Booktok and Bookstagram are more than hashtags – they’re communities of readers across the globe who share their love for reading, Book recommendations and more with their digital friends. It’s a reading revolution, so let’s take a peek at Booktok and explore the ways this movement positively impacts today’s Teens.

Social media is a huge part of everyday adolescent life, but can it help reignite interest in offline hobbies and passions? Let’s explore how it can help former bookworms fall back in love with reading…

How important is reading for teens?

Reading is essential for learning and development. It’s essential in the early years, but reading for pleasure in the teens can have positive long-lasting effects. 

Some research suggests that those who enjoy reading have happier lives, and those that don’t have strong literacy skills can face employment issues that affect their children’s lives down the line. It’s an issue that affects generations, and some even say, “Low levels of literacy undermine the UK’s economic competitiveness, costing the taxpayer £2.5 billion every year”.

The solution is obvious: help children and teens learn to love reading while you can.

How do you encourage teens to read?

Digital and screen distractions are common barriers to learning and reading. While there are plenty of ways to encourage screen-free time, it’ll take a lot more for teens to read books voluntarily.

Starting when they’re young is the best way to instil that bookworm energy with bedtime stories, dress-up games and more. But it does get more difficult as they grow up. Until the age of 16, teens in formal schooling take part in English Literature classes where they’re required to read books, poems and plays set by the curriculum. These are usually classics that don’t appeal to all tastes, and we all know how doing something we don’t want to can create negative opinions. 

It also doesn’t help that teens prefer short, snappy content online, but that can be a gateway to the wonder of BookTok and Bookstagram.

What is BookTok?

BookTok is an online community that exploded in the wake of the pandemic when we were all kept apart and inside with very little to occupy our time. According to Google Trends, interest in Booktok search terms rose rapidly between 2020 and 2022, indicating the popularity of the community and the hashtag. Tiktok says there are 77 billion views of the hashtag to date, and its popularity has resulted in a special partnership with Penguin Random House that allows users to link and share their favourite books directly in-app.  

How can Booktok encourage teens to read?

1. BookTok is essentially organic marketing

Creators post videos about the novels, enact scenes from the books, cosplay as characters doing TikTok trends and more which advertises the book to their viewers. Considering around a quarter of TikTok users are said to be aged 10-19, this puts book advertisements directly in the view of younger Gen Z users and encourages them to get involved.

2. Golden recommendations

A lot of users follow creators because they have similar interests and likes. Copying or trying out something based on an influencer’s recommendation is a common practice, so if they recommend or comment on a book, the user is more likely to try it for themselves. The other side of this is the related reading recommendations – creators often post videos sharing titles similar in theme or storyline to another one, which helps users find books they are more likely to like. 

3. Reading challenges are popular

Common themes on TikTok are to challenge yourselves, recreate trends or try new things. The GoodReads Reading Challenge runs throughout the year. The idea is to challenge yourself to read a number of books over the year, and many TikTokers like to share their progress. This sense of community and support increase reading motivation for those who take part. 

4. Real-life opinions and reviews

A lot of us like to read reviews and check ratings before we buy things, and the same goes for books. BookTok allows viewers to search for the books they are interested in and ask the creator or author directly what they thought in the comments. This back-and-forth is an opportunity that readers don’t often have and can convince them to purchase. 

5. Instore promotions

It’s not just in the app where teens can find recommendations either. Many stores and libraries have BookTok promotions and collections around popular titles to encourage purchases. These are generally collections of the most read and recommended titles from TikTok and make it easy for teens to catch up and get involved in the conversation. 

Is getting involved in BookTok worth it?

One of the core reasons that BookTok can get teens into reading is that they don’t see this kind of content or advertisement anywhere else (apart from in bookshops and libraries). You don’t see tv or out-of-home ads about books aimed at teens, you don’t see many teens sitting around outside reading, and the topic isn’t widely discussed. 

It’s also a sympathetic relationship that combines their preferred short-form digital content and a more traditional analogue hobby, so they’re far more likely to engage with the messaging.

TikTok allows teens to curate an experience that works for them and is full of their interests. They can be unashamed bookworms and get involved with others worldwide, all from the comfort of home with their books around them. It’s that comforting, community feel and exposure that helps encourage teens to pick up books and read for pleasure again. 

Just remember, there are pros and cons to TikTok, so make sure you and your teens have regular mental health check-ins and that there are healthy boundaries on screen time. 

The post How Booktok and Bookstagram can get teens reading again appeared first on Motherhood: The Real Deal.