Pied paper

Govts are recognising newspapers can nourish young minds. But parents have to do their bit

Karnataka’s recent directive asking schools to begin the day with newspaper reading echoes a sensible idea whose time has returned. As we noted earlier ( https://bitly.cx/pweSP ), reading does more than fill time; it chisels the mind.

It sharpens comprehension, strengthens memory pathways, and nudges young brains towards deeper, conceptual thinking. A newspaper adds another layer to this discipline.

It is a daily window into the world, compact yet expansive, offering students a guided tour through events, ideas, and realities that shape their lives. Cultivated early, this habit enriches language skills, broadens awareness, and steadies attention in an age of distraction.

That steadying influence is urgently needed. Today’s children swim in a relentless digital current, where doomscrolling and social media excess, have been linked to rising anxiety, depression, and fractured sleep cycles. Sleep, the quiet architect of growth, often becomes collateral damage.

It is no coincidence that countries like Australia, Denmark, and France are tightening access to social media for younger users. Yet restriction alone is a blunt tool. A more elegant solution lies in substitution: replace passive scrolling with active reading.

Newspapers, with their rhythm and reliability, can anchor that shift. They also serve as a safeguard in an era where algorithms often amplify noise over truth. Unlike the chaotic churn of forwards and feeds, newspapers are built on reporting, scrutiny, and editorial judgement. They teach children not just what to think about, but how to think.

Still, policy can only open the door. Habit walks in when it sees itself mirrored at home. If parents are glued to screens, the newspaper becomes ornamental.

For this effort to take root, teachers and parents must act in concert, not as enforcers, but as examples. A child who sees reading, will read. And in that quiet daily ritual lies the blueprint for a more thoughtful, grounded society.

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