The reading habit is slipping away
New data highlighted by CBC's The Current suggests Canadian kids and teens are reading for fun far less than previous generations did. It's not that young people have stopped reading altogether — many are consuming plenty of text through texting, social media captions, and video game subtitles — but sitting down with a novel or story collection purely for enjoyment has become a rarer habit.
That shift raises real concerns among educators and literacy researchers across the country. Reading fiction for pleasure isn't just a nice pastime; it's linked to stronger vocabulary, better focus, greater empathy, and improved academic performance across subjects, not just English class. When kids lose the habit, they can lose out on all of that, even if they're otherwise glued to screens all day.
Why it's happening
The reasons behind the decline are familiar to most parents: smartphones, streaming platforms, and social media apps are engineered to compete aggressively for attention, and books simply can't match the instant dopamine hit of a short-form video feed. School schedules packed with extracurriculars and homework also leave less unstructured downtime — the very time that used to get filled with a book. And for some kids, reading gets tied to academic pressure rather than pleasure, so it starts to feel like a chore rather than an escape.
Tips for parents trying to turn it around
Literacy experts say the fix doesn't have to be complicated, but it does require some intentionality:
- Let kids choose their own books. Forcing a "classic" on a reluctant reader often backfires. Graphic novels, manga, sports biographies, and even joke books count — the goal is building the habit, not curating a syllabus.
- Model the behaviour. Kids are far more likely to pick up a book if they regularly see parents reading for pleasure too, rather than scrolling on a phone.
- Build in dedicated, low-pressure reading time. Even 15–20 minutes before bed, with no screens allowed, can make a difference over weeks and months.
- Visit the library together. Making it a regular outing — rather than a one-off errand — helps normalize browsing and picking out new titles.
- Read aloud, even with older kids. Shared reading isn't just for toddlers; teens still benefit from and enjoy being read to, and it can spark conversations about the story.
- Keep books visible and accessible. A shelf in a bedroom or a stack on the coffee table does more than a book hidden away — proximity matters.
The bigger picture for Canadian families
Libraries and schools across the country, including here in Ontario, have been ramping up programming aimed at reluctant readers, from graphic novel clubs to teen book swaps. But experts stress that the home environment plays the biggest role. Small, consistent changes — not a dramatic overhaul — tend to be what actually rebuilds a reading habit over time.
Source: CBC Radio, The Current
