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Written question asked by Victoria Collins (Liberal Democrat) on Thursday, 19 June 2025, in the House of Commons. It was due for an answer on Monday, 23 June 2025. It was answered by Catherine McKinnell (Labour) on Thursday, 26 June 2025 on behalf of the Department for Education.


Reading

Question

To ask the Secretary of State for Education, what plans her Department has to promote reading through (a) digital formats and (b) media platforms commonly used by young people.

Answer

The department wants children to develop the habit of reading widely and often, for both pleasure and information, and teachers should encourage pupils to develop reading habits by listening to, discussing, and reading a wide range of literature. Departmental officials are working with the sector and other departments to consider how we can encourage reading for pleasure across a variety of formats and support children to develop a lifelong love of reading.

The National Literacy Trust's 2025 annual literacy survey shows that more children who enjoyed reading engaged with a variety of formats, both on paper and on screen. It showed that paper remained the most popular format for reading among children and young people in 2025, but some types of content were preferred on screen, such as song lyrics and news articles.


Secondary information

Type
Written question
Reference
61425
Session
2024-26
Related items
Reading
Thursday, 3 July 2025
Written questions
House of Commons
Subjects
Digital technology Reading Social media
Link
View this Written question on www.parliament.uk