WHY SCROLLING ISN'T ENOUGH: WHAT READING BOOKS DOES FOR THE BRAIN

 

Reading vs scrolling

A few weeks ago, I conducted a simple survey among my teenage students about their reading habits. The results surprised me—and, to be honest, worried me.

Among fifteen students, only one student reported reading books regularly. Just one.

Most of the others told me that they "read online": social media posts, websites, chats, news snippets, or content recommended by algorithms. While this certainly involves reading in a broad sense, it is very different from the sustained, focused reading that books require.

Their responses prompted me to dedicate a couple of lessons to a topic that has been receiving increasing attention from educators, researchers, and parents alike: the reading crisis among children and young people. Together, we explored videos, podcasts, articles, and studies examining the decline in book reading and its possible consequences for learning, thinking and personal development.

The more we discussed the issue, the more I realised that this is not simply a question of whether young people enjoy reading. It raises deeper questions about attention, language, empathy, critical thinking, creativity  and even how our brains develop.

The reflections that follow emerged from those classroom discussions and from the research we examined together. They are not intended as an attack on technology or digital media. Rather, they are an invitation to consider what books offer that scrolling alone cannot.

DIGITAL ADDICTION: WHY TEACHING AWARENESS MATTERS MORE THAN PROHIBITION

This past school year, I worked with my students on two texts dealing with social media, digital addiction, algorithms and the growing concern about the effects of excessive screen time on young people.

The topic immediately generated lively discussion. Almost every student recognised some of the behaviours described in the texts: checking notifications repeatedly, opening social media apps without a specific reason, losing track of time while scrolling, or feeling the need to stay constantly connected.

As teachers and parents, we often hear alarming messages about social media. We are told that young people spend too much time online, that platforms are addictive and that digital technologies are damaging attention spans and mental health. Some governments have started discussing  or even passed  age restrictions and bans.

Yet I have become increasingly convinced that prohibition alone is not the answer.

What young people need most is awareness.