Growing up, books were my constant companions. I devoured novels, essays, and short stories, but rarely wrote until my teens. When I began writing for fun, my work wasn’t exceptional, but years of reading had instilled a solid foundation in sentence structure, grammar, and spelling, making me a stronger-than-average writer for my age.
My teenage children, however, rarely read books. They spend hours scrolling through social media, messaging friends, or watching viral videos, immersed in digital content rather than traditional literature.
Despite this shift, their writing is surprisingly clear, articulate, and structured. This could be influenced by their parents’ writing backgrounds, but it also suggests that modern forms of digital engagement may contribute to literacy in unexpected ways. The notion of “reading” and “literacy” may be evolving beyond traditional books.