Most teens keep up with social media nowadays, but social media doesn’t give quality information like the news does.
The news is something that has been around for decades on end and for good reason. It gives us quality information about what is going on in the real world around us with reliable sources and publishers. Social media has been able to give us some news but it isn’t the most reliable and it’s hard to find trustworthy information on the internet, when people can say whatever they see fit.
Why don’t teens read the news? Laura Beth Waltz replies, “It can be really overwhelming. Most Americans statistically read at a 8th grade reading level and can’t completely understand. Also kids don’t have adults that can make it feel relevant enough to connect to them.”
Teens have lost a lot of motivation to do basic things they enjoy, like reading the news because of how overwhelming their lives have gotten. They also don’t have a lot to look up to or be taught to really look for information in the news where it’s reliable and relevant even to them. Most teens need to feel involved or even relevant in something to really want to engage with it.
With this in mind, it’s more of an understanding of why teens sometimes act the way they do and why they have such short attention spans. Teens do enjoy things that don’t take a lot of brain power, but engaging in the news is something that could be as short as just a TikTok video or something short to read once in a while.
Why should teens read the news? Ms. Waltz answered, “Because things are happening that are going to impact their lives. Also it’s important to be informed and educated about your life, it’s what makes it more purposeful.”
Teens are our next upcoming generation to lead the world on. The news is a great easy to get information about things and it should be your own decision in what you’ve learned. Most kids are getting tricked by biases to swing the youth vote, but having a choice in what you believe because you are educated enough about it is the best way to grow up where you are next to have a say in how things go for our society.
