Half of Japanese students don't read books, smartphones 'take up all their time'

A new survey shows that nearly half of Japanese students do not read books, despite Japan being famous for its reading culture, while time spent on smartphones has increased sharply.

Japanese students use smartphones more than reading books - Photo: MAINICHI

“Students today seem to spend most of their free time on their phones and have little interest in books,” Haruo Kimura, chief researcher at the Benesse Institute for Educational Research (Japan), told the Mainichi newspaper.

The survey, conducted by the Benesse Institute in collaboration with the University of Tokyo, involved about 20,000 parent-student pairs from grades 1 to 12, conducted annually from 2015 to 2024 to track reading habits and smartphone usage.

The results showed that in 2024, 52.7% of students did not read any books at all (including e-books), a sharp increase from 34.3% in 2015.

This rate increased with age with 33.6% of students in grades 1-3, 47.7% in grades 4-6, 59.8% in grades 7-9 and 69.8% in grades 10-12.

The average reading time per day also decreased significantly, especially from grade 4 and above, it also decreased to 15.6 minutes in grades 4-6, 14.1 minutes in middle school and 10.1 minutes in high school.

In contrast, smartphone use increased sharply, from 33.4 minutes to 138.3 minutes per day depending on age. Research shows that the longer the phone is used, the shorter the reading time is, especially in students in grades 4-6 and 7-9.

The survey also found a link between reading and vocabulary. Specifically, students who read longer tend to score higher on vocabulary tests, especially in grades 3, 6, and 12.

“Digital devices can both occupy reading time and expand the scope of intellectual activity. It is important that children have time to be exposed to comprehensive texts and opportunities to explore new worlds , whether on paper or digital,” Kimura added.

This survey highlights a major challenge in modern education: how to balance the convenience of digital devices with traditional reading habits, helping children develop both knowledge and vocabulary comprehensively.

Trieu Phuong

Source: https://tuoitre.vn/nua-so-hoc-sinh-nhat-ban-khong-doc-sach-smartphone-chiem-het-thoi-gian-20251109100424406.htm