Reading novels is essential for high school students. But the truth is, students are reading less and it needs to change. I find it challenging to open a book and finish it, as I can get easily distracted by technology. In this generation, teachers focus on giving students shorter or digital texts in class as opposed to novels. Technology also plays a role in redirecting where students want to spend their free time.
According to ap.org, “Federal data from 2024 shows only 14% of young teens say they read for fun daily, compared with 27% in 2012.”
Technology is ruining reading comprehension and how students spend their time. The Gen Z average screen time each day is nine hours, according to mastermindbehavior.com.
Reading books online can be easily distracting as well, as one can so easily close out of the book and switch tabs. Notifications going off constantly also redirect focus.
According to workplaceinsight.net, “Gen Zs were found to receive the most notifications, averaging 181 daily alerts, or one every 8 minutes.”
Reading online texts also makes it too easy for students to Google search the author’s meaning rather than figuring it out on their own.
“Sometimes we take for granted the masterpieces of ink and paper we have on shelves, and how amazing they are. As well as people sometimes finding more entertainment in social media and games and other screen-related activities,” freshman Tristan Sanchez said.
However, some may say that technology can be helpful, as this generation is reading more due to constantly being on social media and reading online posts. Additionally, Gen Z is also writing more due to typing and text messaging. BookTok is also influencing readers. However, none of this is as helpful as reading novels.
But why does this matter? The answer is reading can help improve cognitive functions and other school-related skills. Students at this school believe reading is more fulfilling and provides more intellectual activity than simply doom scrolling, which can also help with writing, sentence structure, learning the meaning of new words, using context clues and story building.
According to ap.org, “Deep reading is essential to strengthen circuits in the brain tied to critical thinking skills, background knowledge — and, most of all, empathy.”
“It’s difficult for reading to keep up with the instant gratification of scrolling reels or TikTok when it’s a more time-intensive activity to get its full value,” freshman Noah Kern said.
If you want to start reading, visit the Library Media Center (LMC). You can join silent book clubs and participate in giveaways for reading books.
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