Why aren’t children reading in their free time?

In November 2024, we published new research which revealed that children and young people’s enjoyment of reading was at crisis point. The research, which was taken from our Annual Literacy Survey 2024 of more than 76,000 UK children and young people, revealed that only 1 in 3 (34.6%) 8 to 18-year-olds say they enjoy reading in their free time.

“Our dedication to this cause will be unrelenting”

In response to this research, we took action to turn the page on the reading for pleasure crisis. Jonathan Douglas CBE, Chief Executive of the National Literacy Trust promised that “our dedication to this cause will be unrelenting” and explained our response to the crisis:

“With children and young people’s enjoyment of reading at an all-time low, and high numbers leaving primary and secondary school without the reading skills they need to thrive, the futures of a generation are being put at risk.”

“We are at risk of losing a generation”

Frank Cottrell-Boyce, the current Waterstones Children’s Laureate 2024–2026 added his voice in support saying,

“As Waterstones Children’s Laureate, I want to do everything in my power to get reading as a right for all into the national conversation. We know that children who read for pleasure, and children who are read to, gain all kinds of benefits. From increased vocabulary to vastly improved mental wellbeing. But [the National Literacy Trust's] survey shows that too often as a nation we are withholding those benefits from our children. Over the last nineteen years, enjoyment of reading has dropped by almost a third. These benefits are becoming a kind of invisible privilege. This has gone on long enough. The bad news is that we are at risk of losing a generation. The good news is that the solution is in our hands.”

Exploring the research: Why aren’t children reading for pleasure in their free time?

While our research shows that just 1 in 3 (34.6%) children and young people say they enjoy reading in their free time, the lowest level we’ve recorded in 19 years, it is perhaps your next question to ask why?

The reasons behind the current crisis in children’s reading enjoyment are complex. They include what children do at home and in school, how they spend their free time and other factors, such as the ongoing cost-of-living crisis.

We have expanded on four key factors which might impact a child’s free time or their choice to read outside of school:

Time

We know that there are so many other demands competing for children’s time and attention, including homework, sports and socialising. Indeed, the only uplift we’ve seen in children’s reading enjoyment in recent years was in lockdown, when children were spending more time than normal at home.

Education

Our research shows that while more children enjoy reading at school than outside of it (40.5% vs 34.6%), levels are still low across the board.

A packed curriculum, high academic expectations and the perception of a challenging future may all contribute to children having less time for reading for enjoyment and less mental space to do it. This may also be exacerbated for children with limited access to high-quality reading materials.

Teachers are doing an incredible job but, without more support and guidance, they are hamstrung. That’s one of the reasons why we are urging the government to prioritise reading for pleasure, alongside the skills that are vital in the development of confident, motivated readers, in its current curriculum and assessment review.

We are committed to our continued support of the education sector to equip teachers with high-quality reading for pleasure resources, training opportunities and other programmes to help them embed a culture of reading for pleasure in their settings.

Access to books

We know that having access to books and a broad range of reading materials is important for children’s enjoyment of reading. However:

• Our research shows that 1 in 12 (8.6%) children aged 8-18 say they don’t have a book of their own at home, rising to 1 in 8 (12.4%) disadvantaged children.
• 1 in 5 (20%) parents say they are buying fewer books for their children due to the cost-of-living crisis, increasing to 1 in 3 (36.1%) of those who are struggling financially.
• 1 in 7 UK primary schools don’t have a library, rising to 1 in 4 in disadvantaged communities, meaning that 750,000 children are missing out.

One way we can tackle this challenge is to accelerate the growth of our Libraries for Primaries campaign, to ensure every primary school in the UK has a dedicated library space by 2028 and providing thousands more children with ready access to an inspiring, diverse and wide-ranging selection of books.

Technology

When it comes to technology, it’s important to consider both the risks and opportunities for young people’s literacy and learning. We all have a duty to children to ensure digital spaces are as safe as possible through our consideration of digital literacy and critical media literacy, but we should also recognise the different impact of different types of screen time, both positive and negative. For example, technology can provide a route into reading for traditionally reluctant less engaged readers. Our research has found that more boys, less engaged readers and children from lower-income backgrounds read fiction on screen.

The solution is multi-faceted

We need to give children and young people more opportunities to discover the joy and purpose of reading in ways that matter to them – tapping into their motivations and interests, reminding them that reading can help you to relax and learn about things you're interested in, and showing them just how many different reading materials and formats are available.

The solution to the reading for pleasure crisis will take a collective effort. Jonathan, our Chief Executive shares the National Literacy Trust's ambitions for bringing about change:

This means an increased focus on empowering and equipping parents and carers with accessible and effective ways to support their children at home right from birth with our Early Words Matter campaign.

This also looks like equipping even more Literacy Champion volunteers to support parents and families in our communities to grow a love of reading.

We are committed to “expand and deepen our work in schools and communities where we will strive to play a significant role in growing a generation of readers.”

Read more here about the report and our work to strengthen our impact and re-imagine solutions to this complex reading for pleasure crisis.