Dutch youngsters read too little and that has unpleasant consequences in the long term, such as language deficiencies. A third of youngsters do not like reading and 50% of pupils never read a novel or a longer story. Love is beaten out of them at school : as soon as you make reading compulsory, it becomes less fun. How can we make reading fun again?
One in four fifteen-year-olds has a language deficit. When young people start enjoying reading again, they will read more and broaden their vocabulary. Edith Hooge , chair of the Education Council: “Reading also contributes to democracy. People who read can distinguish real news from fake news, it promotes curiosity and it teaches you to argue.”
Edith is referring to deep reading . Young people do read a lot, online and on their smartphones, but deep reading requires phone number library your brain to concentrate differently. “This means that you think in different layers, you make connections, and deep reading gives you certain insights.”
Could chat fiction (telling stories through chat messages) be the solution? Prem Gupta, co-founder of chat fiction app Hooked:
You cannot compete with Snapchat, Instagram and Facebook for a teenager's attention on their phone with a 300 page novel written and presented in a normal style.