E-Books Gaining In Popularity With Kids
What’s the Latest Development?
This Monday Scholastic released its 2012 “Kids & Family Reading Report,” which measures reading habits of children (ages 6-17) and parents over a two-year period. Not surprisingly, e-books and the devices used to read them have made significant inroads in families’ reading lives. Forty-six percent of kids have read an e-book, up from 25 percent in 2010. Children between the ages of 12 and 14 were most likely to have read an e-book compared to children of other ages, and girls read more e-books than boys, although the percentage of boys who read e-books climbed at a slightly faster rate between 2010 and 2012.
What’s the Big Idea?
Most schools don’t keep a large number of e-reading devices, so much of the e-book consumption takes place at home. The percentage of readers using iPads or other tablets jumped significantly, to 21 percent from 3 percent. Dedicated e-reader and handheld device use increased as well. Interestingly, the percentage of children who read for fun in general dropped by three points, but 49 percent said they would read more for fun if they had more access to e-books. Forty-nine percent of parents said their kids don’t read enough, a 13-point jump from 2010.
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