Books play a huge role in my kids’ lives. When we go to the library each week, we check out dozens of books. Likewise, we purchase numerous books each year because my children request these as gifts for birthdays and Christmas. My kids absolutely love reading, and I love that they love reading. Sadly, they (and kids like them) are the exception, not the rule. According to Pew Research Center, the number of children in the US who say they “never or hardly ever” read for fun is steadily increasing.
This isn’t surprising because we live in a digital age where books are often viewed as relics of the past. Many kids use tablets instead of physical textbooks for school. They look up words online instead of in a printed dictionary. They stream shows or play apps and video games instead of delving into a book series. The few who happen to enjoy reading often do so using eBooks on digital screens.
Given we live in an era where other media can fill the role of books, is it worth putting effort into raising kids who enjoy reading and can read well? I contend that it is.
Benefits of reading in a digital age
Reading benefits children in so many ways. For example, it builds vocabulary, sparks creativity, and allows them to walk a mile in someone else’s shoes. These benefits are just the proverbial tip of the iceberg. I could write an entire tome on the lifelong benefits children gain from reading regularly. However, I want to narrow my focus today to benefits that are particularly relevant given the digital age in which we live. In a world dominated by smartphone apps, video games, social media, and AI, how does reading for fun benefit children?
Reading increases attention span and the ability to delay gratification
Digital media provides kids with instant “rewards.” The content is fast-paced, hijacking the brain’s dopamine-driven reward system. Content that triggers dopamine release includes flashes, the sounds played after scoring on a game, social validation (likes, comments, and shares after posting on social media), endless new content via “infinite scroll,” and the fast-paced, high-arousal elements of short-form videos. After using digital media, kids tend to be unable to engage in tasks that require sustained effort unless they receive frequent stimuli. In stark contrast, reading requires kids to follow text left to right, line by line, training the brain to follow a single, continuous path of information.
The benefits of following a single, continuous path of information are numerous. It requires kids to process words and visualize scenes. They must also filter out distractions (internal impulses and outside noise) to sustain focus and follow the plot. Successfully doing these things strengthens one’s ability to concentrate and increases attention span.
The slow, linear process of reading also helps kids learn to delay gratification. Instead of receiving constant dopamine hits because of the rewards listed above, the rewards of reading come at a more moderate pace and require effort to earn. Kids must spend time reading and tolerate the suspense of a rising plot before they get the climax and resolution of the story. Moreover, once they begin reading chapter books and book series, they must learn to be patient as they wait until they can read the next chapter or the next book.
Reading promotes critical thinking
Kids consume most digital content passively. Reading, on the other hand, requires active participation. As kids read, they must organize narrative structures, evaluate the viewpoints of different characters, and connect isolated details to a broader theme. Researchers have found that doing these things strengthens neural connections and enhances memory. The brain’s increased ability to understand, retain, and reflect on information is a skill that is transferrable to other areas of life.
Reading helps kids fight misinformation
Our lives are fraught with misinformation that has the potential to do significant personal and societal harm. Thankfully, reading is a simple way to equip kids to identify and fight misinformation. There are a couple of ways reading does this. First, reading trains kids to slow down, reflect, and think critically. Misinformation typically seeks to trigger shock, anger, or fear to illicit an immediate gut reaction that motivates individuals to quickly share the misinformation with others. Having wrestled with texts before, kids who read know how to question assumptions, follow complex plots, identify hidden subplots, and examine character motives. They are prepared to avoid knee-jerk reactions and are less likely to assume a single image or account is absolute truth in favor of automatically asking questions about a claim. Who is proving the information? How’d they get the information? What are they hiding? What evidence supports the claim? Are there inconsistencies in the claim? What do they stand to gain by sharing it?
A second way that reading helps kids identify and fight misinformation is by providing them with a knowledge bank. Well-read children have large knowledge banks. They know about historical events, scientific facts, cultures, the motives of characters, points of view, plot devices (red herring, deus ex machina, etc.), and common tropes. Armed with this knowledge, well-read kids can easily identify claims that lack scientific or historical validity. Additionally, their exposure to so much information and so many viewpoints helps them be alert to confirmation biases and one-sided, polarized narratives, making them better able to resist echo chambers.
Final thoughts
Though I was thinking about children while writing this post, the reality is that these benefits aren’t unique to children. Adults reap these same benefits! An additional benefit of adults reading is that kids see their parents doing it and may be inspired to read more.
If you’d like to read more about how much reading kids are doing these days and about how reading benefits them in our digital age, please see my sources:
- Federal Data on Reading for Pleasure: All Signs Show a Slump
- The Importance of Reading in the Digital Age and How It Can Transform Our Lives
- The Threat of Technology to Students’ Reading Brains
What do you see with your kids? In what ways does reading benefit them?
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