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HomeEducationImportance of Reading Habit for Teens

Importance of Reading Habit for Teens

Today’s teens are the future of tomorrow. A teenager is between the ages of 12 and 20. An age that is neither a child nor an adult, but is somewhere in the middle. The ages of 13 to 16 are commonly described as “childish.” In nature, 16 to 19 years old is more mature. That is, at least, how things should be. 

Teenage behaviour

Teenage is a time in life where they are going through major physical, hormonal, and emotional changes. Backtalk, attempting new things, some physical awkwardness, impatience, improving skills in some areas, rising sex curiosity, selfishness, some self-absorption, and looking for new role models are all things that come to mind.

With so much happening around the world and everything appearing in a fog without much clarity and teenagers being so much more vulnerable to getting carried away or being inspired by the wrong. It is crucial and absolutely mandatory to have the right knowledge.

There are a lot of problems with teenagers that they don’t feel comfortable sharing with their parents or elders due to the fear of getting judged. They immediately turn to their friends for help. Their friends are teens too and they fail to understand their friend’s understanding is similar. That is why reading good books and entering into the right stream of knowledge is so important, especially when a person is trying to navigate through tough times during teen years. 

There are so many books that have been written especially to guide teenagers. The good thing is they don’t feel like a lonely teen anymore once they get into the habit of reading books every day.

In simple words, they don’t really need no one if read a book. At the end of the day, he/she is a mature and understanding teen who is trying to understand life and chalk out your own priorities and you are also doing well in being a great human being with a positive outlook for the world and for yourself. 

Today’s scenario of reading books

What is the scenario of today’s teens and children alike, when it comes to reading books?

Today’s teens and children sadly do not read books if we may say so. According to statistics by the National Literacy Trust, only 26% of under-18s spend some time reading each day in 2019. Since the charity began surveying children’s reading habits in 2005, this is the lowest daily level ever reported. What is even sadder is that little kids during their childhood enjoyed reading thoroughly but their enthusiasm died with age due to the addictive influence of social media. However, in 2019, only 53% of kids reported that they love reading which is the lowest record since 2013. 

According to the latest reports, 27% of adults never read books in the US, and people aged between 15-44 commit less than 10 mins per day to reading, says Pew Research Center. The American Psychological Association says that over 80% of teenagers are reading simply for the sake of it and nothing for satisfaction. Considering the scenario, the situation seems pretty concerning as to what shall happen next, to our upcoming generations. 

Why should young people read?

  1. 6 minutes of extra reading each day can make a substantial difference in a child’s reading ability.
  1. According to reading statistics, 83 percent of youngsters whose parents or teachers read the text aloud have found joy in reading many times more compared to reading it on their own. Probably this is the reason why in India, there is a profound culture of grandparents narrating stories to children. This is a very nostalgic memory common to every Indian family. 
  1. Exposing children to online reading books or e-books could result in a rise of up to 8.4 months in average reading levels, says National Literacy Trust. 
  1. As mentioned before, even 30 minutes of reading per week can improve satisfaction with life, says research. 
  1. Stress, a very common occurrence in today’s teenagers, can be battled to a significant level of 68% simply by reading books. Before bedtime reading helps get soundless sleep.
  1. As teenagers and children we are not supremely experienced nor do we have knowledge about every aspect of life. But here’s the thing – According to reading statistics, a teen can be more mature, intuitive and possess huge decision making skills if they read fiction as a child.
  1. Children and youngsters who read are 26% more knowledgeable compared to the ones who don’t. 
  1. Study says that nowadays big businesses and MNcs are hiring people with less IQ but more EQ, exactly something that reading books help you with.

Ways of reading?

We do agree that there is nothing like reading a book by turning the pages and going through each line, where you keep your phone aside and disconnect from the social world. That’s the most effective way of learning. 

But it is understandable that with today’s times, it sometimes takes too long to fetch the hardcopy of your desired book and can also be pretty expensive if purchased online. Therefore the other ways of reading can be through Audiobooks, e-books, Kindle, and many more. You simply need to have an intention to have a solution. 

Also read:

Ahana Das
Ahana Das
Ahana Das is a writer, singer and dramatist, and literature enthusiast. She is an aspiring author who is passionate about putting her thoughts and views out in the world. Currently, she is pursuing her graduation in Calcutta University.
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