Why Do Teenagers Hate Reading?
By Adalyn Lowe
We all have that one classmate, or truly several, who just cannot stand reading. They are handed a book in English class and they toss it in the abyss of a backpack, never to be opened. Before being tested on the content, they will frantically read the SparkNotes. And at home, they would never consider reading a book in their free time.
In an increasingly digital world, reading books has become an increasingly dying act. For many, reading has become a chore rather than a source of recreation. It fails to provide the instant gratification that so many other things are able to do nowadays. Your phone is in your pocket, and the books are so far away, that it’s much easier to just open up social media and spend an hour on that instead. The neurological effects of quick hits of dopamine scrolling through content leave teenagers less inclined to open up a book as an alternative.
Therefore, books have become much less relevant in today’s teenage society. Many will only read when it’s assigned in school. Teenagers often feel disconnected from the characters and plots they read in academic settings, discouraging them from reading further and finding some they can enjoy. Here, reading becomes a task to endure instead of a form of escapism, knowledge, and pleasure. Classic literature, which we are so often assigned, is endlessly valuable in literary merit, and yet falls short in engaging so many teenagers. Especially when one doesn’t read often, the language in these stories are overly complex to contemporary speak. It’s difficult to comprehend, and often asks readers to stare at a page for extra time to understand. While some will appreciate the value and writing style, others may view it as a worthless historical relic.
Not only that, but additional pressure is enforced when the reading becomes a grade. To process the story is now binding, and to enjoy it is not the priority. It is more important to pass the quiz on it, correctly identify all the themes, and memorize all the symbols on a series of flashcards. Teenagers begin to associate reading not as a pleasurable activity, but as a necessity to pass English class.
In my Bay Area high school, English class also struggles to stay relevant in a STEM-focused community. Technology and video content continue to dominate industries and has become increasingly key to the future. Reading books no longer seems important to one’s future success, more so who can hold the highest grade in AP Chemistry or survive AP Calculus BC. In the struggle to rise to the top, reading falls further and further from its status (unless naturally, it’s in a word problem). It no longer seems like a relevant and rewarding activity.
To enjoy reading, teenagers must find a way to connect with it. Books are so wildly diverse nowadays, there is truly something for everyone. Models, including adults in the teenager’s life and school, should depict reading as a crucial and pleasurable aspect of life.
