Report after report comes out stating the same thing: kids today have very low reading comprehension and literacy rates are dropping hard:

Last year, reading performance for fourth graders hit its lowest level since 2005, and teachers expect that number to keep tumbling. We are at risk of having an entire generation of children fail to become productive adults if reading proficiency does not improve.

https://www.businessinsider.com/gen-alpha-reading-literacy-crisis-privilege-society-divide-2024-12

Only 30% of Gen Alpha fourth graders read proficiently as of 2024, which is lower than 32% in 2022.

https://www.warren.k12.in.us/o/the-owl/article/2391964

Gen Alpha can't read with emotion or understand how dialogue works whatsoever. They'll read to the end of a sentence and stop, even if they're in the middle of a quotation. That's if they can read at all — and don't get me started on their lack of comprehension. They can't sit through an entire chapter book because they don't comprehend what happens from one chapter to the next. I teach eighth grade, I might add. Parents don't read to their kids, and it shows."

Gen Alpha can't read with emotion or understand how dialogue works whatsoever. They'll read to the end of a sentence and stop, even if they're in the middle of a quotation. That's if they can read at all — and don't get me started on their lack of comprehension. They can't sit through an entire chapter book because they don't comprehend what happens from one chapter to the next. I teach eighth grade, I might add. Parents don't read to their kids, and it shows."

Yahoo Life

Teachers Are Sharing The "Basic" Skills Gen Alpha Student...

"My student didn't know the difference between uppercase and lowercase letters..."

In the most recent Nation's Report Card (2024), 40% of 4th graders, 33% of 8th graders, and 32% of high school seniors were reading below the Basic reading level. Each year, those percentages get higher. Students have difficulty understanding even the simplest written instructions. Students' reading proficiency is two or three grade levels below where it should be. Students struggle when asked to write a sentence, and complain when asked to write more than a sentence.

https://thiswriterreads.wordpress.com/2026/03/25/gen-alpha-literacy-crisis-discussion/

Are you concerned about this? Or do you think it will be fine somehow?

I think that analphabetism and the utter physical destruction of books in the name of AI training are going hand in hand for the PERFECT shitstorm in the 2030s and onwards.

Millenials and Gen Z being the final fully literate generations of this cycle of humanity, wow our POWER

The ability to read and understand what you read is very important, so yes it is concerning.

I guess parents today just hand their child a tablet with youtube so they can sit with their face in their phones in peace. inb4 someone says it's classist to expect people not to be illiterate.

Is it surprising when the right wing continues to peddle nonsense about education being evil and predatory

If you can't read it it can't hurt you or stop you

I will probably sound like a boomer right now but nowadays these kids are born with a tablet on their faces and we expect them to function normally? Like I'm not saying kids shouldn't have access to tablets and phones but if that's all they do all day then of course their brain will get ****** over from the get go. Getting used to video content only (and short ones at that) will prevent them from engaging with long term activities, and reading is one of them. Hell, sometimes even I have difficulty on focusing on a book and I'm an adult who tries to be very mindful of the time I spend on scrolling. These kids don't stand a chance.

My 8 year old cousin couldn't sound out the word "Helicopter". The situation is dire

Wasn't there some study or something that said this is the first time a new generation has been less intelligent than the previous one?

Imagine an entire generation of stans not knowing how to read the chart

I am not a teacher or anything but it wouldn't surprise me if the tests they are using are old ****. Literacy should mean something different for the new generation and education system needs to adapt.

2 minutes ago, Likingstars said:

Imagine an entire generation of stans not knowing how to read the chart

That would be a win though, a generation more worried with the art itself instead of the numbers. But if this generation can't even read properly I doubt they will gave the required cognition to engage with art properly.

It's very intentional and going as planned

My hot take is that there will be a societal pendulum swing towards a form of intellectualism/education at some point, partially borne out of political resistance.

Edit: At some point, we have to reckon with the fact that education is seen as solely a means to a capitalistic end in America, i.e. a pathway to a form of labor. The purpose of college is to be a job factory and basic education is just to give people enough to do low-level work. Classic pedagogy is entirely lost.

Edited August 9Aug 9 by EnigmaticAndroid

Me think not good.

Is this just the US? Are you implying that this is a global issue?

American's are so dumb

I'm so glad that I read a lot. Not necessarily books, which I only rarely read, but all of my online stuff is text only. I've never cared for videos. YouTube and TikTok are so seldomly used by me. I read on here and Reddit.

My brother and I just got into a huge fight because he bought his daughter an iPad for her birthday… she turned 3 💀

Edit: Nvm I was making a joke but this thread was a lot more earnest and serious than I thought it was going to be based on the title

Edited August 9Aug 9 by Mr. Mendes

6 hours ago, Maneater said:

American's are so dumb

Well yes but this phenomeon isn't unique to America. Literacy rates among the current generation have also declined all over Europe.

This isn't purely a policy failure (though it plays a role), it's also strongly influenced by technology's increasing prevalence in the lives of children and even in the classroom.

I think theyre idiots

queen of gen alpha

18 hours ago, suburbannature said:

Is it surprising when the right wing continues to peddle nonsense about education being evil and predatory

Mind you they are also the ones that preach about caring about the kids the most

On 8/9/2026 at 2:20 AM, Tropez said:

Is this just the US? Are you implying that this is a global issue?

It seems to be a thing in the US, several european countries and Turkey. It seems to affect Asia less because they are more strict with phone usage + have different teaching methods

I feel like young people don't want to learn not just reading, but also writing and, well.... anything. They think they'll do **** all and still be ok in life. Its the "why bother" gen.