Most children prefer spending time online to reading a book

The vast majority of children (94 percent) prefer spending time online to reading a book, according to a national survey of teachers.

And by the time they reach secondary school age, nearly half of children no longer enjoy reading for pleasure.

The worrying figures come from a survey this spring of 410 English teachers from all regions of the UK, commissioned by publishing company Pearson UK, which owns Penguin Books.

The UK's first Professor of Reading, the children's author Frank Cottrell Boyce, said: "It's worrying to think that so many young children are not being inspired to pick up a good book and get lost in a story.

"According to UNESCO the biggest single indicator of whether a child is going to thrive at school and in work is whether or not they read for pleasure."



Ninety seven per cent of teachers said that parents must do more to encourage their children to read.

The research follows years of findings that books are dropping in popularity with children as internet use has rocketed.

A recent study by researchers at Worcester University revealed that many young readers are now unfamiliar with characters from classic children's literature like Jemima Puddleduck and Anne of Green Gables - and even Harry Potter.

And in December, the National Literacy Trust found that four million British children - one in every three - don't own a single book.

Boys prefer horror novels and science fiction to other genres, teachers in the Pearson survey reported. However, both boys and girls have an appetite for fantasy novels. This trend is evidenced by the strong teen fantasy book market for series like Twilight and The Hunger Games.

More than three-quarters of teachers thought that a greater use of online or digital technology to practise reading could help with literacy at Key Stage 3.

Pearson have launched a series of books and plays called HEROES, edited by Frank Cottrell Boyce, which are designed to catch the attention of reluctant readers.

Do your children prefer online to books? Any books you'd recommend for enticing them away from screens?

Check out some brilliant books for eight to 11-year-olds here: