Gen Z 'Can’t Read' And Millennials Won’t Let It Go

media illiteracy, can't read allegations & every child that was left behind

Hey Rummates, today we're here to talk about the rise in media illiteracy in Gen Z and Gen Alpha and whether or not we should be concerned for the future of education and our generation online.

Timestamps:
0:00 intro
2:50 gen z & alpha reading struggles
4:45 why school is failing gen z
6:13 pandemic effect on it all
8:20 media illiteracy in gen z
11:25 the end of the attention economy

#imurgency #genz #commentary #genalpha

[ChrisBrooks]

I think a lot of people conflated media savviness with media literacy. And we found out that just because you can use social media doesn't mean you comprehend the things that you saw on social media.

[BerusJ]

is this not the ADULTS faults? Like, a lot of this is the "No Child Left Behind" and then there's also the fact that so many parents just gave their kids a tablet to get that child out of their faces, and you don't need to be able to spell to find games and videos. Younger Gen Z and Gen Alpha are being failed, it's wild

[tthewizard]

This is the fault of the parents not caring about the education of their kids. Not showing up to parent teacher conferences, not helping the child with their homework, not caring about academic success…. the kids are NOT alright. Some parents really expect their child’s teacher to do everything for their kids, but it’s a TEAM effort between the parent and the child. These problems have been here but it’s been exacerbated by Covid.

[cosmonaut]

As a 27 year old secondary English teacher, I’ve noticed that for sure, kids attention spans have changed, but every generation is different, it’s okay to adapt teaching for our learners. My main worry is it’s now incredibly clear whose parents buy their kids books to read for pleasure and encourage them to work hard at school and who has parents who don’t care, dislike school as an institution, don’t monitor the media their kids consume and just give them access to phones and games all day. The first group are on track to achieve with mid-high GCSE’s (English high school qualification) regardless of being high ability or having difficulties with dyslexia or educational needs. The bottom unlikely will, and if they do, will be by the skin of their teeth. In England you NEED an English GSCE for any job. There’s also other huge factors like social classes gap growing, poverty increasing, schools having too many students, overworked parents and teachers. But if anyone is a parent reading this - you can survive and your kids can achieve even though the system is against us - you just need to care, take a hands on approach, educate yourself to know what your kids are learning, and don’t be afraid to set real boundaries / penalties in your household for not doing homework/behavioural issues in class etc! ♥️

[sonpanchan]

I'm a Millenial and I remember the education system was horrible even back in the 00's. The "No child left behind" Act pretty much screwed us over. And yeah short attention spans isn't just a Gen Z problem. My Grandma before she died, she was addicted to watching short Tiktok and Facebook videos and anything over a minute would make her lose interest. She was from the Silent Generation.

[karlajaeger]

Half the problem is anti intellectualism and parents not being involved in their child's schooling. When a large segment of the population is not only uninformed or uninvolved but actively shuns things like critical thinking and facts, this is the result. The other half is the education system teaching to tests without ensuring comprehension. So, the kids puke out the stuff onto the tests and promptly forget it. The class passes and the school gets more funding while the students literally "fail upward".

[SavannahBurris]

I’m 23 and a freshman in college. These 18 year olds in my classes just… don’t participate. There’s a night and day difference in the way we act in class. Something about finishing high school online during the pandemic permanently set these kids back and I feel so bad for them. I’m SO glad I graduated in 2018 and not later on.

[bethannybiscuits]

I am actually watching you. I was born in 1984 and a technical writer. I have so many concerns about my children in school. As a writer, who feels a spark of joy every time I sit down in front of my computer to work, it is very disturbing that my children struggle so hard with simple essays. I'm involved in their education and I support their teachers - but I'm told a lot of parents don't.

[kawehionalani]

As a GenX parent to 2 GenZ children, we must do our part in encouraging reading to our children as soon as they’re born! It’s never too early to teach them even if they’re infants. My kids are now 19 and 21, and they tell me one of their highlights as a child was when I’d read to them at bedtime or just read to them for fun.

[queenofhearts]

As a Gen Z who’s out of high school, I can say that one of the main reasons I was an advanced reader is due to a single teacher being an overachiever in elementary school. He was my English teacher, and he would spend his own money to take decently performing students out for brunch and then buy them books, about every two weeks. Because my school was low-income and understaffed, he was maybe one of two English teachers for elementary kids. He inspired a lifelong interest in reading and writing for me. Plus, my mother used the early internet to her advantage; she was a single mother, so she wasn’t always able to keep an eye on me, but she put me on a variety of K-12 learning programs/websites like Rosetta Stone and PBS Kids. Without those early things that kept me a little ahead of the curve throughout school, I might have ended up failing/dropping out due to undiagnosed ADHD.

[niyadanielle]

I feel like EVERYONE severely underestimated the effects of online learning for such critical ages of development. We are just now grasping the effects of 2020 months away from 2024, the kids have BEEN doomed. I struggled as a college sophomore going into my major when the pandemic happened. I can only imagine what its like for kids who NEED in person social, reading, learning development for k-12

[carlbowles]

Don't feel bad. I'm a late baby boomer who tutored in high school. I encountered 15 year old gangsters reading at the third grade level or less. They could fight but couldn't read.

[jarbincks]

My sister is 13 years old and I've been trying to get her to read FOREVER. Well, she finally picked up a book from one of my all-time favorite series from when I was in middle school Diary of a wimpy kid (which I still devour to this day, btw!!) and she told me it was too hard for her. TOO HARD. Diary of a wimpy kid is supposed to be BELOW her reading grade level and honestly I'm so so concerned

[hakunamatata]

It’s a mix of the pandemic, no child left behind, and parents not having the capacity to help outside of school. Some parents do think it’s all on the teachers and some genuinely cannot help because they’re exhausted.

[tcrijwanachoudhury]

As an older gen z who was privileged enough to have an okay education, i say the kids wont raise themselves. The system is learning the hard way, and as far as im concerned is getting what they deserve 🤷‍♀️

[lookouthill]

It’s becoming extremely clear which parents are or are not involved with their kids education. And another sad effect I’ve seen is the social ramifications in their friend groups. When the mental/emotional maturity gap grows wider, friendships dissolve as the kids can’t really relate to one another anymore.

[cooperminion]

One of the reasons why kids are having trouble reading these days is bc they're being taught a more picture based version of reading instead of a phonics based version. Add to that the fact that parents are using the tablets as babysitters almost 24/7 and it's a perfect storm. I remember my parents would bring activity books and actual books for me whenever we went anywhere. Always stuff that would allow my brain to grow

[amandaodom]

My mom was a 2nd grade teacher for 29 years. The older I got, the more she and her other teachers would ask my opinion on the assignments and assessments they had to give the kids. A huge problem is departments for education in states keep cramming more lessons into the same length school year expecting kids to learn more, but all it does is take away the time kids previously used to master those skills. So instead of having 3 weeks to learn and master one skill, now they have to learn a skill in 1 week before moving on to the next thing, and they immediately forget what they just learned.

[YukiLeiu]

I’m gen z and it’s baffling to me to hear that others are struggling. Like it’s not news that we still have so much gaps in education that we have working adults who can’t read but it was usually parenting a fault or that they couldn’t finish or go to school. I still had to learn cursive and there’s whole schools operating with kids 3+ grades lower than they’re in?? What has the americas come to.

[Icezoot]

Gen Z? 🤨 The oldest Gen Z’ers are turning 30. 1995-2012. More than over half of us have long since graduated highschool. If you’re 14 or below you’re gen alpha. These teachers are saying middle schoolers can’t read.