By Gavin Boyle
A study found that more children ages 8 to 18 now choose to listen to audiobooks in their free time, rather than read, however, this is not necessarily a bad thing.
“In recent years, we’ve seen a steady rise in children’s enjoyment of listening to audio and uncovering the myriad of benefits it can bring — from sparking a love of reading and supporting literacy development, to deepening listening and boosting wellbeing,” said Jonathan Douglas, a chief executive at the National Literacy Trust (NLT).
“By working together to leverage children and young people’s enthusiasm for audio, we can play an important role in growing a generation of readers and turning the page on the nation’s reading-for-pleasure crisis.”
The NTL’s study for 2024 found that roughly 40% of the kids ages 8 to 18 listen to audiobooks in their free time, compared to 33% of the same age group who read for fun. This was the first time since the organization began asking this question in 2020 that audio books were more popular than reading.
This rise in audio book popularity likely has a variety of causes, including parents turning to audio content, rather than providing their kids with screens, the ease of audiobook use and the ability to listen while doing other tasks. Amazon’s Audible service, for example, boasted over 27 million monthly users in 2023, while Spotify launched an audiobook service in 2022, providing access to its 263 million paying subscribers, offering 15 free hours of listening per month.
Related: Spotify CEO ‘Feels Good’ About New Audiobook Venture
While the continued decline of reading is concerning, experts are encouraged by the rise in popularity of audiobooks, especially because they encourage listeners to become interested in novels, increasing their likelihood to read as well.
“There is certainly potential in using audio formats to encourage a love of reading alongside all the things that schools are doing to teach children to read and write, and access great books,” said Julie McCulloch, the director of strategy and policy at the Association of School and College Leaders. “Audiobooks and podcasts may be particularly helpful with reluctant readers.
Reading isn’t the only skill being transformed by the changing tech landscape. Earlier this year, a different study found that Gen Z is losing the ability to write by hand as they develop through a school system that gives them laptops and iPads as early as kindergarten.
While technology has profound benefits on society, we should also beware the negative impact it could have if we allow it to replace our need to develop crucial skills that encourage creativity and critical thinking.
Read Next: Does It Matter That Gen Z Can’t Write by Hand?
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