Monday, June 4, 2018

Youth Reading Habits in a Digital Age


Scholastic, in conjunction with Quinley Research and Harrison Group, conducted a survey to examine family attitudes and behaviors regarding reading books for fun in today’s digital age.

Key findings include:

-       Parents believe the use of electronic or digital devices negatively affects the time kids spend reading books (41%), doing physical activity (40%), and engaging with family (33%; PAGE 6).
-       From age 6 through age 17, the time kids spend reading declines while the time kids spend going online for fun and using a cell phone to text or talk increases (PAGE 7).
-       When asked about the one device parents would like their child to stop using for a one or two-week period, parents most often cite television, video game systems, and cell phones.
-       While only 25% of kids have read a book on a digital device (including computers), many more (57% of kids age 9-17) are interested in doing so.
-       It is clear that letting kids choose which books they want to read is key to raising a reader. Nine out of 10 children say they are more likely to finish books they choose themselves.
-       In addition to choice, parents use other tactics to encourage reading that appear to result in more frequent reading, including making sure there are interesting books at home (for kids age 9-11 and 15-17), putting limits on the amount of time spent using technology (for kids age 9-11), and suggesting books they might like.

Scholastic (2010). 2010 Kids & family reading report: Turning the page in the digital age. New York City, NY: Scholastic. http://mediaroom.scholastic.com/files/KFRR_2010.pdf

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