Need to ensure youths grow up to be dedicated, healthy persons

According to a recent survey conducted by China Youth Daily, about 53.3 percent of the young respondents said their language and communication abilities have declined over the past few years. Given that the surveyors interviewed only 1,333 young adults and did not provide much information on the respondents' background, the survey, as one of many of its kind, should not have been taken seriously. But the result led to hot discussions by both the mainstream and social media in China largely because it echoed the public's feelings.

Reporters of some newspapers have been interviewing experts to find the reasons for the unwelcoming phenomenon. Some youngsters are arguing the survey results fail to reflect the fact, while some are blaming China's examination-oriented education system, which deprives students of the time for after-school reading, for the decline in young adults' language skills. Others have blamed smartphones for the sorry state of affairs.

I tend to agree somewhat with the criticism. I won't hesitate to point out the bad effects of smartphones. I have written a number of columns, expressing concern over youngsters spending less time reading non-school books to lighten their academic burden. Once when I saw 99 percent of the commuters in a crowded subway car — I was perhaps the only exception — glued to their smartphones, I murmured to myself: "A whole generation will be ruined by the devil device."