Digital devices are already part of students' daily lives, as they scroll through social media and watch videos. Concerns about screentime are valid, but a simple ban on devices does not magically turn someone who loves TikTok into someone who loves Tolstoy.
Instead, use their digital interests as a starting point. Libraries and classrooms can turn screens into tools for active reading and critical thinking. You just have to meet students where they are, so you can encourage curiosity and a love for reading.
Reframe Screens as Reading Opportunities
Screen time is not inherently bad. A child may be reading an e-book, exploring a digital magazine or joining an online book discussion. Passively doom-scrolling on TikTok or YouTube, however, can shorten students' attention spans.
Instead of seeing reading and technology as rivals, treat them as partners. The goal is to show kids how digital devices can also be tools for exploration and storytelling, helping them become more open to reading in both digital and print formats. If you highlight quality digital reading platforms alongside physical books, students learn that meaningful reading can happen anywhere.
Build Collections That Reflect Students' Digital Interests
One effective way to promote reading is by choosing materials that connect with existing online interests. Watch for trends, popular creators, gaming communities and new genres. If your class is interested in space, coding or sports, create displays and reading lists around those topics.
You can add graphic novels and manga, audiobooks, e-books, interactive digital magazines or books related to popular games or films. In fact, 83% of school librarians suggest graphic novels to students who struggle with reading. Blending familiar digital interests with engaging reading materials reduces the gap between entertainment and literacy.
Use Digital Tools as a Gateway to Reading
Encourage students to use their devices as a launchpad. For example, they could start by finding credible digital sources on a topic before they dive into books. It’s a natural way to teach them how to think critically and compare sources.
Additionally, a short digital introduction can also spark curiosity and motivate further learning. For example, after watching a video about ecosystems, the class can explore related books, articles or research materials to follow up on what fascinated them. You can begin lessons with digital media, then guide students toward novels, historical accounts, or primary sources that provide greater context and details that bring the topic to life.
Create Programs That Blend Media and Reading
Library programs can connect digital engagement with traditional literacy. This is an opportunity to harness screen power by deliberately designing experiences that do use screentime.
Think book trailers created by students, digital escape rooms based on novels or multimedia storytelling projects about your local community.
For example, instead of just a book club, create a “Book-to-Screen Club.” Children could read a novel like The Hunger Games and then meet to film their own dramatic, 30-second book trailer for it.
These activities show that reading extends beyond the page while keeping books and discussion at the core.
Teach Media Literacy Alongside Reading
The point of reading is to inform or to entertain, but in today’s world, thoughtful reading is a learned skill. Many students get their information from social media before they even pick up a book. In fact, 80% of teens report they use social media every day. It’s vital that they know how to tell what is real, what isn’t, and why they should care.
A good media literacy strategy underpins all of your other efforts. Start by teaching children how digital platforms get — and hold — their attention. Explain at an age-appropriate level how algorithms work, so that they know why specific content appears and how recommendations are made.
You can include this across the curriculum by asking daily questions such as:
- Who made this content?
- Why do you think they made it?
- What evidence supports what this content says?
- How do you know?
These questions push the class to analyze, compare and investigate information, rather than just consuming it.
Give Students Ownership of Their Reading
Reading engagement increases when students see themselves and their interests reflected in available materials. When a child who loves Minecraft finds a shelf of fantasy novels set in block-based worlds, or a young fashionista discovers a biography of Coco Chanel, they see that the library has something for them. Taking time to learn what individuals enjoy outside the classroom is vital.
You can also invite kids to recommend titles, vote on book club selections or help create reading challenges. When young people have a voice, they buy in. The shift from being told what to read to becoming creators of their own reading culture is how you build a habit that actually lasts.
Celebrate Reading Across Multiple Formats
All reading is real reading. Audiobooks and online articles build literacy just as well as print biographies. Celebrate reading milestones of any kind with digital badges or a shared “what we’re reading” wall.
Acknowledging these diverse formats reinforces that what matters is the meaning they find, not the medium they use.
Measure Engagement Beyond Circulation Numbers
Circulation statistics don't tell the whole story. To see if your efforts are truly working, look for other signs, such as increased participation in reading programs, more student recommendations or higher digital collection usage.
Talk to students regularly to learn which initiatives resonate most. Make small adjustments based on student feedback to produce meaningful improvements over time. Turning screen time into reading is an ongoing work in progress rather than a quick fix.
Build a Reading Culture That Extends Beyond the Classroom
Try working with teachers from different subjects to embed reading into projects. Create themed displays linked to classroom units, invite guest speakers or organize school-wide reading initiatives that connect books to current events and student interests.
Small, visible reminders go a long way. Suggest that teachers post what they’re currently reading on their classroom doors, or collaborate to build a display of new graphic novels right next to a tablet showing the latest TikTok trends. When reading becomes part of the everyday culture rather than a separate assignment, students are more likely to see it as an enjoyable and valuable activity.
Turning Digital Habits Into Lifelong Reading
Students are going to use screens, and there’s no turning the clock back on that. The real goal is to help them use technology to make reading a bigger, more exciting part of their lives. By building libraries that speak to their interests, running creative programs, integrating media literacy and making the most of digital tools, you can shape spaces where books and technology work together.
When you connect their digital world to the world of books, you give children the tools to navigate both with confidence, ready for whatever comes next.
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