Do today's teens read less or more?

Megan Young · Post by **Megan Young** » 07 Sep 2013, 03:04

I think that most probably read a lot less now.

Zannie · Post by **Zannie** » 07 Sep 2013, 05:20

I rarely see any teens at the library. However I do know teens that read. I think it depends on the person

suzy1124 · Post by **suzy1124** » 07 Sep 2013, 05:48

I'd guess less..........my grandson and his pals prefer " texting "

Jon-Ross · Post by **Jon-Ross** » 24 Sep 2013, 00:09

I'm a 15 tear old male and I love reading. I don't have any of these social media sites like Facebook, Twitter. I do have Skype, but only use it on Christmas holidays. I don't use my phone for texting, actually it's rarely charged. I also rarely play video games.
Anyway, I agree totally on this. I know only four other males in my grade that read. And I know six girls that read. And if someone does decide to read, it is most likely 'Hunger Games' or 'Harry Potter'. It's a shame that we younger people have no care in the world for books.

tracy19 · Post by **tracy19** » 24 Sep 2013, 06:56

I think today's teen are less interested in reading as they have other things to occupy there minds, such as cellphones, computers etc

Age777 · Post by **Age777** » 25 Sep 2013, 19:20

I think it's a little bit of both. Teenagers will read less on a whole but when they find something they like they will go nuts and not put it down.

Shadowed_Gates · Post by **Shadowed_Gates** » 25 Sep 2013, 19:55

I actually think less despite the teens being given credit for some breakouts, I see it more young adults being the push.Teens are just to hyperactive for books lately.

rainydayrun · Post by **rainydayrun** » 25 Sep 2013, 19:57

My 15 year old brother spends hours everyday reading Japanese comics online. Growing up he also read alot. I mean like 2-5 books a week. He definitely reads more than me and I have always considered myself a reader at about 2 books a month.

KMAN76 · Post by **KMAN76** » 25 Sep 2013, 20:40

My kids are not quite teenagers but they read a lot. They get started on books like the Harry Potter series and I can't even get them to turn out their lights at night. I think a lot depends on the parents and how much they read. I read a lot and my kids have grown up watching me always have a book in my hand. I think that has definitely influenced them.

Totoro · Post by **Totoro** » 25 Sep 2013, 22:34

It is interesting to see all the people who think kids read less. I would wonder if they have children. My pre-teen and teen each read at least an hour outside of school everyday. If you start including comic books and graphic novels this easily comes to 1.5 - 2 hours of reading on their own. You can add to that our read aloud time of 30 - 45 min at least 4 times a week, yes even my teen will still curl up on our bed in the evening for a couple more chapters of whatever we are reading (Sabriel right now). I think this is on par with how much reading I did at their age. It could be that because I was an avid reader I have raised avid readers, but I think there are so many great choices in reading that lots of kids still just like to get lost in a book.

kat6496 · Post by **kat6496** » 27 Sep 2013, 15:42

mrcrazyjake451, you are the jam!

I am impressed even at your eloquent posts. I have 28 year old co-workers who would not even know what the simple word "relic" means. Seriously.

My whole thing is that you can really tell when a kid reads, because they are also a better writer and better at comprehension. I see this every day at work as I get older and the workforce gets younger! I'm only 35, but I feel worlds away!

I also agree that it really depends on the person. My mom was a huge reader, and took the kids to the library for their own library card: a right of passage. Of course, when I was a teen, the internet was barely there, and we still called people on the phone or wrote them a letter, but I digress. My point is, when there is reading in the environment, its contagious. A reading parent will likely have a reading child.

Tigania · Post by **Tigania** » 28 Sep 2013, 16:07

I think, as always, it depends on the person. I know both male and female teens that read a lot, via smartphone, kindle, and regular books. I think reading is generally instilled during childhood, as Fran suggests.
My love of reading began at a very early age mostly because I was an only child and both parents worked. It was a great way to entertain myself then, and it still is today.

mykiddsrock · Post by **mykiddsrock** » 30 Sep 2013, 12:44

I think it depends on the child and the parents. I think they are more likely to enjoy reading if they continually see a close family member who enjoys reading.

I have a 13 year old daughter who reads ALL THE TIME! She's just like me, we'd rather be reading than watching tv or doing anything else.
I have a 15 year old neice who doesn't even complete assigned reading for school. Her parent's don't read for leisure.

Saoirse200 · Post by **Saoirse200** » 30 Sep 2013, 14:29

I think teens read a lot less in today's society because of other forms of entertainment like gaming etc..
I think if schools decided to put more modern and realistic books on the curriculum it would encourage a
lot more teens to read.

emilycross · Post by **emilycross** » 30 Sep 2013, 22:50

As an older teenager (I'm 19), I definitely read more than most people my age. I grew up being a frequent reader, so the habit just kinda stuck with me, but even in grade school I would be reading books when other girls tended to want to pla sports or read gossip magazines.