American children aren’t as interested in books and magazines as they used to be. In recent years, only 17% of thirteen-year-olds havereportedreading for fun almost every day, roughly half the share (35%) who said this in 1984. Among seventeen-year-olds, this number has shrunk during the same period from 31% to 19%.Reddit userGanmedddiebelongs to that dwindling minority. However, his love for the written word recently became a source of conflict. After he reconnected with his estranged father, he brought a novel on one of his visits, but his dad’s wife took issue with it because of the protagonist’s sexual orientation.RELATED:After a period of no contact, this boy reconnected with his fatherImage credits:pvproductions (not the actual image)Only to fall out again over his reading choicesImage credits:peoplecreations (not the actual image)Image credits:Florencia Viadana (not the actual image)Image credits:GanmedddieOut of all the content that their teens consume, literature might not be the one parents should worry about in particularIn 2023, United States Surgeon General Vivek Murthy, MD, MBA, released an advisory calledSocial Media and Youth Mental Health, in which he says there is growing evidence that social media is causing harm to young people’s mental health. Quickly after, the American Psychological Association issued its ownhealth advisory. A year later, Dr. Murthycalled fora surgeon general’s warning label on social media platforms, which would require an act of Congress to implement.But literature is different. For example, Stetson University psychologist Christopher Fergusonsaysresearch does suggest that parents can take it easy when it comes to what their kids are reading.If a kid wants to read at all, he believes, “it’s so remarkable that you don’t want to be a roadblock.”“People’s fear of fictional media is greater than the actual threat, and parents often worry that kids will read and imitate, but I don’t think there is any good evidence for that.”Simply put, reading ‘Divergent‘ is not going to cause violent behavior, and reading ‘Twilight‘ is not going to make someone date a vampire.Ferguson conducted astudyin one Texas city, looking at whether reading banned books was associated with behavioral problems in adolescents. The answer in that group was no, with the exception of a small subset of kids — mostly girls — who may have been struggling already.“Some kids who already have mental health issues may be particularly drawn to certain kinds of edgy books,” the psychologist explains.He advises parents to check in with their teens to determine whether they’re depressed or anxious and to ask why they’re drawn to the books they’re reading. In such cases, he says it’s likely that “the problem is not the book, but something preexisting.”Image credits:EyeEm (not the actual image)Most of those who read about what happened, said the boy did nothing wrongBut some said he could’ve been kinderThanks! Check out the results:
American children aren’t as interested in books and magazines as they used to be. In recent years, only 17% of thirteen-year-olds havereportedreading for fun almost every day, roughly half the share (35%) who said this in 1984. Among seventeen-year-olds, this number has shrunk during the same period from 31% to 19%.
Reddit userGanmedddiebelongs to that dwindling minority. However, his love for the written word recently became a source of conflict. After he reconnected with his estranged father, he brought a novel on one of his visits, but his dad’s wife took issue with it because of the protagonist’s sexual orientation.
RELATED:
After a period of no contact, this boy reconnected with his father
Image credits:pvproductions (not the actual image)
Only to fall out again over his reading choices
Image credits:peoplecreations (not the actual image)
Image credits:Florencia Viadana (not the actual image)
Image credits:Ganmedddie
Out of all the content that their teens consume, literature might not be the one parents should worry about in particular
In 2023, United States Surgeon General Vivek Murthy, MD, MBA, released an advisory calledSocial Media and Youth Mental Health, in which he says there is growing evidence that social media is causing harm to young people’s mental health. Quickly after, the American Psychological Association issued its ownhealth advisory. A year later, Dr. Murthycalled fora surgeon general’s warning label on social media platforms, which would require an act of Congress to implement.
But literature is different. For example, Stetson University psychologist Christopher Fergusonsaysresearch does suggest that parents can take it easy when it comes to what their kids are reading.
If a kid wants to read at all, he believes, “it’s so remarkable that you don’t want to be a roadblock.”
“People’s fear of fictional media is greater than the actual threat, and parents often worry that kids will read and imitate, but I don’t think there is any good evidence for that.”
Simply put, reading ‘Divergent‘ is not going to cause violent behavior, and reading ‘Twilight‘ is not going to make someone date a vampire.
Ferguson conducted astudyin one Texas city, looking at whether reading banned books was associated with behavioral problems in adolescents. The answer in that group was no, with the exception of a small subset of kids — mostly girls — who may have been struggling already.
“Some kids who already have mental health issues may be particularly drawn to certain kinds of edgy books,” the psychologist explains.
He advises parents to check in with their teens to determine whether they’re depressed or anxious and to ask why they’re drawn to the books they’re reading. In such cases, he says it’s likely that “the problem is not the book, but something preexisting.”
Image credits:EyeEm (not the actual image)
Most of those who read about what happened, said the boy did nothing wrong
But some said he could’ve been kinder
Thanks! Check out the results:Gabija Palšytė
Denis Krotovas
Ilona Baliūnaitė
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