Many parents talk about the digital age and how our children now seem to be addicted to electronic devices.
If you are a parent that is worried about your child's reading habits, you may want to pay attention to this study. A new study conducted by Murdoch University in Australia has suggested that children are less likely to read if they have a broad range of technological devices to choose from. According to the research these devices allow kids to multitask between reading and surfing the internet so they aren't able to fully concentrate and comprehend what is in front of them.
Murdoch University lecturer Dr Margaret Merga, whose research was published in the Computers and Education journal, said having access to devices reduced the amount kids were reading. 'Reading frequency was less when children had access to a greater range of these devices,' she said. 'Reading on internet search enabled devices, such as tablets, also opens up easy opportunities for distraction, allowing engagement in the practice of media multi-tasking, which has been found to detrimentally impact on student comprehension and concentration,' she said.
The study, which involved almost 1,000 Australian students from years four to six, asked children how often they read books and what devices they owned that help them read.