children, teens, and reading

Common Sense Media recently released a research brief called “Children, Teens, and Reading.” The group researched children’s reading habits in the United States and how they have changed in recent decades as technology has been on the rise. See the group’s infographic (left), key findings (below), or read the full report.

Key Findings

• Reading for fun drops off dramatically as children get older, and rates among all children — especially teens —  have fallen precipitously in recent years.
• Reading scores among young children have improved steadily, but achievement among older teens has stagnated.
• A significant reading achievement gap continues to persist between white, black, and Hispanic/Latino children.
• There is a gender gap in reading time and achievement: girls read more and better.
• Reading is still a big part of many children’s lives, but many children do not read well or often.
• Parents’ and children’s attitudes about electronic reading are still in flux.
• Ereading has the potential to significantly change the nature of reading for children and families, but its impact is still unknown.

- from the State Library's Library Development Blog