Children today have a lot of distractions, and their attention spans are short, according to the author and chairperson of the Infosys Foundation Sudha Murty, who added that parents should discourage their use of gadgets and encourage them to read until they are at least 14 years old while speaking with the media at 16th annual Jaipur Literature Festival.
Murty remarked that raising kids in today's time was difficult, particularly after Covid, when schools required that all students take online courses.
"It will eventually have an impact on their eyes, and attention span has decreased as well. It's not just happening in India or Jaipur; it's happening everywhere", the 72-year-old remarked. She continued, "There was still hope for the younger generation because the habit of acquiring knowledge was continuing, despite the drop in reading habits".
"But I would prefer that our kids not use electrical gadgets because they harm their eyes, simple activities like holding a book are now boring for them. Therefore, kids should read for at least 10 to 14 years before leaving it up to them to decide whether they want to keep reading after age 16", according to the Padma Shri recipient.
Children's books, as well as books in both Kannada and English about Sudha Murty's personal life, are her best-known works.