Are computer games and the internet to blame for the ever decreasing standard of literacy among children?
A recent poll shows that UK children dropped from 3rd in the world to 19th in terms of literacy? Why is this?
Blaming technology for decreasing literature is a cop-out. Last I checked, using the internet involves a lot of reading. I would venture a guess that the average child with regular internet access reads more content than a child twenty years ago each day. They just read fewer books printed on paper.
Computer games probably contribute to obesity, but not likely to illiteracy, since they take the place of outdoor play.
The fault lies with schools, parents, societal values and social messages.
Educational standards have declined. This is no ones fault but the schools. (Not the teachers, but the schools as a whole.)
Parents, especially low income parents, have to work more, and spend less time reading to their young children. And the parents are often not terribly literate to start with. A recent study in the US found that less than 50% of Americans read for recreation. I imagine the figures in the UK are similar.
Society does not value intellectual pursuits. Society values money and power. While literacy and money and power are certainly connected, that is not always the message that comes across.
And there is the social messages that children get. When one knows that they will end up working in the factory just like their dad, there is far less incentive to pursue their studies.
I would add TV and working mothers and fathers not spending the time
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The chief function of books is to convey information, entertainment or otherwise. Technologies such as mobile phones, video games, computers, etc… now deliver the information faster and in an easier-to-digest fashion. A highly-developed reading skill is no longer necessary to succeed in society; thus, less time is spent reading those heavy, dusty old analog databases.
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UK children r dum.. sry.. thts just a childish answer…
simple. bcuz their mom n dad dont giv them love affection n attention… their friends r their only source.. n if their friends only r stupid morons (who r distracted from their aim in life), then they bcum like them.. sadly.. bcuz kids shy away from sharing nything frm their parents…. they get bad influences frm their friends…
n they get emotional security frm tv programs(eg. elmo;s world..seriously.. tht puppet is a maniac)..or songs tht aptly describe their condition… like certain tracks with.. "oh! im sAd n my gf ditched me", computer games(eg.gta vice city), internet games like.. neopets etc.. they depress em all d more..
n u study only when u r physically secure(from wild animals or war) and mentally sound(like when u know that ur parents.. and ur spouse..if u hve one care for u n love u)
n acc. to me.. tht is the condition of most UK kids…
n of course.. kids like me frm growing cities n towns like mumbai, india… and the rest of the world…..
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Unpropper discipline is the source of this in most cases.
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Well let’s see. Who’s turn is it to watch Johnny this weekend and what day of the week is daddy allowed to take him out for his 2 hour scheduled dinner date? DIVORCE is the primary reason for decreasing standards in literacy , manners and CHILDREN GETTING SLEEP! How can kids be shuffled to two different homes with two different standards and be expected to cope at such a young age? No one is accountable for anything and I see so many divorced parents just having more kids with their newly discovered wife/hubby. Isn’t that special? Raise the ones you have first.
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Blaming technology for decreasing literature is a cop-out. Last I checked, using the internet involves a lot of reading. I would venture a guess that the average child with regular internet access reads more content than a child twenty years ago each day. They just read fewer books printed on paper.
Computer games probably contribute to obesity, but not likely to illiteracy, since they take the place of outdoor play.
The fault lies with schools, parents, societal values and social messages.
Educational standards have declined. This is no ones fault but the schools. (Not the teachers, but the schools as a whole.)
Parents, especially low income parents, have to work more, and spend less time reading to their young children. And the parents are often not terribly literate to start with. A recent study in the US found that less than 50% of Americans read for recreation. I imagine the figures in the UK are similar.
Society does not value intellectual pursuits. Society values money and power. While literacy and money and power are certainly connected, that is not always the message that comes across.
And there is the social messages that children get. When one knows that they will end up working in the factory just like their dad, there is far less incentive to pursue their studies.
References :