The reading habit is collapsing, fast
In the last decade, the reading habit didn’t slowly decline, it collapsed. This isn’t about whether kids can read. It’s whether they choose to. Across the UK and US, the “read for pleasure” habit is shrinking fast, and screens are winning the time budget. If you want reading to stick, it needs to be desirable again, not just “good for them”.
Drop in Daily Reading
UK 8–18s who read daily in free time:
38.1% (2005) → 18.7% (2025)
DECLINE IN Kids ENJOYING READING
UK 8–18s who enjoy reading:
51.4% (2005) → 32.7% (2025)
Screen time, A day (+17% in 2 years)
for 8-12 year old daily entertainment screen use. From 4h 44m (2019→2021)
Why it’s happening at home?
Reading is a habit built at home. It drops when read-aloud fades, stories feel generic, and screens take the default time.
So the lever is simple: make reading feel personal, easy, and worth choosing.
drop in read-aloud at home
Under-fours read to frequently:
64% (2012) → 41% (2024) (−23pp / −35%)
Say, They’d read more if it fits
UK 8–18s say they’d read more if books matched their interests.
OF Adults didn’t read a book 2024
UK adults who didn’t read or listen to a book in the last 12 months.
Building Readers Through Adventure
Journee turns reading into something children look forward to. Personalised letters, meaningful stories, and age-adjusted language help children grow into confident readers without screens or pressure.
READING THAT GROWS WITH THEM
Every story adapts to your child’s stage. Younger readers enjoy playful repetition and simple phrasing, while older children discover richer vocabulary, deeper plots, and more complex ideas.
Reading never feels too hard - but it always keeps growing.
A READING RITUAL KIDS LOVE
Each new letter arrives like a small event. Children wait for it, open it, and step back into the adventure. That anticipation turns reading into a natural habit rather than something they have to be told to do.
A STORY MADE JUST FOR THEM
Your child is the hero of the story. Their name, their choices, their journey. Seeing themselves inside the adventure makes reading feel personal, meaningful, and far more engaging than generic stories.
STORIES WITH HEART
Journee stories aren’t just entertaining. They explore courage, curiosity, kindness, and creativity - the kinds of ideas that stay with children long after the letter is finished. Lessons appear naturally inside the adventure, never like homework.
