Generation Z's digital dilemma: The decline of keyboard skills

Generation Z is the first generation to grow up using digital technology. However, one skill in this area is not being practised by young people.

Generation Z (born between 1997 and 2012) is the first generation to be raised entirely in the digital era. One might expect its members to be experts in all aspects of technology use. However, the popularity of tablets and smartphones has made Gen Zers less skilled at typing on a computer keyboard.

The topic gained media attention when singer and songwriter Billie Eillish (born in 2001) confessed in an interview with "The Rolling Stone" magazine: "I never learned to type on a keyboard because I wasn't part of that generation, and now I regret it." Instructure, a company based in the United States that creates platforms for students to submit assignments electronically, reported in May 2024 that 39 per cent of tasks submitted that month were written on a mobile device, not a computer.

Is Generation Z's lack of practice using a keyboard really a problem? Difficulties may arise in work environments where efficiency and typing speed matter. Typing on a physical QWERTY keyboard is faster than on those displayed on touchscreens. However, this is no longer the rule.

In 2019, a study of 37,000 people typing on a keyboard conducted by Aalto University and the University of Cambridge found that the typing speed on a smartphone is now catching up with typing speed on a computer, especially among young people. The study found that the difference in typing speed between a smartphone and a computer was only 25 per cent. This difference was even smaller among people aged 10-19, who could type on a phone an average of 10 words per minute faster than people aged 40.

Does this mean that Gen Z will sit in offices with smartphones? Why not, especially if they work remotely? The study's main author, Dr. Per Ola Kristensson, told dailymail.com that he has more serious concerns regarding the impact of technology on Generation Z and Alpha. The scientist stated, "I suspect that autocorrect and generative artificial intelligence will have a greater negative impact on writing skills."