this post was submitted on 21 Jun 2023
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On top of poor test scores for math and reading which may/may not be mostly attributed to the quality of education during pandemic lockdowns.
This is tragic, and terrifying.
Anecdotally, I see this in my own kids, but an actively encouraging against these tendencies.
There's a social component that was lost due to the isolation from lockdowns which seems to contribute to a lack of interest in "meatspace," in general that I can't seem to ignore.
This is the generation that has been raised in the “attention economy” of social media companies trying their absolute hardest to keep them engaged on their screen.
Sitting down and reading a book requires attention and focus that many of todays youth find very difficult to do.
Can't say I blame them. I was an avid reader for pleasure right into college but that all slowed down as the internet took hold and the massive font of media now was its death knell. Does not help that my eyesite is horrible [likely from all those years reading in bad light :) ]. The last thing I read is jordans last wheel of time. If amazon does not complete the series I will never know how the mistborn guy ended it.
It’s phones. Phones are a major problem that no one is willing or able to combat. Schools gave up on trying to ban them because the parents pitch a fit and go to the school board to insist they need to be able to contact their children at all times.
I asked a colleague yesterday if his daughter—who was an avid reader just a few years ago—had checked out the Libby app yet and he said she barely reads now… because she got a cellphone.*
Until we are willing to break ourselves and our children of this addiction education will continue to decline.
*I am aware there is a certain irony in me complaining about cellphones and also recommending an app that is meant to be accessed via cellphone/tablet, but the point still stands!