Technology is to blame for 'ants', or what teachers call bad handwriting, The Straits Times reported.

According to a report, the newspaper collected writing samples from 186 teens aged 13 to 17, and found 52 submissions that were covered in 'ants'.

Handwriting expert William Pang told the Straits Times that this 'degeneration' is due to a lack of focus on penmanship in classrooms, and that students were not taught to grasp the pen properly.

He also told The Straits Times that technology was partly to blame for the increasingly illegible script, as students now have computers and other equipment to make homework neat. Practices like downloading notes from the school's website and submitting typewritten assignments are increasingly common nowadays, lessening the need for good handwriting.

Senior teacher Ms Kang Yeok Lung told The Straits Times that tiny, ant-sized handwriting makes it difficult for teachers to read students' assignments, and such bad handwriting can cost students their grades. This is due to a higher risk of misinterpretation when markers cannot understand the handwritten scripts.