25-Nov-2025
Kids’ reading apps failing to deliver educational value
Flinders UniversityPeer-Reviewed Publication
Many mobile apps claiming to support early reading skills in children fail to deliver actual educational benefit, with positive app store reviews seemingly driven by aesthetics and functionality, a new Flinders University analysis has found. The first-of-its-kind study had an expert panel of speech pathologists appraise 309 mobile apps claiming to support the development of phonics and phonological awareness skills; foundational skills critical to early reading development. Almost 1 in 5 apps were found to be of poor quality, with expert reviewers only recommending 85 of the 309 apps appraised, for their potential to support development of foundational reading skills.
- Journal
- Early Childhood Education Journal
- Funder
- Flinders University