Do today's teens read less or more?

[Adakage]

In my opinion if you want to answer this question in general then you can say that today's kids read less but. But! If you look at a small group - a group which you quarantine on the basis of intelligence ( might sound harsh but to me it seems legit), most of the children in that group will find something of what they want to know more about and they start reading. As far as I've seen it and experienced it this can easily teach them the joy of reading and in no time they start picking up even more and more literate books as well, just for entertainment. Of course this is just a totally personal point of view, based on my experiences with my limited group of friends.

[Eric Morris]

I believe that teens are reading more, but I've never been a fan of putting quantity over quality. There are books on the teen bestseller list right now that 20 years ago probably wouldn't have even been published. The quality of YA fiction is extremely lackluster on the whole, with a few notable exceptions like John Green and Joseph Delaney. I find myself asking, "Is it actually a good thing that teens are reading more?". Are they really edifying their minds, or are their senses remaining idle?

[DarkestbeforeDawn]

I think with more options of how to spend time, teens read less. But there really is no way to measure this.

[rssllue]

I think that they read less quality books today than the youth of the past did.

[crazyrussianmaria]

Definitely teens are reading much less these days than in the past. For one, there wasn't so much technology back then and books (the paper kind) were a very popular form of entertainment. Not anymore. Now, there are so many technological devices that reading is not popular anymore. Sure, there are devices for reading books that make them accessible but unless the kid is a natural reader, they don't usually pick it up later in life either.

I really want my daughter to be into reading so I'm hoping that by setting an example and reading daily to her, she will pick it up and do it on her own when she's old enough. Also, I think that I will only allow her access to games on the weekends. I just know how addictive they can be and school is so much more important. I wish they taught more classical books in American schools, like they do in Russian ones. That knowledge is priceless and would turn more kids into long-term readers.

[V_bansal2912]

Kids today are unable to sit in one place for more than 10 mins...how in the world are they suppose to enjoy something like reading a book.

[Melodybold]

I am almost positive teens read less than before because there are too many distractions now, such as social media, TV shows and all sorts of other activities in between.

[NovelT81]

I'll agree with kg on this. Teens are wrapped up in their electronics. Between numerous tv channels, the ability to record television shows and movies that play instantly. Let's not forget the handheld electronics and video games.
Also, look at our public libraries. They are transforming into a video rental outlet. Many people only goto the library for the sole purpose of free rentals.

[Sarah Penney]

I think teens are reading less physical books. As someone who is just barely out of her own teenage years, I have to say that most people I knew in high school did read. They just didn't read physical books or even published books. Instead, teens are reading ebooks or books on Wattpad or they're reading fanfiction. So they are reading. They just aren't reading physical copies of published novels.

I suppose you could take that as either a good thing or a bad thing. On the one hand, at least they're reading. On the other hand, they probably could be reading much higher quality work than they currently are.

[BreannaCamp9413]

They definitely read less. I remember in high school (4-5 years ago for me) about two kids who always had a book with them. They were always picked on for it, even by teachers!!! I only started reading for fun two years ago so I never understood how great books were back then. I think part of it is school, at least for me, it seemed like reading was a punishment. Never for fun. Which is so sad because I think of all those years I could have loved books. Instead of the years I spent annotating textbooks. This is from the perspective of a 20 year old.

[BookCross]

I'm positive teens read way less than they used to. I'm still in my 20's but I know that every teen and young adult I know hardly reads anymore. I think other activities like video games, TV, internet, and social media have nearly replaced books and reading. It really makes me sad that reading has become such a rarity. I learned so much by reading when I was growing up. I always was found with books and in a library. To me, reading is relaxing and educational. Kids these days see it as just an obligation in school now, or a complete bust of time. I wish that more teens would get involved in reading instead of so many mindless and unproductive pass-times.

[rainyday]

I've heard far too many youth say they hate reading. It saddens me. I'm not saying that all teens hate reading - I just think avid readers have dwindled into a sort of subculture.

[readingnation]

I think that they read less with all the other forms of entertainment. It's sad. I'm 22 and I have always loved to read.

[saturday+deviant]

I would say that compared to when I was in school to what I see now as a substitute (specifically long-term) teens are reading just as much. There are the kids that never entertain the thought of opening a book, but there are also a lot of teenagers that read quite a few books throughout the school year. It's also hard to gauge how much they are actually reading with e readers and apps providing a less obvious form of books and magazines than their physical counterparts.

[Toria_Hudson]

I think today's teens definitely read less. They have technology rapidly advancing in front of them giving them the opportunity to learn more, read more, and become more knowledgeable but instead they use it for superficial things. The teenagers today are more concerned with fight videos, social media, celebrities, and materialistic things. I've even heard some of them making fun of people for reading as if it's just so repulsive. It's really sad because it seems like the more technology advances the more younger generations are becoming dumber and dumber and losing the value of knowledge and excitement of simple things such as getting lost in a good book.