Yesterday, I took a train and sat next to another family. The kids were on their phones almost the entire ride, watching one flashy Tiktok video after another I couldn’t help but notice how glued they were to their screens. Not once did they look out the window or talk to each other. Keep hearing people say that kids today especially Gen Alpha have shorter attention spans and can’t focus on reading books anymore. Some teachers and parents claim that even when kids want to read and they lose interest after just a few pages. Are Gen Alpha kids really losing their ability to focus on reading, or are we just overreacting to a new media culture like our parents did with us?
For me, I think you cannot compare short videos and social media to TV because they are totally different things. Short videos and social media can harm attention spans sometimes even watching movies feels productive, let alone reading books. I’ve noticed that the people who read in public or in libraries are mostly older. I hardly ever see kids reading books anymore.
by Delicious_Maize9656
10 Comments
In 20 years, will anyone ever read The Brothers Karamazov again?
Facebook reels killed books industry.
It’s true im a librarian in a highschool and only 2 books got checked out last year
i think it a myth when you give a kid a good book it will read it depends on book, schools are demonizing books by forcing kids to read bullshit storys
I think it’s been lost that attention spans and focusing is essentially a skill, if a parent doesn’t help a child foster that skill and always put short form media that’s meant to keep you hooked only for the duration of that thing in front of them of course they aren’t going to be able to pay attention.
I don’t think that inherently kids have short attention spans society has left they by the road and not given them they same time as previous generations have had.
Rather than sitting down and reading a book with a kid to calm them down they slap a screen I. Front of them, call it a day and then get shocked whenever a kid does not read. If all kids see is parents sitting on their phone why wouldn’t they?
Edit: There is still hope however, my fave social media page is ‘Meet me in the media centre’ clearly when kids are shown reading can be fun they love it just as much as they always have.
Kid ? I’m 38 yo and I have a hard time concentrating too, modern digital exposure are extremely distractive.
I’m an adult and I feel it. Even reading webtoons online I have a hard time concentrating too long without checking something else out
It depends. I believe parents need to take an active role in fostering a love of reading in their children. About a month ago, a young child came to my home with his mother because my mom wanted to give him some of our old children’s books. His mother said he loves to read.
My mom has been a teacher for 20+ years. She says she has never seen a generation of kids with less attention span and more difficulty learning. Since I’m pregnant, she’s been drilling in me to not give my kid access to things like tiktok for as long as possible.
That’s just lazy parenting. It’s easier for the parent to not engage than to teach their kids how to function.