Teens - reading and general knowledge

[Cerise]

I’ve just seen a discussion in a tutors’ FB group about the lack of general knowledge in teenagers and how “they don’t read “.

I have one who reads so much and, although his head is full of fantasy stuff, he knows quite a lot about the world around us. The other one doesn’t read but listens to lots of factual podcasts so must be pretty clued up about stuff that I am not!

We rarely have the news on. Mr Sax often watches factual stuff on YouTube that the boys sometimes get drawn into.

Does your teen read? Consume factual media? How’s their general knowledge?

[Glint]

My tween doesn’t read, but his general knowledge has always been mentioned by teachers and others.

He’s currently obsessed with ridiculous reels/ shorts about shite or football and gaming, so we are usually banging on about music, geography, sports, modern politics etc to make sure he’s aware of events.

[Luce]

He no longer reads, no, despite my best efforts. He used to be an avid reader. He now mainly consumes football news and bullshit life info from TikTok/Snapchat etc. I'd absolutely LOVE it if he could sit in his room and read but he says that is impossible, he doesnt know what to do with his hands etc etc. He has a shelf of books that I keep adding to and I'll continue to do so in the hope that one works. He's had Fourth Wing on his bedside table for about 2 months, not yet touched

I'd say his general knowledge is average but he also lives with two know-it-all parents and we're always discussing news/politics/interesting stuff with him or in front of him. Basically, his knowledge is skewed towards feminism or Liverpool FC and everything else gets a bit ignored! Oh and music, he knows a lot of music but his kind of music specifically.

[Ruby]

God I have loads to say about this. Loads. My chaps are fine, and yours (turtle's) will be too. Even N, who has probably only read about 4 books in his life.

When I tell you, however, how eye-wateringly thick some kids are... and it's definitely definitely got worse.

[Duophonic]

She's not a teen anymore but Mini read/still reads a lot.

I didn't have the news on a lot when she was growing up but the radio was on constantly. Her general knowledge is great across different subjects and time periods. I put that down to reading lots of fairy stories/myths and legends as a child and progressing from there. I know that she follows current events as she goes on marches/demonstrations but I don't know how she consumes that media, I'd assume social media.

Her obsessions are music, horror films, current affairs, and pop culture. She's clueless about sports which is no surprise as we're not a sports-type family.

[Luna]

My seven year of niece doesn’t read anything at home. It’s very disappointing but not unusual in her peer group. I gave her loads of lovely books which are just gathering dust.

[Topcat]

The Child can read at a speed that I cannot even comprehend and it has only been of late, but she is demonstrating a clear knowledge of what it going on in the world, which she questions often.

She isn't tearing through books like she was eighteen months ago but I have no worries about her regarding any of this kind of thing.

[emma_p]

G read loads when he was younger but not so much now. In fact I have ordered 2 books for him for his English homework (he had to choose a non-fiction travel/adventure book and read 1 chapter over the Easter break) He is already complaining about the prospect of having to read in the holidays I do worry about his attention span though, he can barely watch a film these days!

His general knowledge is amazing though and his team has won a school University Challenge style quiz for the past 2 years. Monday nights are his favourite.

[Scooter]

The monsters are like a science experiment. The elder one cannot be pried away from his kindle (he likes fantasy/ancient gods books) and the younger does not read.

Were on holiday and the elder was lounging by the pool reading rather than shooting hoops and swimming with his brother. I love seeing how different they are. The younger gets all of his news from YouTube shorts and is v worldly.

[Luce]

Its weird because English Lit is F's best and favourite subject and you can't shut him up about Lord of The Flies and he writes the most beautiful essays about them etc etc but I cannot get him to read for pleasure, no matter how how hard or subtly I try.

[Ruby]

N is the same, Luce. I swear he's honestly read about 4 books ever. I'm 90% sure he hasn't read his GCSE English books. I read, his dad reads, the SAM reads, his girlfriend reads. We read to him every single day when he was small. It's just not his thing. And yet when him and his last girlfriend broke up, he wrote a many-paged essay about Simone de Beauvoir and the nature of romantic love.

[Pippedydeadeye]

My kids just aren’t readers. Which is sad for me but doesn’t really mean much in terms of general knowledge.

[Luna]

There is so much else to distract kids now. Reading was literally the only thing you could do to get away from parents that they couldn’t moan at you for when I was a teen. And luckily I liked it and read everything.

[Princess Morripov]

That is true. We didn’t have the internet or phones. And TV was shit, so books were the only distraction.

[Marth]

I read constantly when I was younger. I really lack focus these days though due to the internet. I do still read but with a book in one hand and my phone in the other: read-scroll-read-scroll-msg--reel-share-read and so on and so forth.

[Bat Macdui]

And yet when him and his last girlfriend broke up, he wrote a many-paged essay about Simone de Beauvoir and the nature of romantic love.

I love him.

My nieces did read, but gave it up for smartphones as they got them. Eldest is now 20s and has come back to it a bit, I think. They both got socialist/feminist indoctrination and were very proud to do their first vote, though.

[sally maclennane]

Yeah, I struggle to stay focused too. I do read a fair bit but I have to stop myself lifting my phone and scrolling mindlessly when I'm reading.

[Pippedydeadeye]

I don’t think my Sweet Valley High and Point Horror habit helped much with my general knowledge.

[Topcat]

As a teen I read Fighting Fantasy/Lone Wolf/Way of the Tiger books, which led on to Dungeons and Dragons and other role playing games. They were all so much better to me than reading somebody else's story.

Now things like X-Box and Playstation have taken that to a totally different level, so much better than reading but maybe not so good for general knowledge.

[Luce]

Oh, poor heartbroken N! Yeah, smartphones were the thing. He read and read and read till about 11/12, general puberty. Replaced by smartphones and playstation and mates etc.

But yes, good point Pip, that was my entire reading history. God, I loved a Point Horror. Anything I've learned general knowledge-wise has been from my obsession with any and all documentaries.

I'm an avid reader in an obsessive kind of way, I go through phases. I've read approx 20 (huge!) books since Christmas but then hadn't read a single thing for at least 6 months before that.