Reading is more than words on a page. It is a gift we give our children.
As Malaysians step into 2026, one quiet but worrying trend is impossible to ignore: reading is disappearing from our daily lives. Once central to childhood, books now compete with the constant hum of screens, gadgets and digital entertainment.
Technology promises knowledge at our fingertips, yet it is quietly eroding a habit that shapes imagination, empathy and critical thinking – reading for pleasure.
I think back to my childhood. Weekdays were for school, studying and reading; weekends were for lighter indulgences. Books were companions, transporting me far beyond my small corner of the world.
My mother’s generation, however, lived under even stricter discipline. My grandfather would lock the television cabinet until his children had earned the privilege of watching.
For my mother and her siblings, this meant hours spent immersed in books. Reading was not a pastime – it was the default. My mother recalls breezing through a book a day, so engrossed that television and movies rarely held her interest.
Compare that with today. My son, turning 11 this year, reads only as a means to an end. “It helps me sleep faster,” he tells me, and that is the sole purpose of his nightly reading.
In a home filled with screens and instant entertainment, books have become functional rather than enjoyable. Reading, once a source of joy and curiosity, is now reduced to a bedtime ritual.
This shift is not unique to my household. Across Malaysia, engagement with reading for pleasure is waning.
Surveys show that while literacy rates remain high on paper, fewer Malaysians, especially children and adolescents, pick up books outside school requirements.
Digital devices, social media and on-demand entertainment offer instant gratification, making the slow, immersive pleasure of a book seem outdated.
The consequences go beyond personal habits. Reading nurtures imagination, critical thinking and empathy.
It teaches children to see the world from different perspectives, to question and to dream. When reading is relegated to a functional activity or replaced by screens, these essential skills risk underdevelopment. In a nation striving to innovate, cultivating a culture of reading is not just desirable – it is vital.
For me, 2026 is an opportunity to reclaim what has been lost, beginning at home. I want my son to experience reading as a source of joy, curiosity and discovery rather than merely a sleep aid.
Achieving this will not be easy; screens are seductive and the habits they created, once ingrained, are challenging to break. Yet, small steps can make a significant difference.
Story time before bed, weekend library visits or setting aside daily reading moments without gadgets can slowly nurture a love for books.
This is not a call to reject technology entirely. Devices and screens have their place, offering knowledge and connection in ways unimaginable to previous generations.
But balance is key. Just as my mother and I grew up in worlds without 24/7 entertainment, children today need structured moments to engage with books, to explore stories that ignite their imagination and curiosity.
Reflecting on the Malaysian context, this is especially important. We are a nation rich in culture, language and stories. Our heritage, folklore and literary voices deserve to be experienced firsthand by the next generation, not just through screens or secondhand accounts. Reading connects children to their roots, strengthens language skills and fosters lifelong learning.
In my own family, the contrast is vivid. My mother, who could read a book a day, rarely needed television. My generation had some gadgets, but our routines were built around study, reading and family time.
Today, children navigate a world of endless digital distraction. My son’s nightly reading is functional, not joyful – but it is a starting point, a bridge that can lead to something more meaningful if we guide him carefully.
As parents and educators, we have a responsibility to model and nurture this habit. Reading cannot simply be an academic requirement; it must be a living, breathing part of daily life.
Even in the digital age, we can create spaces, routines and experiences that make reading exciting, relevant and rewarding. Stories can be shared at the table, discovered in libraries or read together before sleep. Small, intentional moments matter.
Reading is more than words on a page. It is a gift we give our children – one that cannot be downloaded or streamed.
It fosters imagination, resilience and critical thinking. For my son, for my family and for Malaysia, my hope for 2026 is simple yet profound: that we can rediscover the joy of reading, not as a functional habit or a relic of the past but as an essential, enriching part of life.
May this year be one where books reclaim their place in our homes, where stories spark curiosity and where young minds learn to dream beyond screens.
Hashini Kavishtri Kannan is the assistant news editor at theSun. Comments: letters@thesundaily.com
