As students enter adolescence and beyond, their main influence shifts to peers and, increasingly, social media influencers.
Before adolescence, parents and teachers have greater influence as role models in shaping a child’s behaviour and, by extension, their reading experiences and habits, said Sunway University Centre of English Language Studies head Assoc Prof Dr Nicholas Lee Boon Kheng.
Because social media is multi-modal and heavily reliant on video rather than text, reading – particularly long-form text – has declined, likely contributing to the trends observed in the Financial Industry Collective Outreach (Finco) Beyond Books: Reading Culture amongst Malaysian Students report.
According to the report, as students progress into secondary school, reading becomes increasingly self-directed, with digital platforms influencing 40% of book choices, alongside higher digital reading rates of 77% among secondary students compared with 68% of primary pupils (see infographic). The report also shows that 11% of students acknowledged that they get distracted by social media and games while reading on digital devices.
“Encouraging engagement with longer texts at an earlier age can help build sustained reading habits, while the introduction of audiobooks could also support this development,” Lee said, noting that digital reading resources can be a double-edged sword.
He cautioned that while these resources can expand access to diverse and engaging materials that support learning, they can also introduce distractions that may undermine sustained reading habits if device use is unregulated.
“Having more choice is a big plus point in the early years, as this often also encourages reading widely, thus increasing the foundational knowledge and vocabulary needed for future learning.
“On the other hand, digital devices, particularly smartphones and tablets, provide access to other things that could be a distraction, such as videos and games, where research has shown that images and videos are more attractive than plain text,” he said.
Urging parents to use digital tools intentionally and set clear boundaries, Lee said this is necessary to balance screen time with reading for pleasure.
“While many apps encourage early reading, there is a gap for older children, and unmonitored device use often leads to more gaming and video consumption than reading.
“Parents play a crucial role in guiding children to view devices as learning tools rather than entertainment, and in creating dedicated time and space for reading long-form texts,” he said.
Agreeing, Taylor’s University School of Diploma and Professional Studies programme director Nurul Iman Arshad said digital tools should be viewed as supplemental aid rather than the primary instructional tool.
“Human interactions, hands-on, fun and contextual learning remain essential for providing rich vocabulary and developmentally appropriate structure.
“Even when using digital resources, the need for meaningful interaction with parents or caregivers remains.
“For example, when using short animations, parents can discuss the stories with their children or prompt them to sound out keywords,” Nurul Iman, who heads the school’s diploma in early childhood education programme, said.
