Children Are More Likely To Own A Cell Phone Than A Book, Study Says

Telegraph:

Almost nine-in-10 pupils now have a mobile compared with fewer than three-quarters who have their own books in the home, it was disclosed.

The study by the National Literacy Trust suggested a link between regular access to books outside school and high test scores.

Read the whole story: Telegraph

Comments

[cal5000]

03:04 AM on 05/29/2010

I hate to sound old but kids and young adults today are dumber than dirt, despite all the information in the world at their fingertips.

[BikeFreak]

02:47 AM on 05/28/2010

And the dumbing down of America continues.

Today's empire is tomorrow's ashes.

[AwShucks]

07:09 AM on 05/27/2010

What a very sad statistic.

[BikeFreak]

02:46 AM on 05/28/2010

I agree.

I am appalled.

[rhomsky]

03:07 AM on 05/27/2010

It takes 43 muscles to frown and 17 to smile but it doesn't take any to just sit there with a dumb look on your face.

[ZiloRS]

07:38 AM on 05/28/2010

Haha

[GreyBird]

02:11 AM on 05/27/2010

Why on earth do kids ages 7 to 11 need a cell phone??

[Quinny]

12:39 AM on 05/27/2010

Shouldn't this headline read: "Stupid F**king parents more likely
to buy their kids a cell phone instead
of a book"?

Sleep Tight America...

[GreyBird]

02:11 AM on 05/27/2010

Exactly.
Fanned.

[Quinny]

02:40 AM on 05/27/2010

GreyBird,

My Thanks....

All The Best,
Quinny

[AwShucks]

07:10 AM on 05/27/2010

Fanned.

[Quinny]

01:23 PM on 05/27/2010

Awshucks,

Thank you for the "Fan"....

All The Best,
Quinny

[Indiegirl99]

12:08 AM on 05/27/2010

What is happening in this world that a child is more likely to own a cell phone than a book? What are we teaching them that being constantly connected with their friends is more important than knowledge and education? I know that for generations people have been bemoaning the state of the younger generation but I have to say that this upcoming generation is in a sorry state at the moment. I have a 15yo goddaughter who does not know how to have a basic conversation, she resorts to writting notes to me and we have to pass them back and forth because I do not allow her cell phone in my house when she is here. Meanwhile, when her friends call here to talk to her, they literally do not know how to talk on the phone! My goddaughter says that they don't know what to do when some one else anwsers. Insane. Parents, do not buy your children a cell phone until they have learned the basics of conversations and manners. Meanwhile, there are many wonderful books for children out there, whole worlds for your children to explore and learn about.

[BlueZoo]

10:03 PM on 05/26/2010

And we wonder why some states are only graduating 40% of students? Pathetic! And just who pays for these phones for all of these children? Stupid parents! Listen up, parents! Your kids do NOT NEED a cell phone but they damned sure need books! I despair...

[maxfax]

10:00 PM on 05/26/2010

I find that frightening.

[laddieluv]

09:31 PM on 05/26/2010

As a retired English teacher, my heart breaks.

Parents. Read to your children. The young ones, especially. Every night. Put your Blackberries and remotes down and please do your "job."

Sigh.

[VeggieLove]

08:48 PM on 05/26/2010

Hopefully, they're reading on their iPhones:)

[annie0107]

05:14 PM on 05/26/2010

that is sad ... and shame on the parents

[JDM73]

03:24 PM on 05/26/2010

Entropy. It's inevitable. (It would be less offensive, however, if people weren't so damned jolly about themselves and their children becoming vegetables.)

[SF TKF]

02:50 PM on 05/26/2010

Sad to verging on child abuse . . .

[REDSTATEREFUGEE]

02:11 PM on 05/26/2010

Doesn't surprise me at all......My community college students rarely read their texts, but they are constantly text messaging, even in class. Seems that events in their personal worlds take much more precedence over future careers or knowledge of subjects such as writing, math, history, government, sociology, economics, religion, etc. etc. etc......

I have to allot additional time for each subject unit to address any allusion to a current event or historical reference. Just for comparison, only about ten percent of any class will be aware of a topical concern ( BP, tea partiers, talking heads on radio and television, etc. ). There was a charitable term applied to George W. Bush---incurious---that might apply to our CC students today. Cell phone chatter and text messaging have become an intellectual oil spill onto our campuses.....

[GreyBird]

02:14 AM on 05/27/2010

I've had a similar experience. My syllabi no longer have more than 30 pages of reading A SEMESTER because I was told the students won't read it.
We are morphing into an semi-illiterate society, capable only of understanding sound bites and product tag-lines.

[REDSTATEREFUGEE]

10:00 AM on 05/27/2010

So true, GreyBird......and the endgame for all of the above is the easy manipulation of post-literate young people by unethical commentators and politicians who can influence their thoughts with catch phrases and illogical constructions. For example, George W. Bush was re-elected in 2004 and, during the presidential debates, seemed unable to utter any complex concept. He seemed to repeat the mantra, "Freedom!" incessantly and that apparently was sufficient for 51% of the voters. Sad.....

[ZiloRS]

07:42 AM on 05/28/2010

Very true. And yet we have the nerve to complain about the people that get elected and the ignorant things they say and do, when our own populace can barely sit five minutes without touching a phone out of boredom.