‘Youngsters struggle with long texts, must improve reading’

Phone screens have replaced book pages and capsule-form summaries have cornered the physical presence of books, says Sunil Dutt, a resident of Sahnewal who works as an assistant professor at Post Graduate Government College for Girls, Sector 11, Chandigarh.

Talking to Lovleen Bains, he delves into what he says is a decline in reading habits among the day youth, and says it has stunted their intellectual growth and crippled their cognitive capabilities.

What changes have you observed in the youth today due to a decline in reading habits?

There is massive erosion of vocabulary and deep comprehension. Youngsters struggle with sustained reading and look for short, quick and capsule-form summaries and analysis online. It deprives them of the first-hand experience that they otherwise would have gotten through reading. It is a generation that has information, but doesn’t know how to express it coherently and cohesively with proper context, be it verbally or through writing.

How does a lack of reading affect academic and cognitive development of students?

Reading is like exercise for the brain, where your thoughts are tapped, imagination is rekindled and creative faculties are invoked. Without reading, critical thinking and analytical skills suffer greatly. Students struggle to write about a topic in depth and find it difficult to form complex and long sentences. Their writing style becomes dry, repetitive in nature, overtly casual and fragmented when they don’t read anything new.

What psychological and cognitive shifts are educators seeing?

Educators are witnessing extremely low patience levels and a loss of imagination among youngsters. When we read a novel, a poem or a short story, our mind creates its own world and relives the characters’ ups and downs. Conversely, when one sees a video, imagination doesn’t get an incentive to flourish. Rather, it stagnates. Attention span also reduces to the size of the video. Reading, however, instils the ability to think abstractly and express concretely.

What behavioural and emotional differences do you notice?

There is a drastic change in the behaviour of youngsters. Overexposure to the screen has made them restless, impatient and agitated. Children these days exhibit mood swings, anxiety and a sense of estrangement. Digital content has snatched their power to ponder and reflect. In contrast, the drama of life shifts from the page to our minds when we read. We empathise with the characters’ pain and celebrate their victories. The lessons deduced from the ordeals of the characters become life lessons for us. I recall from our school days that all age groups could understand and relate to the unwillingness of Tom Sawyer to go to school on a Monday morning.

How can educational institutes and families collaborate to revive reading habits among youth?

Educational institutes must move away from reading as a graded task. They should segregate some hours where a student can read a book as per his or her choice. The idea of book clubs can be used to revive reading habits. It should be made an interesting and engaging activity, rather than a monotonous and mandatory exercise. Parents can replace nighttime scrolling with turning the pages of a book before sleeping. They should gift books instead of expensive gadgets to their kids on special occasions.

What message would you like to give to the youth?

The digital world may give you facts but books will give you wisdom. Social media fills your mind with junk food but literature provides a nutritious meal. I advise the youth to minimise screen time and invest in reading books.