The importance of young readers

In their 2025 study, the National Literacy Trust found that only 32.7% of young people aged eight to 18 enjoy reading in their free time. The lowest on record, this finding follows the annual downward trend and has led to concerns over whether we are keeping the younger generation well-read, as well as what role the rise of digital media has played in this. The benefits of reading for pleasure – improved vocabulary, empathy, writing skills and comprehension, to name just a few – have been reiterated again and again by politicians, academics, and teachers, so how can we make reading more appealing to young people?

It gamifies reading, moving it from something that must be done as a chore to an activity with tangible rewards of stickers, medals and certificates

Since its foundation in 1999, the Reading Agency’s Summer Reading Challenge has resulted in 100,000 new library members each year, showing the successes this scheme has had in encouraging children to read. In Worcestershire, the County Council reported that 2,400 children across the county had completed the Challenge this year, which involves reading six books between July and September. It gamifies reading, moving it from something that must be done as a chore to an activity with tangible rewards of stickers, medals and certificates. The success of this scheme has led to an effort by the Reading Agency to expand it, with 21 library authorities in the most disadvantaged areas being given extra funding to support this. Aiming to expand to 100 authorities by 2027, the funding is used to host events in schools alongside automatic library enrolments to reduce socio-economic barriers to accessing books.

In the National Literacy Trust’s study, 26.6% of children said that having the freedom to choose the books they read would encourage them to read more frequently, rather than restricting them to what would make them the most ‘well-read’. The allowance and encouragement for children to choose their own books attuned to their own interests is an important step in inspiring children to read. Initiatives such as the Summer Reading Challenge are good foundations for this because of their individualised nature. However, this means expanding our definitions and expectations of what constitutes ‘reading’. Media forms such as comics, news articles and song lyrics are all forms of reading that risk being forgotten if we only focus on physical books. If we demonise these untraditional reading formats, we risk pushing children away from the very thing we want them to do. We need to be prepared to look beyond the traditional reading formats of hardbacks and paperbacks to avoid discouraging (and to validate) the next generation of readers who are reading in a different way.

By moving beyond the narrative that the digital age can only be a hindrance to children’s engagement with reading, we can instead make reading both more accessible and more appealing

Equally, if we truly want to improve rates of reading for pleasure among children and young people, it is almost impossible to do so without embracing the digital world we now live in. The negative aspects of screens are well-known, but they do offer a wealth of convenience that can be channelled for good. Technology has opened up a new range of media forms that can be used to encourage children to engage with reading: audiobooks can be downloaded and listened to while travelling, e-readers created specifically for children can give them the ability to look up the definitions of words, and “two in five children and young people [are] motivated to read when material [is] related to a favourite film or TV series.” By moving beyond the narrative that the digital age can only be a hindrance to children’s engagement with reading, we can instead make reading both more accessible and more appealing.

In a press release in July 2025, Education Secretary Bridget Phillipson announced her plans to make 2026 a National Year of Reading to improve the literacy and life chances of children. One of its first announcements was that the National Literacy Trust had pledged to give 72,000 books to children living in areas with the highest rates of child poverty to encourage reading in the home. While it remains to be seen what exactly this Year of Reading will entail and how successful it will be, it does suggest a government desire to improve the literacy rates of children.

Moreover, in 2026, the nominations for the first Children’s Booker Prize will open. The Booker Prize claims that “The aim of the prize is to engage and grow a new generation of readers by recognising and championing the best children’s fiction from writers around the world.” It will also engage in the national mission to get children reading by giving copies of short-listed books to children, working with publishers, schools, bookshops and libraries, and working with children themselves to judge the winners.

While many people are worried about the impact that the digital age is having on the reading rates of children, it is clear that action is being taken to keep the love of reading alive.