Reading as a Right: Frank Cottrell-Boyce Calls for Policy Shift in Final Laureate Lecture

In his concluding lecture at the Royal Institution, Children’s Laureate Frank Cottrell-Boyce warned that daily shared reading among families with children aged eight and under in the United Kingdom fell from 60 % in 2021 to 49 % in 2025. He linked the decline to poverty, housing insecurity and the growing dominance of digital platforms, and urged policymakers to treat shared reading as a statutory right rather than a parental duty.

The Guardian

Cottrell-Boyce framed the issue within two overlapping crises: the COVID-19 pandemic and prolonged austerity measures. He noted that “furniture poverty” and frequent moves undermine stable bedtime routines, while social-media algorithms capture children’s attention. The lecture coincided with the UK’s National Year of Reading, a government-led campaign supported by the National Literacy Trust that seeks to reverse falling pleasure-reading rates.

The Guardian

• Shared reading prevalence: 60 % (2021) -> 49 % (2025) – BookTrust data released alongside the lecture.

The Guardian

• Children who “like or love” reading: 66 % (2021) -> 80 % (2025) – indicating sustained enthusiasm despite reduced shared sessions.

The Guardian

• National Year of Reading initiatives: launch of the first Children’s Booker prize (judging panel chaired by Cottrell-Boyce), distribution of 72 000 books to children in need, and a push to embed reading in early-years support services.

The Guardian

Cottrell-Boyce called for a “Reading Rights” framework that would embed shared reading in services delivered by health visitors, family hubs and early-years settings. He highlighted the National Year of Reading as a platform for scaling such interventions and urged the government to allocate resources for routine book provision, especially in insecure housing contexts. The Children’s Laureate also emphasized the need to communicate reading’s emotional and recreational benefits, which he argued have been eclipsed by a narrow focus on literacy attainment.

The Guardian

The laureate criticised major technology platforms for capturing children’s attention and suggested that they should bear “total responsibility,” likening current legal scrutiny to the “big tobacco moment.” He argued that the profit-driven design of these platforms creates a “shocking situation” for young readers, reinforcing calls for stronger regulation.

The Guardian

• “Our children have been at the sharp end of two great crises: Covid, and just as damagingly, austerity,” — Frank Cottrell-Boyce, Children’s Laureate

The Guardian

• “You’re not going to Narnia because you haven’t got a wardrobe,” — Frank Cottrell-Boyce, Children’s Laureate

The Guardian

• “These platforms should bear total responsibility. I think these trials are a bit like the big tobacco moment.” — Frank Cottrell-Boyce, Children’s Laureate

The Guardian

• “Reading has become so bound up with attainment and literacy, that we’ve failed to get across the emotional benefits, the fact that it is fun and should be done for pleasure,” — Frank Cottrell-Boyce, Children’s Laureate

The Guardian

• “Pessimism is a luxury that we can’t afford,” — Frank Cottrell-Boyce, Children’s Laureate

The Guardian

• “These kids are working for big tech,” — Frank Cottrell-Boyce, Children’s Laureate

The Guardian

A new Children’s Laureate will be appointed in July 2026, tasked with continuing the Reading Rights agenda. The National Year of Reading will run through the end of the calendar year, with further book-distribution drives and expanded partnerships between schools, libraries and community organisations aimed at restoring daily shared reading across the UK.

The Guardian