How a dying book shop saved a screen-addicted kid

 

Papasarat Luepong and her father at Uncle Yai’s book rental shop.

 

Modern life, it seems, is pushing Thai children into an all-consuming love affair with, or even addiction to the computer screen. The explosion of video streaming technology, a digital lifestyle, the coronavirus pandemic and busy parents, who have limited quality time to spend with their children, all coalesce to make the computer, smart phone or tablet the child’s friend of first resort.

 

The latest research shows that 85% of Thai youth play online games and a third connect for five hours per day. It costs some of them more than $166 (฿5,000) per month. The study, released by Youth Radio and Media, in collaboration with the Thai Health Promotion Foundation, also found that 60% said there is nothing more interesting than spending time in front of their screen and playing in the virtual world.

 

It used to be very different.

 

In the past, most Thai kids were into comic books, especially Japanese cartoons. Due to the inadequacy of public libraries in Thailand, book rental shops flourished, satisfying this appetite. These once-common stores stocked a broad range of genres: novels, short stories, romances, Chinese, Japanese and English books in translation, magazines and, of course, Japanese cartoons.

 

Full story: https://www.thaipbsworld.com/how-a-dying-book-shop-saved-a-screen-addicted-kid/

 

 

-- © Copyright Thai PBS 2021-02-08

 

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Good story.