Only 28% of children now say they read for pleasure – down from 38% in 2005 (UK National Literacy Trust/Telegraph).

This because they are texting or watching something they shouldn’t be watching on the internet. Are we breeding new generations of ignorant, unread, maybe illiterate kids who do not understand the need for a mind-broadening education? It is one thing having facts and figures at your fingertips, but quite another knowing how to use them, their context or significance.

But let’s look on the bright side – it’s great news for makers of videos, electronic games,
sport in general, the cellphone and other gizmos, and politicians more interested in manipulating the ignorant than attending to the national interest.