The National Literacy Trust’s latest writing for pleasure research, supported by Twinkl reveals that the downward trend in the number of children and young people writing for pleasure in the UK continues into 2025.

The Statistics

Only 1 in 4 (26.6%) young people aged 8 to 18 say they enjoy writing in their free time. This marks a near halving of writing enjoyment over the past 15 years. Daily writing habits have similarly declined, with just 1 in 10 (10.4%) writing something in their free time each day.

This year’s data shows that younger children, particularly those aged 8 to 11, who have historically shown higher levels of writing enjoyment are now losing enthusiasm fastest. Girls, traditionally more engaged in writing than boys, have seen sharper year-on-year declines in writing enjoyment. However, boys and older children continue to show the lowest levels of writing enjoyment and frequency.

But the report also offers hopeful insights into how we might re-engage children and young people in writing for pleasure by looking at their motivations for writing. Even those children who don’t enjoy writing told us they would be motivated to write if they were able to choose their own topics, select their writing style, respond to inspiring prompts and draw inspiration from memorable experiences they wanted to share.

Jonathan Douglas, Chief Executive of the National Literacy Trust, said: “The findings offer a sobering view of writing culture in the UK but also point to actionable insights. By focusing on what motivates children and young people, particularly autonomy, creativity, and personal and cultural relevance, they are far more likely to engage with it on their own terms. That’s where true progress begins.”

Moving forwards and building on 15 years of research and practice, the National Literacy Trust is committed to championing writing for pleasure as an essential part of every child and young person’s development, well-being, and how they engage with a digital-first world. We are urging the government to consider the significance of writing for pleasure as part of its Writing Framework and prioritising writing for pleasure in the implementation of Curriculum and Assessment reforms.