Reading: The book industry warns of the consequences of reading difficulties

In view of the increasing reading difficulties among the younger generation, the head of the German Book Trade Association, Sebastian Guggolz, warned of serious consequences and called for concrete action. At the latest when he grows up, a rampant reading weakness also becomes a weakness in forming opinions, he said at the start of the Frankfurt Book Fair. “How are you supposed to form a well-founded opinion if you are not able to read and compare different positions?”

Guggolz referred to figures for the 2025 book market, according to which a decline of 30.6 percent in the number of books purchased was recorded, especially among the 10 to 15 year old age group. And according to the latest PISA study, one in three 15-year-olds lacked basic reading skills.

Reading difficulties weaken the critical approach to AI

“The problem of reading skills cannot be compensated for by the triumph of AI, which provides us with answers at will.” On the contrary: This actually fuels the lack of reading skills. “If you can no longer read meaningfully, you can no longer check an AI answer at all.”

This should alarm society because people are losing their self-determination. “If the problems are taken seriously, reading promotion and media literacy must be anchored as an educational policy priority,” demanded Guggolz. Specifically, the “daily reading book” could be introduced, in which a quarter of an hour of reading would be integrated into lessons every day. In addition, media literacy should be a compulsory subject everywhere.

Book fair officially opens in the evening - guest country Czech Republic

This week in Frankfurt am Main it's all about books. The book fair officially opens in the evening. Then the Czech writer Radka Denemarková will speak. Politics is represented, among others, by Minister of State for Culture Wolfram Weimer (independent).

More than a quarter of a million visitors are expected at the Frankfurt exhibition center by Sunday. The guest country of honor this year is the Czech Republic.