VITAC, a Verbit company, is proud to support nonprofit organization Turn on the Subtitles (TOTS) in its mission to boost global children’s literacy by promoting the power of quality subtitles and captions to improve reading skills in early learners.
TOTS brings together educators, parents, and celebrities behind a simple message – turn on captions and subtitles during all kids’ shows – and encourages broadcasters and content providers to include captions and subtitles as the default for TV programs aimed exclusively at children ages 6 to 10.
The group this month launched a new campaign focusing on literacy efforts in South Africa, where 8 out of ten kids have difficulty reading for meaning by the age of 10 and nearly 40% drop out of school because they can’t keep up. VITAC provided captions for the videos and is working with TOTS to caption future content.
Captions Double the Chance of Reading Proficiency
In 2022, the National Center for Education Statistics surveyed reading scores for 9-year-old students to examine student achievement during the COVID-19 pandemic. The survey found that average scores declined 5 points in reading compared to 2020, marking the largest average score decline in reading since 1990.
However, studies show that turning on captions when children watch TV can dramatically improve their literacy and double their chances of becoming proficient readers. Advocates note that a single children’s movie can have up to 20,000 words, or roughly the same number of words as the average chapter book for 5- to 10-year-olds.
But how difficult is it to get kids to watch programs with captions and subtitles?
An early study of subtitle behavior showed that captions and subtitles cannot be ignored, with viewers automatically exhibiting reading behavior when they are displayed on the screen. A follow-up survey re-confirmed this finding, showing that both children and adults exhibit automatic reading behavior while watching captioned and subtitled media.
Additionally, a 2021 study from the National Endowment for Science, Technology and the Arts showed that kids are highly unlikely to turn captions and subtitles off once they are on. Of the 450,000 children observed watching videos, 98% kept them on.
Accessibility and Readability for All
VITAC strongly believes in making accessible content standard, and we stand by our commitment to provide captions, subtitles, and accessible solutions for our consumers, the millions around the world who rely on captions every day, the millions more who simply prefer to watch programs and video content with captions and subtitles, and all the young learners who are turning screen time into reading time.
Contact us to learn more about captioning your content and visit Turn on the Subtitles to learn more about how captions and subtitles improve literacy.