A new report from HarperCollins has found that the 'relentless' emphasis on measuring literacy progress in schools is pushing reading for pleasure to the margins. The study, which analysed survey data from HarperCollins, NielsenIQ and The Reading Agency, reveals that daily reading for pleasure among five- to 17-year-olds in the UK fell from 39% in 2012 to 25% in 2025.
The proportion of children who rarely or never read for pleasure tripled from 5% to 15% over the same period. However, there was a slight uptick in daily and weekly reading for pleasure between 2024 and 2025 among 11- to 17-year-olds, particularly among boys aged 14 to 17, where the number who never read fell from 36% to 30% year-on-year.
Social media is playing a growing role in helping teenagers discover books. Among 14- to 17-year-olds, the proportion finding books via BookTok rose from 23% in 2024 to 27% in 2025, while for 11- to 17-year-olds, discovery via YouTube increased from 25% to 30%. Fewer teens now think 'books aren’t cool' (down from 45% to 38% for 11- to 17-year-olds) and fewer say they would rather watch TV, play video games or go online than read (down from 76% to 69% for 14- to 17-year-olds).
The picture for younger children is less encouraging. Only 32% of five- to 10-year-olds read daily for pleasure in 2025, unchanged for three years and down from 55% in 2012. The proportion of five- to seven-year-olds who rarely or never read for pleasure rose from 8% to 11% in a single year. Three-fifths of three- to seven-year-olds are not read to daily, according to the data.
HarperCollins consumer insight director Alison David said children who are read to daily are three times more likely to choose to read independently. She suggested parents read to children 'often and anywhere', using funny voices and building excitement about stories. The report also found that 71% of parents with children aged 13 and under wished their children would spend more time reading books, up from 65% in 2019, and 41% believe reading for pleasure is more important than ever.
