Why won't Johnny read? TikTok

According to a recent National Assessment of Educational Progress (NAEP) report, nearly 1 in 3 13-year-old students said they either “never” or “hardly ever” read during their downtime. Just 14 percent reported reading “almost every day,” down from 17 percent in 2020 and down from 27 percent in 2012. …

At the same time, teens are turning their time to social media, with platforms reaching the next generation at younger and younger ages. Last year, the New York Times reported on a survey from Common Sense Media that found children and teens are using screens and social media “more than ever.” For adolescents aged 13-18, average daily screen time now exceeds 8 and a half hours.

Another study from last year found teens aged 11-18 averaged more than 10 hours a day online spent either shopping, gaming, texting, video chatting, or navigating social media.

[It’s not *just* TikTok, but that’s among the most popular social media platforms for that age demo. That has significant consequences for both mental and physical health. Justice focuses more on the former than the latter, but Beege and I discussed the latter in this week’s Off the Beaten Path episode. The obesity crisis among the nation’s youth has significant consequences for national security, among other issues. — Ed]