It seems teachers in the US are having an almost impossible task of getting their students to learn to read. The pushback from students is “Why do I need to learn to read when ChatGPT/AI … can do it for me?”
Here’s an example:
I wonder if the same thing is happening elsewhere.
In terms of social media I’m not sure it has. Meta is in significant trouble in terms of active daily human users on its platforms. Facebook has not been ‘the done thing’ by those under 50 since the pandemic, and it’s been avoided by those younger entirely. Instagram is going the same way now. Two platforms that have not just suffered because of trends, but because they’re built on being personal, and younger generations know what they’re doing but haven’t had the up to two decades of indoctrination that older generations have where these platforms just part of life. TikTok has it’s obvious problems but it’s become gen Z & Alpha’s YouTube, Netflix, or BBC, they go to consume not to be the content, so it’s much more passive, and other than the data of what they’re consuming is much less personal. They’ve purposely switched from platforms that involved them putting their whole lives online to ones that are considerably less driven around their data being the commodity. TikTok wants to make money the old fashioned way; by selling things to users, not by selling users to data gatherers.
I think it’s both.
Few people that I know worry about giving Meta lots of information about themselves, from photos to locations to political opinions to holiday plans to …
Yet a trial began today which involves Meta’s practices, specifically involving children: US states call for big changes to Instagram and Facebook as Meta child privacy trial begins
The Title/Headline “40% Kids Can’t Read” ? The report quoted says 40% are below standard. Not illiterate.
I haven’t seen all of that video, but the presenter shows she is innumerate in the first few minutes.
About 2-00. She has charts up and states that only 23% can read proficiently, however another8% can read not only proficiently, but to an advanced level, so clearly 33% must be proficient.
Anyway, here are a couple of quotes from the report she cited:
“Compared to the first reading assessment in 1992, the average score in 2024 was not significantly different.” and “NAEP achievement levels are to be used on a trial basis and should be interpreted and used with caution.”
Ah, the consequences of decades of Common Core and No Child Left Behind are coming home to bite America on the buttocks.
If only someone could have foreseen dumbing down the curriculum so that everyone got a GED with zero effort and handing out participation trophies would lead us to this situation.
Welcome to click-bait YouTube. 
FWIW a principle I have is that never take data from YouTube videos - it’s always too easy for them to obfuscate that their numbers don’t hang together or are not reliable. We done for spotting the con.
The only purpose of posting the video was to show that kids are now relying far too much on AI/ChatGPT!!
It’s quite worrying how teachers can be intimidated so easily into changing a students grades.
My mother would have been shown the door if she’d tried that with my head mistress!
I’m getting sick of all this Ai business. I’ve just downloaded a new version of a program I use daily & what do I have to put up with now…
It is possible that AI etc may have an adverse effect on kids’ learning.
However, the video does not, (that I can see) support that. It does show some genuine figures, but then spins them far beyond where they should go, to support a theory.
I am all for looking at how AI is used, and maybe being guarded about it’s uses. It is a tool and as such can be used for good or bad.
Sorry, but that particular video hit a nerve from the start with me.
Here is another thought: US 4th graders are about 9yrs old. The quoted figures are from 2024, so the kids would have been starting school and starting formal learning to read about 2020. There was a lot happening in the world then quite apart from just screen use. I see no one even attempting to control for interrupted education due to Covid.
I will repeat however that screen use, and AI, can have bad influences, but I do not think that is being demonstrated here.
A most interesting thing that we may already see evolving with children are changes in brain development. Ubiquitous use of AI to find answers and make decisions rather than working through imagining is already happening. Add this to wanting instant results, very short attention span and preference for sameness, these elements may not be best for human evolution.
From an AI point of view that will make humankind considerably more controllable.
