Many children and young adults can no longer read analog clocks. Experts attribute this mainly to digital media.
In many classrooms, they hang: big clocks with hands that show the time. But exactly these analog clocks with hands are becoming more and more of an obstacle for young people. Because many are unable to read the clock anymore. According to a test by the Swiss magazine 20 Minuten, 70% of the participants in a non-representative survey at a job fair could no longer read the clock.
Experts say the reason for this is mainly many digital media and smartphones. Therefore, more and more children have problems reading an analog clock.
Analog clocks are fading because children cope better with digital numbers
The discussion about analog clocks has actually been going on for some time now. Since 2018, this problem has been addressed. In 2018, some British schools decided to replace their analog clocks with digital models. This was reported by the magazine CBS.com.
In 2018, mainly Generation Z as well as the first cohorts of Generation Alpha went to school, meaning the individuals we also refer to as “Digital Natives”: people who have grown up with digital media in their lives.
In the British Guardian, the math teacher and father Kester Brewin spoke up and explained: students are not any less intelligent than before, but they simply use different devices and programs than older generations.
All of this is now leading to analog clocks being pushed aside. Manuel Sennert, chairman of the Bavarian Teachers’ Association (BLLV), explained in a conversation with the Bavarian Broadcasting that there is consideration to replace analog wall clocks with digital ones because they are easier and more familiar for many students to read.
Another reason is that many young people simply see no reason to learn to read an analog clock, as they hardly deal with it anyway. The SWR3 quotes a teacher with the words from an Instagram video:
As a teacher in elementary school, I can confirm that the video is not staged. We are really struggling, but many children do not learn it. The necessity simply does not become apparent to them, as they only see digital clocks in everyday life. Therefore, many just switch off.
Nevertheless, many people outside the classroom will still encounter analog clocks. For example, at train stations, pharmacies, or church towers. Therefore, these clocks will not completely disappear. Only for some, they will no longer be readable.
Being online all the time also has other impacts on everyday life: young people primarily shop online. The Corona pandemic has only intensified this development. But once young people have to go to the “real” store, it becomes embarrassing or uncomfortable for many: Gen Z explains that their new nemesis is lurking at the cheese counter and in the supermarket
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