eBook Reading Increases in Kids

Among girls ages 12-17 there was an increase in the amount of time they spend visiting social networking sites and using their smartphones for going online.

Among boys since 2010, there has been an increase in reading enjoyment (20% vs. 26% say they love reading), and importance of reading books for fun (39% vs. 47%). Reading frequency among boys has stayed steady, with 32% being frequent readers.

"While highlighting opportunities, this report remains a call to action to stay focused on increasing reading frequency among our children because the more they read, the better readers they will become and the more they will love it and continue to read," continued Alexander. "Literacy is a critical doorway to success in both school and life, particularly as the digital world increases access to information. Our children need to gain the skills learned by reading, such as the ability to analyze, interpret and understand complex texts and to separate fact from opinion."

The study also looked at the influences that impact kids' reading frequency, and parents ranked extremely high. The report found that having a reading role-model parent or a large book collection at home has a greater impact on kids' reading frequency than does household income. Plus, building reading into kids' daily schedules and regularly bringing home books for children positively impacts kids' reading frequency.

Kids say that ebooks are better than print books when they do not want their friends to know what they are reading, and when they are out and about/traveling.

Print books are seen by kids as better for sharing with friends and reading at bedtime.
Consistent with the 2010 Kids & Family Reading Report, nine in ten kids say they are more likely to finish a book they choose themselves.

Thirty-one percent of parents who have read an ebook say they personally read more books now than they read before starting to read ebooks.

Thirty-two percent of parents say they are reading new kinds of books they never thought they would read, including children's books and teen fiction.

The study was conducted by Scholastic and managed by Harrison Group, a YouGov Company. Survey data were collected by GfK, and the source of the survey sample of 1,074 pairs of children age 6-17 and their parents was GfK's nationally representative KnowledgePanel.
To download the Kids & Family Reading Report and access audio sound bites, visit www.scholastic.com/readingreport.

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