A third of teenagers haven't read a book in past year

Study Finds - A third of adolescents haven’t even opened a dustjacket — or touched a Kindle for that matter — in the past year.

Researchers from San Diego State University recently analyzed four decades’ worth of data from an ongoing, nationally-based lifestyle survey studying teens.

The meteoric rise of internet-based activities cannot be understated: between social media, texting, gaming, and surfing the web, the average high school senior spent six hours a day online in 2016 — double the time from a decade earlier. Eighth graders (4 hours a day) and tenth graders (5 hours a day) didn’t lag far behind.

Naturally, many of these hours have come at the expense of traditional media, including books, newspapers, and magazines. In the early 90s, a third of tenth graders reported reading the daily paper — this figure dropped to an astonishing two percent by 2016. During the late 70s, 60 percent of 12th graders read a book or magazine almost daily, but only 16 percent did by 2016.

Interestingly, TV- and movie-watching has also declined in the face of new technology, although not as precipitously. Twenty-two percent of eighth graders reported watching five or more hours of TV a day in the 90s; only 13 percent watched an equivalent amount by 2016. Moviegoing held steadfast until recently; time spent has not decreased so much as mediums have shifted.

“Blockbuster Video and VCRs didn’t kill going to the movies, but streaming video apparently did,” explains Jean M. Twenge, the study’s lead author, in an American Psychological Association news release.

Still, the researchers remained most taken aback by how little teens read, especially in light of how easy it is to access quality reading materials today.