(1) It starts with the family.
*1980: 77% of children lived with married parents; today, it is less than 60%. Some 25% of children live in a one-parent home; this is a higher percentage than any country with relevant data.
It is difficult to detect anything positive from these data.
*62% of white children living in poverty areas have fathers mostly present; 4% of black children are in a similar situation.
It is easy to claim racism and end the discussion; the broader view would talk about drug laws, housing regulations, highway construction, childcare and family formation.
(2) How do young people spend their time and the results thereof.
*54 minutes per day on TikTok, 49 on YouTube, 33 on Instagram, 31 on Facebook.
This seemingly ties to anxiety, to low readership, to disappointing educational outcomes.
*If not proficient in reading by grade three, six times less likely to finish high school. Approximately one-third of students up to and including high schoolers are proficient.
*In 2010, 37% of 6-17 year-olds read for pleasure; today the number is 28% (46% for 6-8 year-olds, 18% for 12-17 year-olds).
*White adults spend 0.29 hours per day reading, more than double that of blacks and Hispanics. 38% of white teenagers are constantly on-line; 54% of blacks, 55% of HIspanics.
It is hard to discern anything positive in these trends. (Ironically, a recent uptick in digital reading is attributed to TikTok.)
*ACT scores in 2022 were 19.5 out of 36, with declines in every section; this is a 30-year low.
All standardized tests produce a similar conclusion. P.S. K-12 attendance currently is down, test scores are as noted, yet GPAs are up. Coddling anyone?
*Of 100 college enrollees, 60 will graduate; 20 will be chronically underemployed.
*42% say college is worth it, 56% say no; a reversal from the 2017 response.
The data connect to a series of factors, beginning with the absurd cost of college and the attendant debt.
(3) Where do people get their news.
*TikTok is around 30% for those 18-29; 3% for those over 65.
*The number of newsroom employees, all categories, was down 57% in 2020 (versus 2004), probably worse today..
Instant news gratification is predominantly, shallow, non-nuanced.