Digital reading app Epic has released its second annual Read All About It report about the state of kids’ reading. Epic commissioned research firm Morning Consult to conduct an online poll of a nationwide sample of 1,000 parents of children ages 5 to 12 to ask them about kids’ interests and reading behaviors over the prior year. Those results, combined with Epic’s aggregated and anonymized platform data tracking 50 million kid users, comprise the new report.
Among the key takeaways:
In 2021, platform users ages 6 to 12 spent an average of 99 minutes per month reading on Epic. That’s the same rate Epic reported for the year 2020, when its research indicated that the amount of time kids spent reading on the app increased significantly due to school closures and the pandemic lockdown. (Reading on the platform had increased 89% from 2019 to 2020 and in 2021 it held steady at that same elevated level.)
Children ages 3 to 5 using Epic spent an average of 81 minutes a month reading in 2021, and users younger than age eight spent the majority of their time on the platform engaging with Epic’s Read-to-Me content.
Sixty percent of parents participating in the poll said that after reading, their children felt more confident, and the same number of parents, 60%, said their kids felt more content after reading.
More than half of surveyed parents—54%—said that books were “very helpful” when they discussed complex subjects with their children. Specific issues the survey asked about included: Covid, the Black Lives Matter movement, climate change, LGBTQ+ topics, and mental health.
The freedom to make their own book selections is a motivator for Epic users. Thirty-eight percent of surveyed parents said their children read “a lot more” on the platform, and 33% indicated their kids read “a little more” on Epic when they could choose the books they wanted to read.