Studies show that kids are spending a lot less time reading these days. In 2020, 42% of nine-year-old students said they read for fun almost daily, down from 53% in 2012. Fourteen percent of 13-year-olds read for fun daily, down from 27% in 2012. Among 17-year-olds, 19% reported reading for fun in the last year data was collected, down from 31% in 1984.

It’s safe to say that modern technology is a big reason why kids aren’t reading as much. A recent report found that teenagers spend an average of eight hours and thirty-nine minutes per day on screens, compared to five and a half hours for pre-teen children. So, it’s no wonder they don’t have any time left to crack open a book. In December 2024, Ms. C, a high school teacher on TikTok who goes by the name @stillateacher, brought the topic up with her class and learned they stopped reading for fun at the end of middle school.

Why are kids stopping?

“So, even those who are like avid readers of the Percy Jackson series in fourth and fifth grade fall........

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