A new generation of Canadians is discovering what their parents used to do for fun before smartphones existed.
Driving the news: A recent report from non-profit BookNet Canada found that half of Canadians read or listened to a book at least once a week in 2025, with 79% of respondents reading at least one book in the past year.
Surprisingly, young Canadians were reading at a higher clip than the national average. Over 90% of 18-to-29-year-olds read at least once last year — the highest share for that age group in six years — while 55% read weekly.
Why it’s happening: More people are turning to reading as a screen-time antidote. Gen Zs in particular have embraced books as a digital detox to the point where they have suddenly become — dare we say it — trendy.
Book sales in Canada rose over 4% last year while independent bookstores have seen a resurgence (after two decades of steady closures). Spotify has even started selling hardcover and paperback books after a surge in audiobook demand.
Why it matters: Books may not fully detach us from our devices, but reading for fun has made a meaningful return to our lives. The BookNet report found that, on a weekly basis, Canadians now spend more time reading than playing video games or listening to podcasts.
Our take: With people’s attention spans shrinking to the point where a 20-minute episode of TV seems like a serious commitment, maybe books can help retrain our brains to not need a new source of stimulation every few minutes.—LA
