In 2025, the simple joy of a bedtime story is under threat. A recent report from HarperCollins UK paints a concerning picture: fewer than half of Generation Z parents find reading to their children "fun for me", with almost one in three viewing it as a learning chore rather than a shared pleasure. The data, drawn from a survey of 1,596 parents, reveals a stark drop in recreational reading, with only a third of children aged five to ten frequently reading for fun, compared to over half in 2012.
Embracing Technology: The AI Storyteller
Faced with this challenge, parents are getting creative. Bri Ramos, a 37-year-old marketing professional from Oklahoma City, found an unlikely ally in ChatGPT. After a teacher emphasised the profound impact of nightly reading on a child's developing brain, Ramos began using the AI's 'talk' feature to generate personalised bedtime tales. She crafts stories about a character named after her six-year-old daughter, Camilla, and even requests a British accent for added fun.
"When we're reading from a book, it's more technical," Ramos explained. "When we're reading from AI, it's more fun and engaging." She uses the tool sparingly, as a refreshing change when traditional reading feels stale, and always supervises to ensure the content is age-appropriate. While experts like Alexandria Abenshon of the New York Public Library acknowledge the appeal, they caution that AI-generated stories can lack the diverse perspectives found in published books.
Thinking Beyond the Storybook
For parents of reluctant readers, the key is often finding alternative gateways to the written word. Children's author Alliah L Agostini from Montclair, New Jersey, discovered that her eight-year-old son showed more interest in the instructional text of cookbooks than in conventional narratives. "I think a lot of people downplay reading cookbooks because there's no story," said Agostini, 43. "But it's fun for them to look at the steps, follow instructions and create something."
This approach aligns with a broader philosophy of meeting children where their interests lie. Agostini advises patience, noting that "kids consume media a little bit differently than we did." The goal is to build positive associations with text, whether it's a recipe or a fairy tale.
The Dramatic Performance
Other parents are turning storytime into a full theatrical production. Actor Arjay Smith, 42, uses a repertoire of celebrity impressions—from Christopher Walken to Morgan Freeman—to narrate tales for his children in Los Angeles. He and his wife sometimes act out plots, transforming reading into an immersive performance.
"It has a greater impact on their life and how they connect to stories," Smith said. "Now it's not just words on a page, it's words on a page that were brought to life." This method of giving each character a distinct "voice and vibration" makes the narrative memorable and exciting.
Ultimately, literacy advocates stress consistency and modelling. Alexandria Abenshon encourages parents to "embrace all types of reading," including wordless picture books that children can narrate themselves. The most critical step, she says, is building the habit. "Making sure that we have a time and a space to read are critical ingredients to building a relationship with reading," Abenshon concluded. In an age of digital distraction, these inventive strategies may be vital to preserving the foundational joy of getting lost in a good book.
