Linear printed text and nonlinear hypertext compete for the attention of children and adults. The article will focus on the problems of reading in the new digital reality associated with the emergence of new format texts and changing reading practices. This issue is becoming relevant, as digital reading begins to prevail over traditional, which has an impact on individual readers and on the education system as a whole. This problem remains insufficiently studied in the social Sciences. The first part of the article discusses the possible social and pedagogical consequences of the transition to digital reading in education. A review of scientific research on the problem shows that children understand texts better if they read them on paper. One reason for this is the different purposes with which we read printed and digital texts. Screen reading is more often a means to communicate or to find information, with the result that the mechanism of digital reading can be defined as «read-slip» as opposed to a slower, thoughtful immersion in printed text. The modern education system should provide conditions for the formation of double literacy: traditional and new, which will allow to understand the deep and complex things presented in digital and printed format. The results of the empirical study of reading practices of fourth grade students will be presented in the second part of the article.

The article considers understanding as a social and cognitive phenomenon, analyses the conditions for the formation of understanding in oral and written communications. Text comprehension is a fundamental element of human literacy, since without comprehension it is impossible to use information, reflect and draw conclusions, on the basis of which it is possible to achieve goals and participate in social life. Thus, in the modern world it is one of the key elements of socialisation. Understanding the text is based not only on the technical skills of reading and writing, but also on the general outlook of a person, his ideas about different areas of life. Studies conducted during mass distance learning have shown that a break in personal teacher-student communication during training had a negative impact on the reading skills of schoolchildren. In addition to regularity, both social attitudes and value views of parents, as well as the cognitive experience of the student, the level of his speech development are important for effective reading and understanding. Reading is considered by the authors not just as a set of cognitive skills, but also as a social action. Studies show that the reading skills and comprehension of new knowledge by schoolchildren are influenced by: the socio-economic status of the family, the attitudes and principles adopted in it. The article also shows that a long time spent by schoolchildren on the Internet negatively affects both their comprehension of texts and empathy. In addition, the problems of integrating the individual into the digital environment and the impact of digitalisation on consciousness and thinking are analysed. On the background of the growth of leisure preferences on the Internet, there is a decrease in the importance of reading for schoolchildren. An increase in school load also negatively affects interest in reading. The authors hypothesise that social stratification between schoolchildren with different levels of literacy can be reduced by using earlier teaching of semantic reading. The authors show that the study of these issues is important not only for pedagogical and psychological sciences, but also for sociology.

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The article centers on the problems of reading in the new digital reality associated with the appearance of texts of a new digital format and the changed reading practices. This issue becomes topical, as digital reading starts to prevail over traditional which affects individual readers and the educational system. We conducted a pilot study of the reading skills of fourth-grade students (106 people) and analysed their reading practices. Testing according to the method of L. Yasyukova showed that most pupils (70%) have incomplete reading skills. Our respondents spend more time on digital reading (searching for information and communicating with friends on the Internet) as compared to reading paper books. In classes where pupils spend more time on the Internet, a larger percentage of pupils showed incomplete reading skills. Based on the data obtained, we formulated a hypothesis that requires further verification. The time spent by pupils on the Internet and the amount of digital reading may affect the level of understanding of texts on paper.