Some people think that the increasing use of computers and mobile phones for communication have a negative impact on young people’s writing and reading skills. Do you agree or disagree?

The rapid spread of computers and smartphones has fundamentally changed the way young people communicate, and many observers argue that this shift is eroding their literacy skills. I agree with this view, as the habits formed through constant digital communication tend to undermine both writing accuracy and reading depth.

One clear consequence of digital communication is the deterioration of writing standards among young people. Platforms such as social media and instant messaging encourage the use of abbreviated language — expressions like 'LOL', 'BTW', and 'gonna' — which gradually replace formal grammar and punctuation in daily use. When these informal habits carry over into academic or professional writing, the results are predictable: incomplete sentences, missing punctuation, and non-standard spelling. Compounding this problem is the widespread availability of autocorrect and grammar-checking tools. Rather than learning the rules themselves, many young people rely on these features as a substitute, which means their underlying writing ability never develops properly. Remove the software, and the errors become immediately apparent.

Digital technology also appears to be weakening young people's reading skills, though the mechanism is somewhat different. The internet rewards brief, visually engaging content — short videos, image captions, and bullet-pointed articles — while lengthy, argument-driven texts are increasingly avoided. Young readers who spend most of their time scrolling through social media feeds are rarely exposed to the complex vocabulary, layered arguments, and sustained narrative found in books or quality journalism. Over time, this creates a measurable gap in reading comprehension: students can process simple instructions but struggle with dense academic prose. Admittedly, some digital content is rich and informative, yet the overall pattern of consumption among young people leans heavily toward the shallow end of the spectrum.

In conclusion, the increasing reliance on digital devices for communication poses a genuine threat to the writing and reading development of young people. The combination of informal language habits, dependency on automated tools, and a preference for short-form content collectively weakens the literacy skills that education is meant to build. Unless young people are encouraged to engage with formal writing and extended reading deliberately, these skills will continue to decline.