Love letters, poems, notes: all this was once written by hand. Today, words are mostly typed on cell phones. They are rarely put down on paper with a pen. And this is not without consequences: The ability to write handwritten texts is declining among Generation Z. Young people are less and less able to write by hand.
A study from the University of Stavanger in Norway examines how the growing use of digital devices in schools affects children’s writing skills. The study observed declining fluency and precision, due to a lack of handwriting practice.
In Türkiye too, teachers report that students are having more and more difficulty writing by hand. According to “Türkiye Today,” professor Nedret Kiliceri reports that many of her students no longer know how to write clear, readable texts by hand.
“Students’ handwriting is either slanted downward or upward, often barely legible. In the past, it was common to work with paper and pen. Today, they have almost exclusively used screens and keyboards since childhood,” she explains. This has a negative impact on their writing skills, especially in secondary school and university.
The professor adds that these habits also influence the ability to write longer and coherent texts. For Nedret Kiliceri, one of the reasons for this development lies in the language of social media. “Students prefer to convey basic information in less than ten words,” she says.
Students would come to class without pens and would prefer to use their keyboards for everything. “This change is part of a global debate on the influence of social media on written language,” explains Nedret Kiliceri.
But what do the students say? Arda Kahrama, a student in Türkiye, explains: “Since primary school, we have only been solving tests. I hardly remember us writing essays unless it was absolutely necessary. However, social media has long had its own language, with abbreviations and emojis. I think classical writing is almost dead.
Dilda Sedefoglu, another Turkish student, also believes that social media has strongly influenced writing skills. “I used to love writing for myself, but now I hardly ever do it anymore. “Skills that are not used atrophy over time.” She nevertheless recognizes that some students, particularly in law, are still confident in writing. “They use language impeccably when needed. Others, on the other hand, simplify the task as much as possible.
