STUDY: 2% of High School Sophomores Read Daily Newspaper... 33.3% Have Not Read a Book in the Past Year
A Third Of Teens Haven’t Read A Single Book In Past Year
Stunning research shows just 2% of sophomores read daily
newspaper — compared to third of same-aged teens in 1990s
by Daniel Steingold August 27, 2018
SAN DIEGO — Bookworm teens have always been few and far
between, but now they seem like a dying breed. A new study puts some weight
behind this notion by revealing just how American teenagers choose to spend
their time (hint: it’s not with books). A third of adolescents haven’t even
opened a dustjacket — or touched a Kindle for that matter — in the past year.
Researchers from San Diego State University recently
analyzed four decades’ worth of data from an ongoing, nationally-based
lifestyle survey studying teens. The data, which provides insight into the
daily habits of over a million adolescents, shows the enormous impact of
digital media over time.
The meteoric rise of internet-based activities cannot be
understated: between social media, texting, gaming, and surfing the web, the
average high school senior spent six hours a day online in 2016 — double the
time from a decade earlier. Eighth graders (4 hours a day) and tenth graders (5
hours a day) didn’t lag far behind.
Naturally, many of these hours have come at the expense
of traditional media, including books, newspapers, and magazines. In the early
90s, a third of tenth graders reported reading the daily paper — this figure
dropped to an astonishing two percent by 2016. During the late 70s, 60 percent
of 12th graders read a book or magazine almost daily, but only 16 percent did
by 2016.
Interestingly, TV and movie-watching has also declined in
the face of new technology, although not as precipitously. Twenty-two percent
of eighth graders reported watching five or more hours of TV a day in the 90s;
only 13 percent watched an equivalent amount by 2016. Movie going held
steadfast until recently; time spent has not decreased so much as mediums have
shifted.
“Blockbuster Video and VCRs didn’t kill going to the
movies, but streaming video apparently did,” explains Jean M. Twenge, the
study’s lead author, in an American Psychological Association news release.
Still, the researchers remained most taken aback by how
little teens read, especially in light of how easy it is to access quality
reading materials today.
“It’s so convenient to read books and magazines on
electronic devices like tablets,” Twenge says. “There’s no more going to the
mailbox or the bookstore — you just download the magazine issue or book and
start reading. Yet reading has still declined precipitously.”
Twenge suggests that today’s teens are no less curious or
intelligent than previous generations. Many simply don’t have experience
delving into long-form texts. Learning to do so is imperative, she argues, as
it lays the groundwork for developing critical thinking skills and
understanding complex issues.
“Think about how difficult it must be to read even five
pages of an 800-page college textbook when you’ve been used to spending most of
your time switching between one digital activity and another in a matter of
seconds,” she empathizes. “It really highlights the challenges students and
faculty both face in the current era.”
The study’s findings were published on August 16, 2018 in
the Psychology of Popular Media Culture.
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