A SCOTTISH teenager who has become a global publishing sensation has called on adults to go easy on youngsters who write using slang or mobile phone text.
Amid growing concern over literacy standards the Scottish government has agreed to reintroduce national tests for primary school children from 2017, with some educationalists and business leaders claiming children are ill-equipped for higher education and the workplace.
But novelist Estelle Maskame, whose DIMILY (Did I Mention I Love You?) trilogy has a worldwide following on social media, said it was wrong to assume that children are no longer able to master good grammar and spelling.
In an interview with The Sunday Times, Maskame — who began writing seven years ago while aged 11 — said: “In terms of reading and writing I don’t think youngsters should be criticised for using slang.
“It doesn’t mean they can’t use proper grammar, it’s just that’s how some youngsters might speak. I’m sure that if they went into an environment where they had to use better grammar or language they could, but when they are talking to their friends it is just a natural thing to slip into.”
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Maskame also spoke about the darker side of social media. Like many teenagers, she has faced online trolling and abuse.
“I came across cyber bullying when I was writing my first book and posting chapters online,” she said. “I wasn’t doing anything wrong. It wasn’t me that had the problem, it was them. And when I understood that it helped me deal with it.”