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< Why Aren't Teens Reading Like They Used To?

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ST EVE INSKEEP, HOST:
Now, the digital revolution means there are more ways than ever to read on. And yet, a new survey f inds the
number of American teens reading f or pleasure has dropped dramatically.
NPR's Jennif er Ludden reports.
JENNIFER LUDDEN, BYLINE: For sure, "Harry Potter" and "T he Hunger Games" haven't been big hits f or
nothing. Lots of teens and adolescents still do read, a lot. But a roundup of studies, put together by the nonprof it Common Sense Media, shows a clear decline over time.
JIM ST EYER: For example, 45 percent of 17 year olds today say they read f or pleasure, no more than 1-to-2
times a year, if that of ten.
LUDDEN: T hat's way down f rom a decade ago, says Jim Steyer, head of Common Sense Media. Among 13 year
olds, a third say they read f or pleasure only once or twice a year.
ST EYER: As a parent and an educator, this is a really big deal.
LUDDEN: Steyer studies the impact of technology on children and he f inds the results striking, though not
shocking. He has f our kids, and has seen the trend - mostly with his 16-year-old.
ST EYER: And I start to see it in our 10-year-old as well because he is less and less reading, and more and
more attracted to some of the digital media platf orms that he has access to - and that he did not have access
to when he was, say, you know, six or seven years old.
LUDDEN: Now the studies do not say kids are reading less because they're spending more time online. But
Steyer is convinced that's at least p art of the answer.
ST EYER: First of all, most children now have access to e-readers, or other smart electronic devices like
phones and tablets. And they're spending time on that. Numerous reports show the increasing use of new
technology platf orms by kids. It just strikes me as extremely logical that that's a big f actor.
JAMAHRI SYDNOR: I don't really read f or pleasure.
CHIAMAKA ANOSIKE: I don't read f or pleasure either, unless it's f or a school assignment.
LUDDEN: Jamahri Sydnor and Chiamaka Anosike are ninth graders, waiting f or the bus outside Wilson High
School in Washington, D.C. So how do they relax?.
ANOSIKE: Generally, I talk on the phone. Or I watch, like, Netf lix shows or Hulu shows. Mostly T V, that's it. I'm
usually on my phone or watching T V, too.
LUDDEN: Of course, some students say they love to read but have too much homework, or are swamped with
sports.

Researchers want to know more about how teens are spending their time in the digital age. But Kathryn
Z ickuhr, of the Pew Research Center, says it's tricky. If a kid is looking at a book, you say they're reading. But
looking at a Smartphone or tablet? Well, who knows?
KAT HRYN Z ICKUHR: And we've heard f rom middle and high school teachers that sometimes the Internet is
wonderf ul f or highly-motivated students to do deep and expansive research. But on the f lip side, obviously
there are many distractions on the Internet.
LUDDEN: Despite those distractions, Jim Steyer, of Common Sense Media, says parents can still do a lot to
promote reading.
ST EYER: Kids with parents who read, who buy or take books out of the library f or their kids, and who then set
a time aside in their kids' daily schedule f or reading, tend to read the most.
LUDDEN: Whether it's on a book, an e-book, or some other gadget.
Jennif er Ludden, NPR News, Washington.
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