Predictive text has immersed itself into our everyday world so pervasively and quietly that we almost didn't notice its appearance on almost all of our daily-use tech.
Phones, tablets, and even computers are now finishing our sentences, suggesting words, and correcting our spelling automatically. We goof around with funny predictive text prompts, and while most of us have suffered the embarrassing autocorrect to something that is, at best, embarrassing and, at worst, offensive to the recipient, it feels mostly harmless. It is a convenient shortcut, but is it good for our brains, and could there be good reasons to turn it off?
When predictive text takes over the work of writing, the brain stops doing the mental work it needs to stay sharp, and because we use our devices for almost all of our writing and communicating, this is almost 100% of our day-to-day writing tasks. Spelling, vocabulary, and sentence construction all require active thinking. If a program suggests the next word, people often accept it without considering other possibilities, even if the nuance or meaning of the word isn’t quite right. But you chose it anyway because it was easier than mulling over finding a better fit and the time it takes to do it. Predictive text also limits the pool of thought to only the words you've used consistently in the past.
Over time, this makes writing easier, but also makes it less mentally engaging. The brain needs challenge to grow and stay strong, and predictive text reduces that challenge.
For children, this is especially important. Kids are still learning the rules of language, building spelling skills, and developing the ability to form sentences on their own. If they rely on predictive text, they miss out on practicing these skills.
Have you ever known someone that has a habit of constantly finishing your sentences because they think they are smarter or faster than you or can't tolerate the time you take to formulate a thoughtful response? It's maddening and disrespectful, right? For children, predictive text is that constant, annoying, impatient person who can't control their impulses for longer than 2 seconds, demanding that they outsource their developing minds to someone(or something) that is faster and smarter.
They also get stuck using the words and phrases the program suggests, which are based on their past usage. This limits exposure to new vocabulary and ideas. The habits formed early can continue into adulthood, making it harder to develop strong writing skills later on and possibly even create some insecurity in their own abilities.
Even for adults, turning off predictive text can improve mental engagement. Writing without it forces the brain to think about word choice, sentence structure, and spelling and it makes us slow down. It encourages creativity and helps keep language skills active. Predictive text is helpful for convenience, but overusing it can weaken important cognitive abilities. Adults can benefit from turning it off for themselves and helping children avoid it as well. Just like our mothers taught us, not everything that is good for us is easy nor convenient.
Turning it off for a trial can show us how dependent you are on it or if you are using it as a mental crutch. Worried you might get judged for misspelling a word? It's okay; we all misspell words, but being perceived as perfect isn't worth handing over the creative agency of our minds. If you get called out as a poor speller, just let them know that you are in excellent intellectual company and that even your badly spelled word came from actual mental work versus the appearance of such.
Albert Einstein, George Washington, Charles Darwin, Thomas Edison, Ben Franklin, and even the best-selling novelist of all time, Agatha Christie, were all notoriously bad spellers.
Secret tip: you can turn predictive text off and still keep spell check on if it's a non-negotiable.