UFS Lecturer Warns TikTok and Instagram Are Behind Grade 4 Reading Crisis in SA
A University of the Free State lecturer has raised the alarm about South Africa’s reading crisis. He warned that around 80% of Grade 4 pupils cannot read for meaning.
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Dr Remeredzayi Gudyanga, who teaches curriculum studies at the UFS Faculty of Education, argues that social media platforms like TikTok and Instagram are reshaping how children pay attention, and classrooms are paying the price.
The opinion piece, published 4 May 2026, explains how children who spend hours on TikTok can barely sit with a long text at school. Gudyanga said that this is not a discipline issue but a deeper attention problem. Digital platforms are built to keep children hooked, and that is changing how their brains work.
The TikTok brain problem
Research shows that adult attention spans on screens have dropped to around 47 seconds. Gudyanga warns that children moving from fast, responsive digital environments into classrooms face a sharp disconnect. Outside school, everything moves quickly and rewards them instantly. Inside, they must slow down and think deeply.
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The lecturer said that some pupils show ADHD-like behaviours, including short attention spans, restlessness, and difficulty completing tasks. But this does not mean ADHD is being misdiagnosed. It means digital environments are producing patterns that look very similar.
Gudyanga argues that simply banning devices will not fix the problem. Even without a phone in hand, children still expect rapid stimulation. He said schools must teach pupils how their own attention works and help them build the internal focus that reading demands.
Read the full report on the Facebook post below:
Source: Briefly News
