In 2026, reading books as an activity for adolescents and adults seems to have fallen by the wayside in favor of technological entertainment. For centuries, stories collected in printed form have maintained the attention of most of the world. While reading books still remains a prevalent activity throughout all stages of school, kids today don’t seem to view reading on their own time as a valuable activity. Most adults, similarly, don’t read for pleasure.
According to Smithsonian Magazine, 28 percent of adult Americans said that they read for pleasure in 2004, and that number had taken a steep drop to 16 percent by 2024. HHS junior Michael Catalfano said, “My dad reads pretty often, but I don’t really know any other adults who read.” Researchers in the article mention that digital media is the most likely factor in the overall decline for reading in America. Shorter attention spans, economic problems, and transportation issues were also speculated by the researchers to have contributed to the decline.
While only 16 percent of adult Americans say that they read for fun, the Pew Research Center collected a survey saying that 42 percent of elementary schoolers read for pleasure, more than double the percentage of adults. HHS sophomore Walter Drews said, “I would love to be able to read more, but I feel like I don’t have time with sports, schoolwork, and other extracurricular activities. It’s a great habit, but I can only really do it on the weekends.” Walter’s statement reflects how as kids grow older and busier, they have less and less time to do leisure activities like reading. As kids grow older they also grow closer to technology as they get phones or ipads, a problem highlighted by the Smithsonian researchers.
With reading levels continuing to drop significantly over the past few decades, one might wonder if picking up a book would even be worthwhile if so few people do it. While all of the previously mentioned factors have contributed to the decline in reading across the US, there are plenty of reasons as to why the activity is still worthwhile. Reading books is extremely helpful for brain development, stimulating the mind and helping to prevent memory loss diseases such as dementia. Stress is also known to decrease because of reading, allowing for a calm state of mind that a phone can’t create. Sophomore Rex Chen agreed, saying, “Whenever I get to read, it’s super nice because I feel like I can finally relax.” Immersing oneself in a story similarly improves focus and concentration skills which are valuable for adult life.
Overall, reading for pleasure is an important activity that has many healthy benefits. A variety of great books is available to every HHS student in the school library, and the Hingham Public Library offers an even larger selection of books. While reading rates across the country continue to decrease, embracing these benefits will lead to an overall smarter and happier world.
