Tomorrow marks the 31st anniversary of World Book Day, a global celebration of reading for all ages. First launched in 1995, the day was created to encourage a lifelong love of books, particularly among children.
But three decades on, as phones dominate daily life and social media takes our attention, it raises a question: is World Book Day still important in this day and age? In the UK, World Book Day now largely centres around children dressing up as their favourite literary characters. While costumes have always played a role, many argue they have overtaken the books themselves. Social media has amplified this shift, turning the day into a showcase of TikTok abd Pinterest-worthy outfits, carefully curated for likes and shares, rather than conversations about stories and authors.
At the same time, concern about declining reading habits is growing. According to the National Literacy Trust, just one in three young people aged eight to 18 enjoy reading in their free time. Only one in five read daily, the lowest level recorded since 2005. This decline comes as screens become increasingly central to children’s lives. Phones, tablets and gaming consoles offer great entertainment, making it harder for books which demand time, focus and imagination to compete and thrive. If children begin to associate reading with pressure or performance rather than enjoyment, it is little surprise that many prefer using phones instead.
To understand whether World Book Day still resonates beyond schools, I spoke to the owner of a pop-up bookshop in Wolverhampton, Judith Goodman who has spent years encouraging children to engage with books.
She believes the day remains important, but admits its impact has changed.
“It’s easy just to go on your phone, or go on the tablet, … it’s addictive.”
“We’ve been doing this … for a long, long time, and … less children come in, and if the children come in, they don’t necessarily want to buy a book, and whereas before, say 10 or 15 years ago, they would want to buy books, but nowadays, they don’t seem to so much.”
However, she was adamant that physical books are far from disappearing. Despite fears when e-readers first rose in popularity, she says paper books quickly regained their appeal.
“The physical feel of a book is just an addiction, and it feels good. They still have their Kindle, but they will also have books as well. So it’s not that it’s not gone. People are still reading Kindles and it has it’s place because we’re all stuck in a waiting room at a doctor sometimes. We got nothing else to do. There’s no magazines out there. So we read on our Kindle, we read on our phone. So it’s not that it’s not got its place, but I think people still love books.”
Recent figures from YouGov suggest reading habits are indeed uneven across the population. While 40% of Britons haven’t read or listened to a single book in the past year, more than eight in ten still own at least one physical book, and half have bought a new one within the last 12 months. The data suggests reading hasn’t vanished it has simply become more fragmented.
Speaking to locals in the city, they said:
I think it is a very fantastic day.. We used to all dress up for World Book Day and I used to do special themes, so yeah I think it is really important. People don’t bother as much now (for the day).
” I do read books, not as much as I should… I like to actually read a book. I like to hold a book.”
“Reading is knowledge.”
Many people described World Book Day as “important” or “necessary”, even while admitting they rarely read themselves. The value of books is widely acknowledged but not always practised.
This is where World Book Day’s role becomes crucial. You cannot force anyone to read, but you can place books in front of children and give them the opportunity to discover a story that hooks them. As Goodman put it, “If you get them young, they’ll come back to it.”
So, is World Book Day dying? Probably not. But it is at a crossroads. If it becomes solely about costumes, it risks losing its original purpose. If, however, it refocuses on stories, imagination and access to books it may be more necessary now than ever.
Phones may be taking over childhoods, but books still offer something screens cannot replicate. The challenge is ensuring the next generation is given the chance to discover that for themselves.