A comprehensive survey by the National Literacy Trust highlights a troubling trend in reading habits among teenage boys in the UK, revealing that only 10% of boys aged 14 to 16 read daily for pleasure. The research indicates that boys' reading for enjoyment is being overshadowed by school-related commitments, increased screen time, and other activities such as sports. While both genders experience a decline in reading during early adolescence, the report notes that girls show signs of improvement in later teenage years, starkly contrasting the persistent low engagement among boys.

The survey, based on responses from nearly 80,000 young people aged 11 to 16, illustrates a significant drop in the enjoyment of reading as children grow older. Early readers, aged eight to 11, exhibit a high enjoyment rate of 46.9%, which diminishes to 29.5% for those between 11 and 14, and further declines to just 28.6% among teenagers aged 14 to 16. These figures emphasize a critical loss of interest that may have implications for their overall literacy skills and academic performance.

Furthermore, the report finds that daily reading habits also show a marked decline with age; only 14% of boys aged 14 to 16 report reading daily, in contrast to 31.1% of children aged eight to 11. Girls maintain a higher rate of daily reading across the age groups, with 36% of younger girls (eight to 11) reading every day, highlighting potential gaps in literacy development and the need for targeted interventions to encourage reading among boys as they approach adulthood.