Gen Z parents may be outright refusing to read to their kids.
An article by The Guardian prompted serious conversation about the issue on Reddit. According to the article, a former elementary school teacher, Spencer Russell, posed an important question on his Instagram account, Toddlers Can Read.
The account has over 2 million followers.
Why aren’t parents reading to their children?
“Why aren’t you reading aloud to your kids?” he asked his followers on Instagram.
The responses were surprising, but relatable.
Some parents complained that reading to their children can be “boring” and time-consuming.
Others said they simply do not like reading and don’t even read themselves.
Apparently, whether or not parents enjoy reading to their children depends on their age. According to a recent survey, less than half of Gen Z parents reported enjoying reading to their children.
Sadly, the attitude is having a trickle-down effect. The study also found that younger kids are less likely to read for fun, especially those from households where reading is not modeled or encouraged.
Experts warn that these early reading experiences are crucial for developing vocabulary, emotional intelligence, and sustained attention.
What do other parents think about the shift in parenting habits?
On Reddit, many parents discussed the importance of reading to their children.
“I love reading to my children,” one user commented. “How else am I going to use all these hilarious accents I’ve cooked up for no other reason over the years?”
“They’re the perfect audience because they’re too young to know how awful your accents are!!” another user said.
Others noted how difficult it is for reading to compete with social media for the attention span of children, and their parents.
“Not sure who needs to hear this,” an anonymous user commented. “Every facet of human life is competing with things like TikTok for attention. The outcomes described in the article and articles like this are not bugs. These are features.”
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