A primary human skill seems to gradually disappear in new generations. And this is not trivial.
The so-called “Beta” generation was born in 2025 and should concern all children born until 2039. It succeeds the Alpha generation and the one called Z. These three generations are those who grew up with new technologies, a real turning point compared to previous generations X and Y. If scientific advances in the transmission of knowledge have had many positive impacts, they have also degraded certain human capacities.
According to Professor Nedret Kiliceri, who speaks in the media HurriyetGeneration Z students, born between the late 1990s and early 2010s, are losing some basic knowledge. Among them, one that Man has had for 5,500 years: handwriting. With digital technology, writing by hand has become less and less common. Problems then appear with spelling, but not only that.
Calligraphy is also affected: “The students’ writing is tilted downwards or upwards, and their writing is often illegible. Some write in very large letters and others in very small letters,” he said. observed. Very quickly, this generation was accustomed to typing on a keyboard much more than using a pen.
For the teacher, this observation is obvious, especially in high school and university. Some students have lost their ability to express themselves clearly in writing. Such statements were confirmed by a study from the University of Stavanger, Norway, which showed that in just one year of digital writing, 40% of students lost their handwriting skills.
Young people also lack, according to the expert, sufficient knowledge to formulate complex ideas, sometimes limiting themselves to transmitting information in a few words, a maximum of ten per idea. They avoid long sentences and paragraphs. “Even though some students have neat handwriting, they struggle to communicate effectively,” the teacher added. The teacher associates this trend in particular with social networks, geared towards rapid communication. For example, Generation Z struggles, for example, to write formal letters when necessary.
This is also a global trend in the population. According to a INSEE study in spring 2022, in France, 10% of 18-64 year olds “experience difficulties in fundamental areas of writing”, among them 9% have difficulty writing words. Writing difficulties are estimated at 6% among 18-24 year olds.
It is therefore recommended to always make time for handwriting practice. It is, in fact, a major skill that helps with cognitive development: it allows you to work on memory, understanding and even concentration.