Some people believe online reading materials should only be used for a child to learn to read, whereas others believe only printed material should be used. Discuss both views, and give your opinion.

Electronic devices dominate the world we live in today. Books are not left behind, and we can see an e-book version for almost all printed material. Arguably, some sections of society think that the advent of online reading material is better for children.

However

, there is another faction that firmly believes that young children should

instead

read from a printed copy. While these poles apart views have their merits and demerits, we will discuss in

this

essay why children, especially young ones should be urged to read from books. Many parents agree that the new study patterns developed in collaboration with Edu-tech companies have phenomenally changed how young kids learn to read. In their opinion,

instead

of the old colourful alphabet or number books, fun-filled activities and games in e-books or online apps, help the child learn faster. The ease of carrying one device that can contain a variety of learning courses, adds as another benefit. With new versions flooding the market daily, and advanced games being developed to promote early learning, all

that is

required of a parent is an app update. A recently developed KidsZania mobile app had 100,000 downloads on the

first

day of its launch. A regular increase in the number of its paid users goes to show how reliant parents of young kids are on these tech solutions. Gone are the days when parents had to carry multiple books for different topics - animals, birds, numbers alphabets. The new technology puts all online resources together, giving the parents and educators ease of access. Books or printed material,

on the other hand

, is easy on the eyes. The harmful effects of any electronic device are known to all. Increasing daily use of the glaring screens is a fundamental change that irreversibly transforms our society. Hunched over a screen, and looking at it for a continuous period, not only hampers the eyesight, but is

also

known to disturb the circadian rhythm. A recent study of over 1000 kindergartens and primary school students, reflected a 100 % increase in students with poorer eyesight, than those of students 20 years ago. With no strain on the eyes, there is often less fatigue, and kids end up being engrossed in a book for long. Youngsters who are raised to read off printed books rather than online,

thus

have better concentration and tend to become avid readers. While, there is no doubt that once a child grows up, he/she will be a regular user of the glaring devices.

However

, as kids, their interests should be developed more towards reading off books. To conclude, each parent has a unique way to raise their child, and one cannot dictate the choices they make.

However

, I firmly believe that the negative aspects of learning through online materials far outweigh the functionality it provides. Inculcating the habit of reading from books will help the children in the long run.