Wait, Why Can’t Gen Zers Type on a Keyboard?
By Movieguide® Contributor
Despite growing up with most modern-day technology, many outlets are reporting that a significant number of Gen Zers do not know how to type on a keyboard.
The Wall Street Journal reported that members of Gen Z are increasingly more adept at typing on iPads or smartphones rather than traditional computer keyboards.
MSN also wrote about the lack of typing skills in young people, citing a 2019 study conducted by Alto University and the University of Cambridge.
“In 2019, a study of 37,000 people typing on a keyboard…found that the typing speed on a smartphone is now catching up with typing speed on a computer, especially among young people,” MSN reported.
They added that, when it comes to comparing typing speeds between a smartphone and a computer, the difference was only 25% — a gap that got even smaller when the group of those surveyed was cut to people aged 10-19.
Experts are still divided on what exactly is causing this slow-down. Most point to an increased use of touch-screen devices, while others note that many schools have stopped implementing typing programs into their curriculums.
“There are many factors but the key factor is practice,” Dr. Per Ola Kristensson, an expert in typing systems from the University of Cambridge, told the Daily Mail. “I am unaware of any evidence that increased touchscreen typing would be detrimental to physical keyboard skills. More likely, people spend less time typing on physical keyboards.”
He added, “I suspect auto-correct and generative AI are more likely to have a deteriorating effect on the ability to write.”
Despite these statistics, some young people are taking it upon themselves to learn how to type, especially as they get ready to head to college.
Seventeen-year-old Rueben Tasler told the WSJ that he’s working to teach himself to type, saying, “Maybe once I learn to type I’ll look back and wish I’d learned sooner. I know it’ll be more efficient — then I could look down at the keyboard less often.”
Sofia Strandy, the 16-year-old daughter of a Typing.com employee, told the WSJ that she’s been working on her typing skills for years and can now type 95 words a minute.
“It feels like I have access to secret knowledge,” she joked.
