Are Students Reading Less Than They Used To, and Does It Matter?

Think about how a teenager might spend a free 30 minutes today.

They could open TikTok.

Watch YouTube.

Play a video game.

Text friends.

Scroll Instagram.

Put on Netflix.

Or read a book.

For a growing number of young people, the book appears to be losing.

That does not necessarily mean students have stopped reading altogether. They read texts, captions, websites, school assignments, social media posts, and countless other words throughout the day.

But something more specific appears to be declining:

Reading for pleasure.

Federal data show a substantial decline in the percentage of young people who regularly choose to read on their own. At the same time, national reading scores have fallen.

Those two trends do not prove that one caused the other. The story is more complicated than that.

But they raise an important question for parents:

Does it matter if our children rarely choose to read anymore?

The answer appears to be yes.

Students Really Are Reading for Fun Less Often

The decline is not just something parents and teachers imagine.

According to federal data highlighted by the National Endowment for the Arts, only 14 percent of 13 year olds reported reading for fun almost every day in 2023.

In 2012, that number was 27 percent.

In other words, the share of 13 year olds who regularly read for pleasure was nearly cut in half over that period.

The decline can be seen among younger children too.

In 2012, 53 percent of 9 year olds reported reading for fun almost every day.

By 2020, it was 42 percent.

By 2022, it had fallen to 39 percent. Meanwhile, 16 percent of 9 year olds said they never or hardly ever read for fun, the highest share recorded in the data cited by the NEA.

Common Sense Media has found a similar pattern as children get older. Its research found that 35 percent of tweens read for pleasure every day, compared with 22 percent of teens. Nearly a third of teenagers reported reading for pleasure less than once a month or not at all.

So yes:

Students appear to be reading less for pleasure than previous generations of students did.

Adults Are Reading Less Too

Before parents blame teenagers, there is an uncomfortable piece of context worth mentioning.

Adults aren't exactly setting a great example.

According to the National Endowment for the Arts, 48.5 percent of American adults reported reading at least one book during 2022. That was down from 52.7 percent five years earlier and 54.6 percent a decade earlier.

The percentage of adults who reported reading a novel or short story fell from 45.2 percent in 2012 to 37.6 percent in 2022, the lowest rate recorded in the survey's history.

So this is not simply:

“Kids these days don't read.”

Reading for pleasure appears to be declining more broadly.

And families now have more competition for their free time than ever.

Why Does Reading for Pleasure Matter?

A reasonable teenager might respond:

“I already read all day at school. Why do I need to read when I get home?”

Because recreational reading provides something school assignments alone may not.

When students voluntarily read, they accumulate enormous amounts of practice without necessarily thinking of it as practice.

Think about a student who reads for 20 minutes most nights.

They encounter:

New vocabulary.

Complex sentences.

Different writing styles.

Unfamiliar ideas.

Dialogue.

Arguments.

Descriptions.

Figurative language.

Different perspectives.

Background knowledge about the world.

No single reading session transforms them into a better reader.

But the exposure accumulates.

Pages become books.

Books become thousands of sentences.

Thousands of sentences become years of reading experience.

That experience matters.

Reading Builds Vocabulary in a Way That Is Difficult to Replicate

Children do not learn every word because someone explicitly teaches it to them.

Much of vocabulary development happens through repeated exposure to language.

Books are particularly valuable because written language can expose children to words and sentence structures they may encounter less frequently in ordinary conversation.

The American Academy of Pediatrics notes that reading aloud with young children exposes them to richer vocabulary and more complex syntax while supporting language and literacy development.

The same general principle continues as students become independent readers.

Imagine encountering this sentence:

“The scientist was skeptical of the extraordinary claim.”

A student may not know exactly what skeptical means.

But context provides information.

Then they encounter the word again.

And again.

Eventually it becomes part of their vocabulary.

That process happens thousands of times across years of reading.

Vocabulary Matters More Than Students Realize

Vocabulary is not simply about knowing impressive words.

It affects comprehension.

Imagine reading a paragraph where you understand almost every word.

You can focus on the idea.

Now imagine reading a paragraph containing five unfamiliar words.

Suddenly you are trying to understand the vocabulary and the argument simultaneously.

That makes comprehension harder.

This becomes particularly important as students progress through school.

A middle school textbook might introduce:

Photosynthesis

Constitutional

Proportional

Industrialization

Later coursework introduces increasingly specialized language.

Students with broader vocabularies have more existing knowledge to connect new words and concepts to.

Reading helps build that foundation gradually.

Reading Scores Have Fallen Too

This is where the national data become particularly concerning.

The decline in recreational reading has occurred alongside declines in reading performance.

The NEA's review of federal data found that average reading scores among 13 year olds fell from 263 in 2012 to 256 in 2023 on NAEP's long term trend assessment. Declines occurred across the performance distribution.

Younger students have also experienced setbacks.

The average reading score among 9 year olds was 221 in 2012, 220 in 2020, and 215 in 2022.

The pandemic undoubtedly complicates these comparisons. School disruptions occurred during part of this period, and many other factors can influence reading achievement.

So we should not look at these numbers and conclude:

“Kids stopped reading books, therefore test scores fell.”

The data do not establish something that simple.

But the combination deserves attention.

Students are reading recreationally less often.

And students are also struggling more on measures of reading performance.

Reading Is Bigger Than English Class

Parents sometimes think of reading ability as something that primarily matters in English.

It doesn't.

Consider a biology question:

A student needs to understand the experiment, interpret a graph, determine what the question is asking, distinguish between four similar answer choices, and select the best conclusion.

That requires science knowledge.

But it also requires reading.

The same is true in:

History

Chemistry

Physics

Math word problems

SAT and ACT questions

AP courses

College classes

A student who struggles to understand complicated written information can encounter difficulties even when the subject is not technically “English.”

Reading is one of the foundational tools students use to access almost everything else they learn.

What About Audiobooks?

Audiobooks deserve more nuance than simply declaring:

“That doesn't count as reading.”

Listening to a well written book can expose students to vocabulary, ideas, storytelling, background knowledge, and complex language.

The NEA itself notes that estimates of book engagement rise when audiobook listening is included.

For reluctant readers, struggling readers, or students who spend significant time in the car, audiobooks can be an excellent way to experience books.

But listening and visually reading text are not identical tasks.

Students still need practice actually decoding and comprehending written language.

A useful family approach does not need to choose one or the other.

Read books. Listen to books. Talk about books.

The larger goal is sustained engagement with language and ideas.

The Bigger Competition May Be Short Form Entertainment

Books face a difficult competitor.

A novel may require a student to read 30 pages before becoming completely absorbed in the story.

A short form video can provide entertainment in three seconds.

Then another video appears.

And another.

And another.

That does not mean short form media is inherently bad.

But it creates a very different experience.

Reading requires the student to actively construct much of the experience themselves.

There are no actors.

No soundtrack.

No rapid cuts.

No constant stream of new content.

The reader has to imagine the setting, follow the argument, remember characters, connect ideas, and remain with the material.

For students accustomed to extremely rapid entertainment, a book may initially feel slow.

That does not necessarily mean they dislike reading.

They may simply have lost the habit of doing it.

“My Child Hates Reading”

This is where parents can accidentally make the problem worse.

A child who does not enjoy reading is told:

“You need to read more.”

So the parent selects a serious book at the child's “appropriate reading level.”

The child has to read 30 minutes every night.

Then the parent quizzes them afterward.

Reading has now become another homework assignment.

That is probably not the experience we are trying to create.

If the goal is recreational reading, enjoyment matters.

Common Sense Media recommends giving reluctant readers substantial choice and warns that forcing reading, comparing children with others, or turning it into punishment can increase resistance.

The first goal may simply be:

Find something your child actually wants to read.

Let Them Read Things You Wouldn't Have Chosen

Parents sometimes have an idea of what “real reading” should look like.

Classic novels.

Award winning literature.

Educational nonfiction.

Those things are wonderful.

But your 12 year old might want:

A graphic novel.

A fantasy series.

A book about basketball.

A mystery.

A celebrity memoir.

A book about Minecraft.

A comic.

A horror novel.

A book they have already read twice.

That is okay.

A student who becomes absorbed in something they genuinely enjoy is developing a reading habit.

You can expand their choices later.

First, make reading something they voluntarily do.

Take Your Student to the Library and Don't Choose the Book

This is an extremely simple strategy.

Go to the library.

Give your student time.

Let them wander.

Then say:

“Pick anything that looks interesting.”

Not:

“That's too easy.”

Not:

“Why don't you read something educational?”

Not:

“You already read that series.”

Choice matters.

A student is much more likely to read a book they selected because they wanted it than one assigned by a parent.

And libraries make experimentation inexpensive.

If they read 30 pages and hate it?

Return it.

Try something else.

Finding the right book is part of becoming a reader.

Create a 20 Minute Reading Window

Families do not need to aim for an hour of reading every night.

Start smaller.

Try:

20 minutes before bed.

Or:

20 minutes after dinner.

Or:

20 minutes on Sunday morning.

The important part is protecting a small amount of time when reading does not have to compete with everything else.

Phones can go somewhere else.

Parents can read too.

No worksheets.

No reading logs.

No quiz afterward.

Just:

Twenty minutes with a book.

Over a school year, that adds up to a remarkable amount of reading.

Let Your Children See You Read

This may be one of the simplest things parents overlook.

If children constantly hear:

“Reading is important.”

but never see an adult voluntarily open a book, they notice the contradiction.

You do not need to read literary fiction.

Read:

A biography.

A mystery.

History.

Science fiction.

A cookbook.

A business book.

A sports book.

Whatever genuinely interests you.

Leave books around the house.

Talk about something interesting you read.

Say:

“This book is getting really good.”

Reading begins to look less like something adults assign to children and more like something people actually do because they enjoy it.

Read With Younger Children for as Long as They'll Let You

Parents sometimes stop reading aloud once a child becomes capable of reading independently.

Those two activities do not have to be mutually exclusive.

The American Academy of Pediatrics strongly encourages shared reading beginning in infancy because of its relationship with language, literacy, cognitive development, and parent child interaction. Its updated guidance continues to describe shared reading as an important way of supporting development and school readiness.

As children grow, parents can continue reading together.

Take turns reading chapters.

Read a series together.

Listen to an audiobook in the car.

Talk about what is happening.

The goal is not simply decoding words.

It is building a family culture where books are normal.

Talk About Books Without Turning It Into School

You do not need to ask:

“What was the main theme?”

Try:

“Is it good?”

“What's happening?”

“Who's your favorite character?”

“Is there anyone in the book you can't stand?”

“Would you recommend it?”

“What do you think is going to happen?”

Those are real conversations readers have about books.

If your student gets excited and explains the entire plot for ten minutes, listen.

That enthusiasm is exactly what you want.

Don't Panic About Reading Level During Recreational Reading

Students absolutely need exposure to appropriately challenging material.

School provides plenty of that.

Recreational reading can serve a different purpose.

If your teenager occasionally wants to read something relatively easy because they enjoy it, that is not necessarily a problem.

Think about your own reading.

Adults do not always select the most intellectually demanding book they can possibly understand.

Sometimes we want something fun.

Students are allowed to experience that too.

A child who reads five enjoyable books is getting far more reading practice than a child who spends two months avoiding one “better” book.

What If My Student Truly Struggles to Read?

This is different.

Sometimes:

“I hate reading”

actually means:

“Reading is unusually difficult for me.”

If your student consistently struggles with reading fluency, decoding, comprehension, vocabulary, or understanding age appropriate texts, simply telling them to read more may not address the underlying issue.

Pay attention to signs such as:

Avoiding reading whenever possible.

Reading significantly more slowly than expected.

Frequently losing their place.

Difficulty explaining what they just read.

Guessing unfamiliar words.

Strong comprehension when listening but much weaker comprehension when reading independently.

Persistent difficulty despite practice.

In that situation, talk with the student's teacher and determine whether further academic support or evaluation may be appropriate.

A student who finds reading exhausting for a genuine academic reason needs something different from a student who would simply rather be on TikTok.

Don't Turn This Into Another Thing Parents Need to Perfect

Parents are busy.

Students are busy.

Not every family is going to sit around the fireplace reading novels together for an hour every evening.

You don't need to.

A realistic approach might be:

Go to the library every few weeks.

Let your student choose what they read.

Keep books visible and accessible.

Try 20 minutes of phone free reading a few nights per week.

Use audiobooks during long drives.

Talk about books occasionally.

Let your children see you reading.

That is enough to begin changing the environment.

The Bottom Line

Are students reading less than they used to?

Yes, particularly when it comes to reading for pleasure.

Federal data show that the percentage of 13 year olds reading for fun almost every day fell from 27 percent in 2012 to just 14 percent in 2023. Among 9 year olds, it fell from 53 percent in 2012 to 39 percent in 2022.

At the same time, national reading performance has declined. Those trends occurred alongside enormous disruptions from the pandemic and many other changes in children's lives, so we should not pretend that recreational reading alone explains the decline.

But reading remains one of the most powerful ways students encounter vocabulary, complex language, new ideas, and sustained written thought.

Parents do not need to force children through a list of classics to respond.

Start much smaller.

Find something they actually enjoy.

Let them choose it.

Make books easy to access.

Create some time when screens are not competing for attention.

Let them see you read.

And remember that the first goal of recreational reading is not necessarily to finish the most impressive book.

It is to create a student who occasionally reaches for a book when nobody is making them.

That habit can follow them much further than any single assigned novel.