If I Stall Long Enough, Will I NEED to Know the Characters?

An article entitled "How Do You Write That in Mandarin?" by Mireille Silcoff appeared in "The One-Page Magazine" section of the NY Times Magazine on January 15, 2012 (11).  Here it is in its entirety.

"Chinese characters comprise the world's oldest in-use writing system, but Chinese kids are forgetting how to get it on paper. The new term tibiwangzi ('take pen, forget character') encapsulates the issue: nobody takes pen anymore.  They type or text, often using Romanization.  The China Youth Daily Social Survey Center says 4 percent of respondents are 'already living without handwriting.'"

I rest my case.