Pages lost: a generation that doesn’t read?

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Hoi Ling unpacks a global reading crisis and asks whether the next chapter might look different

Growing up in Hong Kong, reading threaded through primary school life. Comics and Japanese manga were especially popular among young readers, and we enjoyed discussing the latest issues with our friends during recess. School also allowed us to subscribe to monthly children’s magazines, which typically contained content on science and world history.

However, as smartphones, social media, and short-form videos became increasingly dominant, I noticed that reading became less common among my peers and we spent more time on TikTok and Instagram Reels.

After moving to North London five years ago, I was surprised by how familiar the situation was. Although you still spot book-readers on the London Underground, many still spend much of their time online and find it difficult to concentrate on reading long texts.

Young people on both sides of the world are growing up in the same digital environment and their interest in reading is decreasing. This led me to see the reading crisis not as a local issue but as part of a broader global shift in how we consume information in the digital age.

According to the National Literacy Trust reports (2025), only one third of children and teens aged 8 to 18 said they enjoyed reading in their free time, the lowest level since the survey began in 2005, when enjoyment was 36% higher. Daily reading has followed the same trajectory: only 18.7% of 8 to 18-year-olds now read every day in their free time. Even among younger children aged 5 to 8, daily reading has dropped by 9.1% since 2019.

When reading becomes about performance, children stop enjoying it

The way our attention is constantly being pulled in different directions has only made this worse. According to the Reading Agency’s State of the Nation in Adult Reading 2025 report, 55% of 16 to 24 year olds say they struggle to concentrate on reading because of distractions around them. Unlike a quick scroll, reading demands sustained focus over a longer stretch of time, and with my generation, Gen Z, growing up surrounded by fast-moving media, that’s become harder to sustain.

The emphasis on assessment and exams within formal education may unintentionally reduce our motivation to read for pleasure. When we’re primarily driven by external factors and prioritise getting through a text over enjoying it, developing a sustained reading habit becomes extremely difficult.

Wigfield, Gladstone and Turci (2016) argue that frequent formal assessments and an educational environment that emphasises social comparison and competition may encourage children to focus on how their reading abilities compare with those of their peers rather than on reading for enjoyment itself. By linking reading to performance, competition, and social comparison, such practices may weaken children’s interest in reading from an early age. Once that early enthusiasm is knocked, it can be hard to get back, such practices can knock children’s enthusiasm before it has a chance to take hold.

After graduating from secondary school, I stopped reading for a long period of time. For many years, I associated reading with academic responsibilities, exams, and coursework rather than enjoyment. So once my studies ended, I lost the motivation to pick up books in my free time. It took time for me to change that mindset. Gradually, I rediscovered the joy of reading by choosing books that really interested me, helping me rebuild a reading habit driven by curiosity rather than obligation.

In discussions about reading, technology is often seen as the enemy but maybe that’s the wrong way to look at it. Embracing technology, rather than resisting it, could be part of the answer to the reading crisis. According to the Publisher Association (2025), audiobook revenue reached a record high of £268 million in 2024, a 31% increase compared to 2023. Whether or not you count listening as reading, the numbers suggest something is shifting.

Perhaps the best way to respond to the reading crisis is simply to keep talking about books

This growth indicates that technology can expand access to literature by creating alternative forms of engagement with texts, rather than simply competing with traditional reading practices. Listeners can engage with stories while commuting, exercising, cooking, or completing household tasks, making reading more compatible with modern lifestyles. For those who struggle to sit still with a book, or simply can’t find the time, audiobooks offer a way back in.

Perhaps the best way to respond to the reading crisis is simply to keep talking about books. Looking back, many of my childhood friendships were shaped by the books, comics, and stories we shared with one another. Even today, I still get excited when I can share the book I am reading with others.

As a history lover, I am reading Empress Orchid by Anchee Min. This novel tells the story of the rise of Empress Dowager Cixi, one of the most influential and controversial figures in Chinese history, in a fictional way. Seeing a story so closely connected to my own cultural background while living abroad has been unexpectedly comforting.

Ultimately, reading is often sustained not only by individual interest, but also by shared experiences and social exchange. A simple recommendation or a conversation can be the starting point of a reading journey.

There’s a small but encouraging sign that this might already be happening. The most recent National Literacy Trust report found that children’s reading enjoyment has risen for the first time in five years, from 32.7% to 36.1%. It is early days, and levels remain low, but perhaps conversations like this one are part of what is slowly turning the tide.

The reading crisis may not be resolved overnight, but if more of us continue to share what we’re reading and what reading means to us, we may be able to help create a reading culture and make reading an important part of daily life again.