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William Nichols on Muck Rack

William Nichols

As seen in: The Washington Post, Yahoo Canada, The Conversation, Chron, Yahoo, Seattle PI, CT Insider, The Beaumont Enterprise, Greenwich Time, The Facts and
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Articles

Reading for pleasure builds empathy in children, but fewer kids are picking up books just for the fun of it

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By William Nichols, Michelle Kearney
| Yahoo Canada Verified
William Dee Nichols, University of Maine and Michelle Kearney, University of Maine Tue, July 7, 2026 at 1:04 p.m. UTC 6 min read Add Yahoo as a preferred source to see more of our stories on Google. In 2023, 14% of 13-year-olds read for fun, a decrease from the 27% of teens this age who said they did so in 2012.
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Reading for pleasure builds empathy in children, but fewer kids are picking up books just for the fun of it

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By William Nichols, Michelle Kearney
| The Facts Verified
(The Conversation is an independent and nonprofit source of news, analysis and commentary from academic experts.) kAmW%wt r~}'t#$p%x~}X #625:?8 2==@HD 49:=5C6? E@ =:G6 :? 2 G:3C2?E H@C=5[ DFCC@F?565 3J 72:C:6D[ 6=G6D 2?5 E2=<:?8 2?:>2=D[ EC2?DA@CE:?8 E96> E@ A=246D H96C6 E96 :>A@DD:3=6 364@>6D C62=] qFE C625:?8 7@C A=62DFC6 2=D@ 96=AD 49:=5C6? k2 9C67lQ9EEADi^^5@:]@C8^`_]cbac^hfg`__ba`ge_hQm=62C?
Open in Who Shared Issue with article?

Reading for pleasure builds empathy in children, but fewer kids are picking up books just for fun

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By William Nichols, Michelle Kearney
| The Washington Post Verified
Ripple brings together diverse perspectives from other publications to show how the country is engaging with today's biggest stories. It operates independently from the Washington Post News and Opinion departments, and isn't subject to their policies and standards. Reading for pleasure builds empathy in children, but fewer kids are picking up books just for fun As schools focus more on evidence-based reading instruction, less time is available for children to practice reading for pleasure.
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