By allowing the children themselves to answer questionnaires about their reading habits, the Swedish Media Council has for a long period noticed that more and more people spend less time on books and newspapers.
It is mainly in older children that reading of books has decreased, in the latest survey 79% between the ages of 13-16 answered that they do not read books and newspapers at all or less than an hour.
- It is clear that digital media affects, but you can not put one against the other as these children grew up with mobile and internet. Instead, we must investigate the issue on many different levels, says Anette Novak, the Swedish Media Council.
Hard to investigate
The issue is becoming increasingly complex to investigate as all media touch on each other. Before, there were clear lines between different kinds of media, but now everything has become a mixture, says Anette Novak. Therefore, the question is complex and becomes increasingly difficult to investigate.
This year, the survey has been canceled as it would not be comparable with previous years due to the corona pandemic.