"It's been a tough year for our brains. Merriam-Webster dictionary editors chose slop as 2025's word of the year. New York Magazine recently dropped its Stupid Issue, with a cover story exploring America's collective cognitive decline. There are big problems in the humanities: reading test scores are down for students nationwide, and undergraduates cannot read full books any more. Even storytime a comfy couch, a cardboard book, a kid's rapt attention as their parent reads them a story is an endangered activity."
"According to an April report from HarperCollins UK, parents have lost the love of reading to their children, with fewer than half of gen Z parents calling the activity fun for me. According to the survey of 1,596 parents of children aged zero to 13, almost one in three found reading more a subject to learn than an experience to enjoy. Only a third of kids aged five to 10 frequently read for fun, compared with over half in 2012."
"When Bri Ramos went to parent night at her kids' elementary school in Oklahoma City, a first-grade teacher said something that stuck with her: I can tell if you read to your child every night, or if you do not, the teacher told her. There is such a drastic difference in a developing child's brain, and it's just based on that 10 to 20 minutes of reading every night. [Dramatic reading] has a greater impact on their life and how they connect to stories ..."
Reading enjoyment and literacy measures have declined across age groups. Reading test scores are down nationwide, undergraduates struggle to read full books, and fewer children aged five to ten frequently read for fun than in 2012. Less than half of Gen Z parents describe reading as fun, and nearly one in three view reading as a subject to learn rather than an experience to enjoy. Traditional storytime faces competition from digital media and shifting parental attitudes. Educators note that 10–20 minutes of nightly reading makes a marked difference in a child's developing brain. Parents report using unorthodox tactics, including AI tools, to rekindle interest.
Read at www.theguardian.com
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