Although some individuals argue that the rising popularity of computer and cellular phone use among youngsters to communicate with one another is detrimental to the skills required to read and write, I strongly disagree with this perspective. My position will be further validated in the paragraphs below.
The foremost reason for my disagreement with the view above is that several children today have a faulty writing and reading background in their elementary schools. Reading comprehension, transcription, sentence construction, genre and content knowledge, planning, revising, and editing are limited foundational teachings that children and adolescents need to master before moving on to higher educational levels. Sadly, these are either not learned or outrightly ignored in several instances. Because technology has revolutionized the way we write, speak, read, and do other things in modern times, the effects of poor fundamental training are becoming more and more obvious. Consequently, technology, exemplified by phones and laptops, is being wrongly fingered as the culprit.
Another factor to consider is the general apathy towards education. Quite frankly, this has nothing to do with technological advancements. Compared to recent decades, interest in education among the youth has significantly nosedived. As a result, many young individuals can neither read basic books nor write the simplest of sentences. Writing is a fundamental skill that requires carefully designed, intensive teachings to be proficient writers. Without a doubt, mastering writing at an early age is a strong predictor of student success in the college and workplace in the future, while learning how to read demands unique interest and passion. These characteristics are difficult to come by among young people nowadays. Because the trend seems to be coincidental with the popularity of the use of mobile devices, I reckon that the latter is now being accused of having untoward effects on reading and writing among the youth.
To conclude, it is not true that the widespread use of computers and mobile devices has adverse effects on adolescents’ ability to read and write. Rather, the factors responsible are poor foundational education on reading and writing as well as disinterest in education among this age group.