“We operate on the assumption that because students don’t seem interested in reading what we assign, they don’t read much at all. But is that true?”

About twice a week, Cierra and I stop by our neighborhood bagel shop before school. As we munch on breakfast, I read the front page of the newspaper and Cierra reads the comics. We share this time with other families of young children and business people. Seldom do we see anyone between the ages of 13 to 18.

One recent morning, though, four middle school young women came into the bagel shop and sat down at the booth next to ours. As they ate their bagels, they flipped through a magazine together. Bits and pieces of their conversation floated our way. They took turns reading sections of the magazine to each other, talking about the latest fashion news and commenting on how celebrities and models looked in the publication’s pages.

Reading for these young women was a social event, a chance to connect with their peers; and it was an opportunity for learning—discovering what’s hip and cool in their world.

Are Teens Reading Anymore?

On my college campus, teachers bemoan the fact that young people don’t read as much as previous generations did. We operate on the assumption that because students don’t seem interested in reading what we assign, they don’t read much at all. But is that true?

Studies that look at the reading habits of middle school and high school young people show that the proportion of this age group participating in leisure reading has not changed much in recent years.

A number of studies suggest three out of four teens regularly engage in reading as a leisure activity. Better than half of young people read books at least occasionally. [Rosemary Hopper, “What Are Teenagers Reading? Adolescent Fiction Reading Habits and Reading Choices,” Literacy, 39(3), 113-120.]

Since 1999, the American Library Association has done an annual online survey about the reading habits of adolescents. The results of their surveys confirm most young people are, in fact, reading for pleasure.

There are interesting trends to note, however. As young men enter late adolescence, many develop two assumptions that influence the likelihood that they will read. Many teens have busier schedules in late adolescence and have less time for reading, but young men in particular often see reading as a waste of time. This may be due to their overall perception that reading is what you do for school rather than for personal enjoyment. Young men also tend to view reading and writing as activities for women. Two separate studies showed that many young men labeled reading and writing as feminine or “girly things.”