Writing instant messages ‘more common than stories for pupils’

Today’s schoolchildren are more likely to write text or instant messages than pen stories or keep a diary, according to a report.

It shows that the vast majority of youngsters – 88.1 per cent – say that they write texts in their free time once a month, with 77.8 per cent writing instant messages. But less than half (44.1 per cent) say that they write stories during their own time once a month, with just over a third (35.7 per cent) keeping a diary.

The findings come in a new report by the National Literacy Trust (NLT), which is based on a survey of more than 47,700 eight to 18-year-olds.

Just under half enjoyed writing very much or quite a lot.