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September 27, 2013

Children’s reading habits in decline

Percentages are falling as digital entertainment rises.

By CBR Staff Writer

An increasing number of UK children are reading less as digital entertainment rises, according to a new study.

Data from Nielsen Book found the percentage of occasional and non-readers among kids in the age group of 0-17 rose to 28%.

The survey of 2,000 British children and parents also revealed that about half of family households now own at least one tablet, up from 24% last year.

Nielsen UK research’s Jo Henry said: "This dramatic drop in engagement with reading, (seen in the context of an 8% drop in the number of books bought for 0-17s) in the first half of 2013 will give pause for thought for anyone involved in Children’s publishing, particularly at the older end of the market which has seen the greatest decline."

However, about 32% of kids still read books for pleasure every day, while 20% watch TV, 17% watch videos on YouTube and 16% play mobile games.

The report also noted that the proportion of kids reading digitally rose to 33% in 2013, while 20% said they were using tablets to read e-books.

"The challenge for publishers is to find fresh compelling content to compete with the activities (principally gaming and communication with their peers) that are increasingly now attracting the interest of children in these age bands," Jo Henry concluded.

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