
