Page & Pen’s Mission to Combat Reading Decline Amongst our Youth
The big question—are we facing a new age of illiteracy amongst our young adults?
Did you know, reading amongst 17 year-olds has declined by 67% from 1984 to 2016? Or that our youth spend more time watching TV commercials (not actual shows, just the commercials!) than they do reading every day? Or that in 2019, the average teen spent approximately 3 hours on social media a day (Source: Digital Information World).
Earlier this year I read an article from the National Literacy Trust about the decline in readers amongst our youth and it awoke something within me. The more I researched, the more astonished I became. It was a shocking, eye-opening revelation spurring my new mission—to increase reading amongst our youth.
So Why? That’s the question we have all asked yourself at some point in time. It’s one I ask myself almost every single day. The “why” is my drive and it is one of the reasons I founded Page & Pen. I grew up in a household where I was fortunate to be surrounded by literature—all the time. My mom was a high school English teacher and taught us to value a good book; she is the very reason why I’ve fallen in love with literature and she is part of the reason I created Page & Pen. When I first learned of the decline in reading amongst our youth, I knew I had to at least try to make an impact, no matter how small it is.
According to Reading Is Fundamental, 37% of high school graduates are at or above their reading proficiency in 2019. Meaning 63% ARE NOT reading at a level they need to in order to survive in today’s society.
With COVID-19 changing education in many ways—online classes, home-schooling, or cancelled classes altogether, the literacy of our children is never at more peril than it is now.
But has COVID-19 changed reading for teenager for the better or the worse? You may be shocked to learn (I know I was!!) that “more than a quarter of children and young people say they are enjoying reading more during lockdown” according to a study by National Literacy Trust. While this particular study was conducted in the UK, I have seen similar results within the US.
But what does that all mean for Page & Pen? I am excited to see a rise in reading during the pandemic, but with the vaccine slowly becoming available to more and more of the population, school will begin in no time and the focus will shift toward closing the massive gap in missed education. I cannot deny how valuable a proper education is but, I believe reading amongst our youth will fall into the same pattern as before the pandemic—falling once more to the previous or worst conditions. Pen & Page aims to diminish that decline as much as physically possible by providing relevant content, new and upcoming literature, free resources, and more.
Don’t have access to any books at home? Here is a list of free books that you can download on Amazon Kindle or read online.
17 FREE BOOKS FOR YOUNG ADULTS
For those who have an Amazon or Smashwords account, then these Kindle books are easily accessible and the best part—they’re free. Whether you’re looking for a gripping adventure, a thrilling sci-fi, or a contemporary chick-lit, there is a book for you!
Additional Information:
Children and young people’s reading in 2020 before and during the COVID-19 lockdown. (n.d.). Retrieved January 17, 2021, from https://literacytrust.org.uk/research-services/research-reports/children-and-young-peoples-reading-in-2020-before-and-during-the-covid-19-lockdown/
The Issue. (2020, August 26). Retrieved January 17, 2021, from https://www.rif.org/literacy-network/the-issue
Salim, S. (2019, January 04). How much time do you spend on social media? Research says 142 minutes per day. Retrieved January 17, 2021, from https://www.digitalinformationworld.com/2019/01/how-much-time-do-people-spend-social-media-infographic.html
Teen Readers Society. (n.d.). Retrieved February 02, 2021, from https://teenreaderssociety.org/facts-figures/