Attention & Technology - Attention spans have declined significantly, from 2 minutes 30 seconds in 2004 to under 1 minute in 2021 [4] - The digital world uses engagement as currency, offering distractions and dopamine hits, driven by surveillance capitalism [6][7] - This system uses psychological and neuroscientific concepts to predict and manage behavior through data collection [8] - Excessive information and "fear of missing out" (FOMO) contribute to anxiety, depression, and compulsive behaviors [11] - The report is not against technology but calls for rethinking our relationship with it [12] Reading & Cognitive Function - Deep reading, characterized as slow, critical, active, and reflective, is presented as a countermeasure to attention fragmentation [14] - Deep reading offers more than vocabulary enrichment, fostering social intelligence and empathy [16][17] - Reading habits develop social intelligence and empathy through character's life stories [17] - Reading exercises imagination, creativity, long-term memory, and self-regulation [18] - Reading requires cognitive effort, pulling the brain out of its comfort zone and promoting critical thinking, memory, and attention [21] Reading Trends & Cultural Impact - The percentage of non-readers is higher than that of readers, with a loss of 65 million to 7 million readers between 2019 and 2024 [19] - Reading is not an innate brain function but a cultural invention requiring adaptation [20]

Reading Habits & Preferences - Research indicates a potential literary bias, suggesting all reading is valuable, regardless of genre [1] - A survey reveals that fantasy is less popular among 7th graders (12%) compared to 6th (27%) and 8th graders (24%) [2] - Romance sees a rise in popularity from 6th (13%) to 8th grade (32%), possibly due to the onset of adolescence [3] - Interest in biographies/real-life stories is highest in 6th grade (3%) compared to 7th (1%) and 8th grade (0%) [5] - A significant 34% of 8th graders reported reading zero books in the past year [6] Reading Volume - 10% of 6th graders read between 0-1 books, while 25% of 7th graders and 34% of 8th graders read between 0-1 books [6] - 32% of 6th graders read between 2-5 books, 14% of 7th graders read between 2-5 books and 24% of 8th graders read between 2-5 books [7] - 30% of 6th graders read more than 10 books, 32% of 7th graders read more than 10 books and 23% of 8th graders read more than 10 books [8] National vs International Literature - There's a decline in preference for national books as students get older: 56% in 6th grade, 36% in 7th, and 22% in 8th [10] - Preference for international books increases with age: 44% in 6th grade, 64% in 7th, and 78% in 8th [10]