The Decline of Reading for Pleasure
I am 17 and read over 100 books a year. This does not automatically mean that I never socialize or that I never watch TV, because I actually do both quite a lot. I have my favorite TV shows and my closest friends that I hang out with every day, and I also play sports. I just use my ‘transition times’ instead of using mindless apps on my phone, to read.
While I am a voracious reader, reading rates in adolescents have been going down for years now. Don’t believe me? If you’re an adult, think back, how often do you see children picking up a book of their own accord in public. Or if you’re a student, do you see your classmates reading before class or do you see them scrolling through social media or texting on their phone?
Even by reading only 15 minutes a day I am able to contribute significantly to my yearly reading goals. I absolutely love to read but also understand that not everyone does. However, even if you don’t enjoy reading, according to a Pew Research study, it is important for school aged kids to read. They discovered that during the 2020 standardized tests, students that performed higher reported reading more frequently for fun than their peers.
For example, in the 9 year old age range, on the NAEP half of the 9 year old children that scored above the 75th percentile on the reading comprehension section self-reported reading for pleasure almost every day.
In past years, many studies have been conducted that showed an abundance of benefits to reading for pleasure. Similar to above, adolescents in grades 2, 4, 8, and 12 have shown that those who spend more time reading scored higher on comprehension tests and generally have a higher GPA. They also show a more developed writing style than peers who do not read for pleasure as often or at all.
Those studies are proof for teachers (and parents) that having a specific time during the school day for independent reading is quite beneficial. However, some adults may still believe that reading fiction work is not as important as say a history lesson or an instructional class period. This shows that reading can almost give a student that reads a ‘leg up’ in the classroom and during testing.
These education stats do not mean or show in any way that there is a lack of intelligence among the younger generations and those of which do not read. Author Jean M. Twenge, PhD, professor of psychology just recognizes that we “do have less experience focusing for longer periods of time and reading long-form text.” Which makes sense, with all the different forms of social media so widely available, people are switching between apps in seconds. This is then creating a difficulty for attention spans when it comes to reading for longer periods of time.
Beyond the enjoyment of reading and the benefits of increased attention spans, researchers have discovered that because reading uses complex signals in the brain, the brain’s signaling, networks, and connectivity actually get stronger as reading abilities strengthen. Not only does reading physically strengthen the brain, there are also very many benefits. These include but are not limited to:
- Your ability to empathize with the people around you is increased
- Vocabulary is strengthened
- Can even aid in preventing age-related cognitive disorders (such as Alzheimer’s)
- Reduces stress
- Aids in falling asleep at night
There are many different ways that adults can foster love or at least tolerance in children for reading and give them all of those benefits. In school, there could be opportunities for independent reading and book clubs to also encourage peer discussions and ensure comprehension. Teachers could also assign homework for pleasure reading for certain amounts of time which parents could help with. At home, before bed we could encourage children to read before sleep instead of TV or electronics for even 10 minutes.
My parents fostered my love for reading beginning at a young age and encouraged me to continue reading throughout all of middle school. Starting in kindergarten they would take turns reading to me every night and as I learned to read I would read to them. Then, throughout fifth and sixth grade I had a TV rule/limit. During the week I got two hours of TV and then an extra two during the weekend of ‘mindless’ channels. However, if I wanted more than those sets of two hours, I was allowed to watch educational shows and channels. My favorites quickly became Animal Planet and Discovery. This lack of television almost forced me to find other activities after school, and I truly believe that this is one of the major reasons for reading to have become my passion.
There are so many more ideas than just the few above on how we can encourage new generations of children (and even current older adolescents and adults) to get behind the act of reading for pleasure. I hope you go and pick up a book, even if it’s just through the commercial during your TV show.
Bibliography :
- Schaeffer, Katherine. “Among many U.S. children, reading for fun has become less common, federal data shows.” Pew Research Center, 12 Nov. 2021, https://www.pewresearch.org/short-reads/2021/11/12/among-many-u-s-children-reading-for-fun-has-become-less-common-federal-data-shows/. Accessed 25 May 2023.
- Block, Cathy Collins, and John N. Mangieri. “Recreational Reading: 20 Years Later.” The Reading Teacher, vol. 55, no. 6, 2002, pp. 572–80. JSTOR, http://www.jstor.org/stable/20205099. Accessed 21 May 2023.
- “Teens Today Spend More Time on Digital Media, Less Time Reading.” American Psychological Association, 20 Aug. 2018, www.apa.org/news/press/releases/2018/08/teenagers-read-book. Accessed 25 May 2023.
- Stanborough, Rebecca Joy. “Benefits of Reading Books: How It Can Positively Affect Your Life.” healthline, 15 Oct. 2019, www.healthline.com/health/benefits-of-reading-books. Accessed 25 May 2023.
