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Social media linked to weaker reading in early teens (Level A1) — Young boy looking at a tablet on a couch

Social media linked to weaker reading in early teensCEFR A1

20 Apr 2026

LevelA1
A2
B1
B2

Adapted from Sydney Barrilleaux - U. Georgia, Futurity • CC BY 4.0

Photo by blue sky, Unsplash

Level A1 – Beginner
2 min
76 words
  • Many young people use social media every day now.
  • A new study links social media with weaker reading.
  • Children who use it a lot learn new words more slowly.
  • They can have trouble saying and recognizing simple words.
  • Slower reading makes some school tasks and tests harder.
  • The research followed children from around age ten for years.
  • Not all test results were negative for social media users.
  • The researchers say the brain changes with different use.

Difficult words

  • social media — websites and apps for talking and sharing
  • link — show a connection between two things
    links
  • weak — not strong or less powerful
    weaker
  • recognize — see or know something from before
    recognizing
  • researcher — person who studies things for science
    researchers
  • follow — watch or check someone for some time
    followed
  • reading — ability to understand words in text

Tip: hover, focus or tap highlighted words in the article to see quick definitions while you read or listen.

Discussion questions

  • Do you use social media every day?
  • Do you find reading easy?
  • How often do you read?

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