The article "Growing up, reading less" (Sept 19) highlighted the worrying development that some young people find it a waste of time to read books or even the news, and would rather use the time for their schoolwork.

And on their mobile phones, they tend to read only summaries of news articles and analysis, sometimes from unreliable sources.

When I interact with young people at my clinic, I am alarmed to find that many are uninformed about major happenings in the world and locally.

They seem surprised and even shocked when I bring up subjects like climate change, conflicts and catastrophes happening in many places.

Some are not even aware that wars and conflicts are affecting many nations to the point of famine and extreme poverty.

The main excuse they give is that there is no time to read, with all their schoolwork and responsibilities.

Putting their heads in the sand would lead to intellectual and moral isolation and apathy.

These young people need to know that a holistic education involves understanding global developments and world views, and it will help them become useful contributors and citizens of the future.

Quek Koh Choon (Dr)