Children with better text messaging skills are also better readers
Conventional wisdom suggests the rise of texting will only harm children’s literacy skills. But in fact, new research suggests the opposite could be true, reports New Scientist. In the study, researchers at Coventry University in the UK asked 88 children aged 10 to 12 to write text messages describing 10 different scenarios. After comparing that to a separate study of the kids’ reading ability, they found those who used more textisms were also better readers. Beverly Plester, who led the study, believes texting could improve literacy: “Phonological awareness has long been associated with good reading skills,” she says. “These kids are engaging with more written language and they’re doing it for fun.”