The psychologist named ways to improve children's understanding of the text

The phrase that modern children do not understand what they read does not reflect the whole picture. It is not the ability to understand that is changing, but the format of interaction with information. Maria Todorova, a consultant on child development and education, a child psychologist, told Izvestia about this on April 7.

"The digital environment really has an impact: the habit of fast browsing, clip-based thinking, and reduced attention span is being formed. But this does not mean the loss of a basic understanding of the text," the expert noted.

However, there is a difference between reading from a screen and from paper: the screen more often provokes a surface scan, while the paper format contributes to a deeper processing of information.

Todorova emphasized that the main difficulties arise with concentration and retention of long logical chains. A child can understand individual fragments, but have difficulty integrating them into a coherent picture. In such cases, additional tools such as questions, discussion, and repeated reference to the text help.

The expert also drew attention to the growing number of children with dyslexia and dysgraphia, but noted that this is a separate problem related to a number of factors, including the information burden. According to her, simple practices remain the most effective: reading together, retelling, discussing and learning to highlight the main thing. The key factor is not the media format, but the participation of an adult.

The expert noted that if a family has a habit of discussing what they have read and returning to the text, understanding is formed regardless of whether the child reads from the screen or from paper.

Boris Lopatin, MegaFon's senior fraud investigation expert, said on March 22 that the risks to children when using smartphones are related not only to Internet content, but also to basic device functions such as notifications, calls, and messages with confirmation codes. He noted that talking about security alone is not enough, and it is important to support family rules for using a smartphone with basic device settings and pre-agreed behavioral scenarios.

All important news is on the Izvestia channel in the MAX messenger.