A TikToker’s claim that America is in the middle of a literacy crisis has gone viral, with her video racking up 1.8 million views and dividing the internet over whether communication skills are genuinely declining. As reported by the Daily Dot, the creator @kaylaaaclineee pointed to a striking statistic: according to a survey cited by the George and Barbara Bush Foundation, about 54% of U.S. adults read below a sixth grade level.
The TikToker did not point fingers at any school, organization, or institution. Instead, she asked her followers to pay attention to something most people scroll past without thinking: the way 20-year-olds talk on reality television today compared to ten years ago. She specifically named Vanderpump Rules, Laguna Beach, and Calabasas Confidential.
“The literacy crisis is screaming,” she said, noting what she described as an astounding difference in how young adults communicate on screen now versus a decade ago. Her argument was not just about vocabulary. She pointed to confrontations specifically, saying that instead of being direct and clear, people now exchange slang in circles without actually resolving anything. And she said it is not limited to television.
Not everyone agreed with her take
The same patterns, she argued, have seeped into everyday life, with people lacking the vocabulary to properly work through a disagreement. She partly attributed the shift to the internet, suggesting people simply no longer need strong communication skills to get by. The debate over young people and communication is not new, with a separate viral video about why Gen Z keeps getting fired also touching on similar concerns about workplace habits and follow-through.
The video was reshared on X, where it picked up more traction and more debate. One user backed her up with a broader point about technology. “Advanced technology available to young people, now, enables them not to have to think or work out their problems with their mind,” they wrote, adding that the result is young people becoming “totally dependent on technology and not their own intelligence.”
Others on TikTok brought up Love Island as another example. A moment from Season 8, episode 13 was cited, in which a contestant asked whether they could use ChatGPT to write a love letter, though they were instructed not to and did not go through with it. Many viewers still held it up as a sign of the times regardless.
Some pushed back on the generational framing, while others in the comments found points of agreement with the creator’s broader argument
Published: Jun 24, 2026 01:45 pm