Reading Has to Be Prioritized

The second you step foot into a library today, it is likely that you will see many teenagers and high school students hunched over their computers, tackling schoolwork. Yet, it is highly unlikely that you will see any of them checking out books. In recent years, students have traded stories for short-term content, putting their books down and picking their phones up. Most busy teens claim they can’t find the time in their schedule to sit down and read, while others dismiss it altogether. According to the Nation’s Report Card, in September 2025, average reading scores for high school seniors fell to their lowest level since 1992, reflecting the consequences of deprioritizing reading.

Extracurricular reading fosters empathy, promotes creativity, and encourages critical thinking, making it crucial now, more than ever, that schools reignite a culture of reading. British author C.S. Lewis once said, “We read to know we are not alone.” Reading books, especially fiction, fosters empathy by allowing readers to step into a character’s shoes and view the world through someone else’s eyes.

Through engaging in reading, students strengthen their ability to connect with people in the real world, and such exposure to alternative perspectives can’t be substituted by social media. A lack of reading confines one to their own personal experiences and the misinformation they see online, making them less open to new ideas. In more extreme cases, this lack of exposure can reinforce an individual’s own narrow biases or unexamined beliefs. For these reasons, steps need to be taken within schools to bring reading back into students’ lives. Doing so will create students more equipped to succeed in and beyond the classroom. Those who read habitually do not struggle with nuance.

Reading books trains the brain to process complex information and think critically. Patience and mental stamina are required for the processing which allows a reader to become fully immersed within a story. Moreover, the necessary processes of comprehension, reflection, analysis, and evaluation are all made possible by the act of reading. Without reading books, individuals can develop an oversimplified view of the world. Likewise, reading promotes creativity because when words on a page create an image of a setting, the imagination is tasked with filling in the rest. Because reading introduces students to worlds they would not have otherwise known, it needs to be made a top priority within school curricula.

Schools can create habitual readers through encouraging students to pursue books they are interested in. Book reports won’t cut it anymore. Reading must be integrated into the daily routines of high school students. Teens need space to rediscover the joy they once felt for story-time or being read a book by their parents before bed. Our technologically advancing world demands it.