Use of word 'plastic' significantly increases in British children writings: survey

LONDON - Children writers in Britain focus on conservation theme with the use of the word "plastic" increasing significantly, a BBC survey revealed Wednesday.

Based on analysis of more than 130,000 stories submitted to a BBC's Radio 2 writing competition by five to 13 years old, "plastic" appeared 3,359 times, doubled over the previous year.

In stories with titles like The Plastic Shore and The Evil Mr. Plastic, children wrote about sealife being damaged and influenced by plastic packaging and pollution.

The use of the terms, recycle and recycling, also increased.

Vineeta Gupta, head of children's dictionaries at Oxford University Press which examined the words used in children stories, said: "Children have shown they are acutely aware of the impact plastic has on our environment and how it will affect their own future."

The feminist theme is another focus, as the inclusion of historic women in storylines rose by a third in both boys and girls' stories.

Unicorns, slime and the computer game Fortnite were among the other subjects that influenced children's language.

The 500 Words writing competition for children, run by the Chris Evans Breakfast Show of BBC Radio 2, is an annual creative writing contest. The winners of this year will be announced on Friday.