Will you even make it to the end of this article? Research shows our attention spans are shrinking, and long-form reading is taking the hit. Each year, the number of people who choose to read long-form content drops by about 3%. Over the last two decades, reading for pleasure in America has plummeted nearly 40%.
While these statistics may seem shocking, they are evident in many of our lives today. I find that, unless something truly sparks my interest, I struggle to concentrate on it for a long time. It’s difficult to sit with articles from classes, pages of instructions and even lengthy emails.
There’s no doubt that books are losing their popularity, but why is this happening? Are books inching towards extinction as forms of information and entertainment? Scientists emphasize that there isn’t one source to point to, but a plethora of elements can be credited for this downward trend.
It’s not always a question of attention, but ability. Literacy is taking a nosedive, as 21% of US adults are functionally illiterate. This is evident in classrooms across America. Surprisingly, higher-achieving students are reaching and exceeding reading competency levels, but students below the basic level are sinking lower.
Researchers from the University of London and the University of Florida conducted a survey monitoring Americans’ (ages 15 and older) reading habits from 2003 to 2023. They found that, according to ABC News, “reading declined more sharply among Black Americans, those with less education or lower incomes, and people in rural areas, with gaps widening over the 20-year study period.”
Meanwhile, as of September 2025, average reading scores for high school seniors have hit their lowest point since 1992. Some believe that the COVID-19 pandemic played a significant role, but levels have been declining well before and after the virus.
Every age group is being affected by this drop. Other studies point to how less than 2% of adults read to children daily, yet children’s screen time is soaring, leading to another major cause of this issue.
Social media undoubtedly has a negative effect on reading statistics. There is an excess of content in our world today competing for our attention; even commercials and shots in TV shows are adjusting and shortening in length.
Elaine Castillo, author of “How To Read Now,” notes how “Massive corporations have essentially captured the capacities in us for reading… Doom scrolling and the algorithms that go with it essentially put some of us in a kind of active addiction because it offers a kind of momentary dopamine hit or momentary pleasure, essentially for the enrichment of the wealthiest people in the world.”
Social media binges—often referred to as “doom scrolling”—are large parts of our lives today. It’s easy to take a short break from an assignment only to find yourself mindlessly swiping through TikTok an hour later.
When we use social media platforms such as TikTok, Instagram, Facebook and YouTube, our brains release dopamine. Chronic usage can lead to a state of dopamine-deficiency, lowering the amount of pleasure we feel during other activities. When we don’t get that sense of instant gratification from books, they become less enticing forms of entertainment. It’s true that online content often requires us to read. However, the amount of time we remain interested actually has the opposite effect on our ability to stay focused. Attention spans on screens were shown to be just 47 seconds in 2023. As a result, there has been an influx of multitaskers and an inhibition of productivity.
Another factor harming America’s literacy is AI usage. A study from Duke showed that use of AI caused a 12% decline in comprehension in participants. Today, as we use artificial intelligence tools to summarize lengthy texts or write up emails, researchers fear that genuine interaction with the written word is a dying practice.
Because of these declines, immersion in literature is more important than ever– especially for entertainment. Jill Sonke, a research professor at the University of Florida Center for Arts in Medicine, claims that “reading for pleasure is actually a health promoting activity. We know that participating in the arts is a health behavior because it statistically results in improved health outcomes including well-being, social cohesion, mental health.”
If we allow books to fade into the background, we risk losing depth and perspective. Reading builds patience and critical thinking. It trains us to focus on a single task for more than a few seconds. It develops imagination by forcing us to picture ideas in our own minds. It sharpens memory and deepens emotional understanding by letting us step into someone else’s story. Without those skills, our ability to think critically and connect with others starts to weaken. A culture that stops reading becomes one that is easily distracted, less thoughtful and less creative.
To combat our world’s attack on books, there are a number of habits you can implement into your daily routine. I recommend carrying books or e-readers with you and setting aside even just 10 minutes to read before bed. You may also benefit from setting social media limits throughout the day or using techniques such as the Pomodoro method (working for 25 minutes without distraction, then taking a 5-minute break) to study.
Congratulations, reader! You’ve just defied statistics.