CITY COLLEGE— “We’ll hand them a short story, and within minutes they’re asking if there’s a video version,” said Jaheim Lloyd, 24, who works at an after-school program in the Bronx. “It’s not that they can’t read, it’s that they don’t want to sit there. They have low attention spans,” he said.
Low attention spans may mar the lives of children growing up as Generation Alpha. These kids born after 2010, have found themselves surrounded by screens, almost since the opened their eyes. They master digital tools early. But as their tech skills increase, many struggle to read at grade level. Educators and youth workers warn that declining literacy may also weaken imagination, reduce attention spans, and hamper critical thinking.
