Many children like ebooks. Experts cast a wary eye.

The verdict is mixed on digital books, sometimes called ebooks, when it comes to fostering children’s reading development.

“Ebooks are a lot busier than print books,” said Assistant Professor of Education Ying Xu, who studies the effects of technologies, including AI, on children’s language and literacy development. “If a child is holding a print book, the only thing that they could do is read the text and understand the story … Ebooks open up a lot of opportunities, and they’re also a form of distraction.”

Xu made her observation during the June 3 webinar “Raising a Reader in the Digital Age,” hosted by the Harvard Graduate School of Education. Xu and Assistant Professor of Education Phil Capin discussed the opportunities and risks educational technologies pose to children’s reading development, particularly at a time when children are reading less.

Ebooks, which are growing in popularity among young readers, offer features such as visual highlighting of words, audio, animation, customizable text options, and others. And they are more and less helpful depending on how they are used.

“In my research, what I have found is that when the audio narration feature is available, most of the kids will turn on the narration and listen to the book,” said Xu. “Other kids find that clicking the interactive features is fun, but it is questionable how much those kinds of interactions really lead to comprehension and development of reading ability.”

And yet, electronic books should not be rejected completely, Xu said.

Digital books offer read-aloud features and larger fonts that can support students who need extra help. Technology can also provide a more personalized and individualized experience for readers, who can complete quizzes and receive immediate feedback.

The impact of technology on children’s reading is a mixed bag, said Xu.

Ebooks have proven effective in supporting parent-child interactions during reading time when they include questions about the stories that parents can pose to their children. Rich conversations between parent and child while they read together tend to occur more with print books, but some ebooks can create a similar environment, said Xu.

Some digital platforms that are designed to support skills such as comprehension, critical thinking, and the ability to interpret and analyze text have proven beneficial for some students. But Xu warned against overestimating the benefits of educational technologies: They are not a singular solution but work best in conjunction with in-person tutoring, teacher involvement, and parental participation.

“Technology is not the only component in an intervention,” said Xu. “They are coupled with in-person tutoring, reading clubs, etc. It’s difficult to distinguish or single out where the positive impact we’re seeing is coming from.”

Data show children are reading less than they did decades ago. Educational experts report a worrisome drop in leisure reading as children spend more time on screens than on books. Social media platforms, which entice users with shorter text and entertainment features, have been blamed for the reading decline.

“The consensus is that kids read less right now as compared to decades ago,” said Xu. “There is no consensus about what drives that decline, but most people think that technology had some role in it.”

The decline in reading time is not only occurring among children, but also among adults, said Xu. “Across all groups, we’re seeing a decline in leisure reading or reading for fun,” she said. “It’s not just children, but also their parents.”

Asked by Capin how AI might support children’s early language and literacy, Xu expressed cautious optimism. AI-enhanced technologies can engage children in conversations with questions related to texts and provide tailored and immediate feedback, which can enhance reading comprehension, an area in which American students are falling behind, according to the 2024 Nation’s Report Card. “There are potential benefits for students and educators if the AI technology is well designed,” said Xu.

An area of concern for Xu is students’ overreliance on AI to generate summaries of reading assignments. This practice may help students save time, but outsourcing their critical thinking can affect their learning and reading comprehension abilities.

But limiting AI usage is hard to do, said Xu, and while educators can urge a more responsible use of AI, they may have to go back to basics and find ways to boost motivation and engagement among students.

“The fundamental thing is finding something kids are genuinely interested in doing,” said Xu, “and also how we could make the education and the learning process fun and motivating and especially more relatable to kids’ everyday life.”