Kids Are Meh on Reading: 'This Isn't Just a Pandemic Story'

Kids' love affair with books seems to be cooling off. A new federal report finds that the share of 13-year-olds who read for fun has plunged by almost half since 2012, while pleasure reading among 9-year-olds is down 16 percentage points over the same 13 years. The data come from the Education Department's National Center for Education Statistics, which surveyed more than 30,000 students as part of its long-running reading and math assessments, per NBC News. Reading for enjoyment appears to matter: Students who crack a book in their free time tend to score higher on standardized tests, especially teens who read every day.

Overall, recent test results show reading and math skills slipping since 2012. Officials say the trend predates COVID and coincides with more screen use. "With a significant decline starting in 2012, we can clearly see that this isn't just a pandemic story," says Matthew Soldner, NCES' acting commissioner. "That should be used to inspire further investigation and more work." Indeed, some are optimistic at a possible turnaround. "We have made progress in the past, from the early '70s to 2012," Mark Miller, an ex-member of the National Assessment Governing Board, tells ABC News. "Can it be done again? Absolutely."