Teenagers are reaching for physical books to manage anxiety, find happiness, and take a break from screens, It’s a trend that runs counter to the broader decline in reading for pleasure.
That’s according to a 2025 study by the University of Florida and University College London. Researchers analyzed more than 236,000
responses to the American Time Use Survey and found that daily reading for pleasure in the U.S. has dropped more than 40% over two decades-from 28% of Americans reading on any given day in 2004 to just 16% in 2023.
Yet the teens who choose books are doing so deliberately. A 2023 study published in Psychological
Medicine, tracking more than 10,000 U.S. adolescents, found that children who began reading for pleasure early
in life scored higher on cognitive tests, showed fewer symptoms of depression, had fewer behavioral problems, and
demonstrated measurable differences in brain structure linked to stronger memory and verbal processing. Teens say they’re reading for relaxation, emotional regulation, and escape. For them, books are a counterweight to the overstimulation of social media.
That doesn’t mean there isn’t room to grow. According to the National Assessment of Educational Progress, just 37% of 9-year-olds and 14% of13-year-olds reported reading for fun almost every day in 2025. Considering that nearly half of Gen Z reports a diagnosed mental health condition, a quiet, screen-free activity that actually makes kids feel better is a pretty easy sell.
Parents and communities can help make the difference. Reading to toddlers, modeling the habit at home, and letting kids choose their own books all build lifelong readers. Add in library story hours, author events, and book clubs, and reading becomes something kids reach for.
And when they do reach for it, they’re reaching for print. In a digital-first world, the physical book endures, and that’s good news for an industry that has always known the power of putting words on a page.
This article has been reposted with slight edits. Original source: Two Sides NA, twosidesna.org
