Children don’t like books anymore, and it might be our fault

Children are not reading anymore. We have heard these hopeless five words repeated incessantly for years, but is anyone actually doing anything to get kids interested in books? Research suggests the opposite and forebodes a frightening future for children when it comes to being able to read and to enjoy reading.

A report produced by charity Kindred Squared has found that, last year, the percentage of Reception-age children unable to read had risen by 2%.

More than half of parents do not see it as their responsibility to teach their child to read before they enter Reception

The report also declares: “44% of parents believe that children should be able to use books correctly upon entering Reception (not swiping or tapping as with electronic devices) although teachers report that 28% of children cannot”. These statistics are alarming, suggesting that more than half of parents do not see it as their responsibility to teach their child to read before they enter Reception. This then indicates that over a quarter of children at the start of their school journey are victims of this lack of responsibility.

The report also finds that 54% of surveyed teachers believe pupils’ inability to read has a “moderate to major” impact on the progress of the whole class, meaning the 44% of parents failing to teach their young children to read are potentially hindering the education of every pupil in their child’s class.

Should we blame the parents then? Probably not. The inability to read at pre-Reception age leaves children unable to meet the government’s so-called “school ready” status. Sky News describes this as having passed “developmental milestones including basic language skills, being able to eat, go to the toilet, and dress” and yet the Kindred Squared report quotes a mother of a 4-year-old boy who expresses her dissatisfaction with governmental support for parents.

“I feel like they give you a red book and it’s got all the stuff up until they hit school. But no one ever asks you again past the sixth week post birth.”

The consequences of early illiteracy and the stunted development of reading skills will undeniably extend throughout childhood and adolescence

Parents are being asked to have their child meet these criteria, with only online resources as a guide. The government-backed checklist is welcome, says the Institute for Government, but parents need more help to prepare their child for school, especially, it seems, with reading. The consequences of early illiteracy and the stunted development of reading skills will undeniably extend throughout childhood and adolescence, setting young people back in a way that could risk creating a new ‘normal’ in which a lower standard of literacy is expected of each age group.

Furthermore, a decrease in reading ability may be resulting in a decrease in reading enjoyment. In 2025, the National Literacy Trust found that only 32.7% of young people aged 8 to 18 said that they enjoyed reading in their free time, marking a 36% decrease in levels of recreational reading since 2005, when the trust began this research. If children are not taught to read at home as an exciting activity before starting school, doing so at school will then become a chore, deterring them from ever seeking out books for fun as they grow up.

Parents are going to need to take matters into their own hands to ensure their children can… start their education with the best opportunity to enjoy reading

Despite the Labour government’s attempts to increase school readiness, Kindred Squared’s research proves that the percentage of children arriving “school ready” to Reception has fallen since last year. It seems, then, that parents are going to need to take matters into their own hands to ensure their children can read in time for school, and start their education with the best opportunity to enjoy reading.

National Literacy Trust highlights the key motivators of reading for pleasure. “Books tied to films or TV series” are specified as attractive and could be promoted by school libraries or gifted to children by parents and family members based on their interests. Children also want “the freedom to choose what they could read”, so parents might avoid forcing books on their children, instead visiting bookshops or libraries together.

Crucially, the trust also suggests the use of varied formats, which includes digital reading. Perhaps in an age where the youngest generations are “digital natives”, that is, familiar with technology throughout their development, we should embrace eBooks as a valuable way of promoting reading.

With a youth illiteracy crisis on the horizon (and we are arguably closer than that) it seems purist ideas about the sanctity of a physical book may not be the most important. Sure, those children who express an autonomous desire to read can still seek out paperbacks if they wish to, and parents should always encourage reading time away from screens, but if eBooks can get reluctant kids enjoying books again, then it is imperative that we embrace them as one of many paths forward.