Children Are the Future; Who Are We To Hinder Their Growth?

Written By: Samantha Orellana

Photograph taken by Tim Mossholder

Don’t Have Time To Read? Listen to Children Are the Future Here

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Since elementary school, I’ve immersed myself in the multitude of worlds that books offer. I’ve been in fantasy forests where kingdoms ruled the lands; in dark towns haunted by the past of murderers; in the minds of philosophers, scientists and folk like you and me.

It is with the library in my mind that I live every day, reaching into different books whenever needed. At the foundation of every essay written, art created and problem solved in my life lies the knowledge I’ve gained from every book I’ve read.

Yet when I ask children, whose worlds should be full and bright, they cannot picture that inner library. 

I have noticed a concerning connection between the reading habits in younger generations and the creativity they possess–or rather, the lack of it.

Many children today seem inclined towards shorter and quicker forms of entertainment. With the rise of TikTok and YouTube Shorts, short-form media has quickly made their way into the hands of our children.

At the front of the line are “brain rot” videos, which belong to various “universes,” such as the Italian Brainrot universe or the Skibidi Toilet universe.

These brain rot videos emerged around 2020. They are typically AI-generated, follow patterns of random humor, use strange voices, and contain little to no meaningful value. A brain rot video is meant to do what the name implies: rot your brain. With nonsensical and addictive content, they are especially appealing to younger children who already have shorter attention spans.

Young children enjoy these videos. While they may not be the most harmful content a child could watch, they are certainly not beneficial. Because these videos are addictive and match children's short attention spans, they easily dominate their world.

But what do brain rot videos have to do with children’s lack of creativity? Put simply, they are not the direct cause but instead are harmful contributors. The direct cause is the lack of literacy.

Photographed by Josh Applegate

Reading is an important tool for younger children to develop their brains. The Orlando Health Arnold Palmer Hospital for Children states, “[a]reas of the brain used for vision, visual processing, language, and speech production all connect to make reading a part of our daily lives” (Reading Changes a Child’s Brain: Here’s How). Exercising these areas is crucial for children, not just academically but creatively as well.

The beauty of reading lies in putting the words together in your mind, creating the visuals, and adding your own touches to what the author does not specify. In doing so, you are forced to think creatively, to imagine more and to mold the story into your own vision. This forced creativity eventually becomes natural creativity.

To have creativity is to create. Creating paintings, music, film, poems, buildings, designs, code and even solutions to seemingly impossible equations requires creativity. Creativity is essential to everything we as humans do, and without it, we do not progress.

Yet we push devices into children’s hands that offer brain rot and other short-term forms of entertainment. We hand them coloring books that are already filled in, leaving no thought or imagination required.

By not encouraging the growing youth to think creatively and actively, we hinder humanity’s progression. Children are the future, and if we do not allow them to flourish to their full potential, we have no right to continue as a society.