Children’s reading hits 20-year low in the UK as screens take over
Key Points
- Fewer than one in three children read in their free time, a 20-year low
- Just 36% of children say they enjoy reading and a fifth read daily
- MPs blame screens crowding out reading time from the earliest years
- Daily reading by all children could deliver 1.1 million more strong GCSE results over 30 years
- The committee demands a National Reading Guarantee and a Decade of Reading
Fewer than one in three British children now read in their free time, the lowest level recorded in 20 years.
The figure anchors the Education Committee’s Reading for Pleasure report, published on Friday (17 July) after an eight-month inquiry that took evidence from almost 200 written submissions, five oral evidence sessions and children themselves.
Just 36% of children say they enjoy reading and only a fifth read daily, according to evidence from the National Literacy Trust, and MPs described the fall as a generational shift that must be reversed.
The committee placed recreational screen use at the centre of the decline.
MPs concluded that screens are crowding out children’s time to read and damaging their attention spans, starting with babies handed devices instead of books. They also noted that parents’ own screen habits set early expectations for how adults spend their time.
However, the report stopped short of blaming screens alone. England lags so far behind the international average on children’s reading that MPs pointed to wider pressures too, including the cost of living and modern work patterns that leave parents without the time or capacity to share books with their children.
What children lose when they stop reading
. Children who are read to frequently at age five sit more than half a school year ahead in reading performance at age 15, and by 16, reading for pleasure predicts progress in vocabulary, maths and spelling more strongly than parental education does.
The report cited an estimate that if all school-aged children read daily, 1.1 million more students could achieve five good GCSEs over a 30-year period. Children themselves told a survey that reading helps them relax (57.2%), manage stress (43.3%) and feel happier (39.1%).
MPs demand a National Reading Guarantee
The committee’s answer is a National Reading Guarantee, a commitment that every child has regular opportunities to enjoy books from birth to 18, regardless of background.
It wants the current National Year of Reading extended into a National Decade of Reading, a funded library in every primary and secondary school, and mandatory restrictions on addictive app features such as infinite scrolling for under-18s.
The National Year of Reading has reached 2 million children through in-school events so far in 2026, with 11,000 teachers signed up and 6,500 schools registered, but MPs warned that without long-term investment it risks becoming a one-off with minimal lasting impact.
The government must respond to the report within two months.
