New study reveals the biggest obstacles to kids' reading habits

USA Today

3 days ago

The benefits of developing an early love of reading are well known, but recent reports have shown that literacy rates continue to decline globally. With unprecedented competition for children's attention, almost half (42%) of parents say distractions from phones, gaming and TV prevent their child from reading more, according to new research from Amazon Kindle.
The survey, which polled parents with kids between the ages of 7 and 12, reveals that over three-quarters (77%) of parents want their kids to read more, but almost half (44%) say that their kids read less frequently than they did as a child. The vast majority (95%) of parents frequently attempt to motivate their child to read more, but 46% say their child gets distracted easily while reading.
'What we're finding today is that, in addition to the common challenges kids may face while reading, we're also up against a myriad of other factors that are competing for their time and attention,' says literacy expert Dr. Molly Ness.
Parents aren't giving up; instead, they're actively working to foster a love of reading and maintain their child's interest by letting the child pick the books they read (36%) and the format they read in (25%), whether that's physical books, eBooks or audiobooks.
And with two in five (40%) parents citing visual elements, such as illustrated books, comics or graphic novels, as key motivators for their child to read, now is the time for parents to consider the recently launched Kindle Colorsoft Kids. Built to be distraction-free, with no apps, browsers or messaging capabilities, it immerses children in a world of stories with the added benefit of an easy-on-the-eyes color display.
"We know parents and caregivers are interested in encouraging consistent reading habits for their children," says Ness. "They understand the benefits, and they're invested in helping them. But many of them struggle to find ways to help their child overcome common barriers to reading more, like a lack of confidence or lack of interest. While every child is unique, there are several tools parents can use to help."
Ness shares her top tips to help parents encourage reading habits:
*The research was conducted by Censuswide, an independent market research company, with 2,000 parents of kids 7-12 in the U.S. between July 8 and July 16, 2025.
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