Literacy is not only the foundation of education, but also the backbone of communication as a whole. Currently, the United States is in a “literacy crisis,” meaning that multitudes of U.S. citizens are not reading proficiently. A literacy crisis is detrimental to education, media understanding, communication and more.
The Causes of the Literacy Crisis
Although the literacy crisis does not come from one concrete source many professional educators are able to narrow down the reasoning to the rise in social media, which has turned young children into instant gratification seekers and lowers their ability to focus deeply on texts and learning.
“The advent of technology and social media is the clearest reason behind the decline in literacy rates,” English teacher Eric Beard said. “The distractions students face today are overwhelming. It takes some serious discipline for a student to put their phone away for 30-60 minutes and truly get lost in a book.”
However, it is not only social media that is creating this lack of literacy. Every piece of technology children are exposed to seems to minimize their interest in sitting down and understanding a novel.
“For many people, reading is simply not as fun as watching television, scrolling through YouTube shorts, playing video games, etcetera,” English teacher John Lambersie said. “Doing the hard work of understanding what is written on a page at the tender age of five is not as fun as sitting passively in front of a screen or roaming the world of Minecraft. So, at a young age kids see reading as more of a chore.”
Children’s exposure to social media and other instantaneous types of systems limit their patience and attention span. In turn, this exposure has created a generation of children who are unable to focus long enough to truly understand a reading passage.
“It’s now becoming a concern for researchers, too, who are seeking to better understand the effects of early exposure to electronic devices on children’s capacity to engage in and understand what they read,” Education Week journalist, Elizabeth Heubeck, said. “Their findings to date, though limited, create cause for concern.”
The Effects of the Literacy Crisis
Middle and high schoolers are also seeing the repercussions of lower literacy rates as their peers struggle with communication and in school.
“The literacy crisis impacts students through reduced critical thinking,” senior Yuki Swaminathan said. “Students with low literacy often need intensive, targeted study tactics that many schools lack resources to provide effectively. Additionally, instead of seeking this help, many students display over-reliance on quick digital content, such as AI. This can decrease deep thinking, creativity and basic reading, writing and comprehension skills, which impacts a student’s skill set needed to succeed professionally and academically.”
The literacy crisis is not only harming children, but is affecting adult taxpayers as well. A lack of literacy means that when adults sign a contract, they may not completely understand what they are agreeing to. As such, taxpayers often lack a deep understanding of the commitment they are making.
“In a study done by the Kutest Kids Early Intervention organization, illiteracy accounts for $2.2 trillion dollars in taxpayer losses throughout the year,” USA reads documented.
The Solutions for the Literacy Crisis
While it may seem as though there is no way out of this crisis, there are many at-home solutions that will slowly but surely correct the damage that has been done.
If parents make it known to their children that reading and learning gives a gift of education rather than it being a chore, children and young adults will begin to understand the importance of literacy.
“I think if parents want to help their students develop literary analysis skills, they need to create an environment at home where reading is a normal and regular part of life,” Beard said. “Access to reading material is a start, but parents also have to model reading as a regular behavior. If kids ‘catch’ their parents reading, they see a model that reading is important. Setting the precedent that in our home, reading is enjoyable, reading is normal–that’s important.”
Parents can also encourage their children to be unafraid of failure and instead seek education through understanding. Parents who are willing to discuss the texts their children are reading in an in-depth fashion with foster curious young minds that are willing to put in the work it takes to understand the deeper meanings behind the pieces they are reading.
“Parents could read to their young children and with their children, having conversations about the content to help to encourage reading comprehension,” English teacher Rachele Raloff said.
Overall, the literacy crisis affects every facet of life. From toddler communication to adult tax dollars, the lack of literacy amongst individuals of all ages is detrimental to each individual. However, there is hope for the future if adults recognize today the negative impact of a literacy-free life, and work to create change within young and upcoming minds.
