For students who are juggling classes and a plethora of after-school activities, reading can be seen as a chore — assigned chapters and deadlines. When a book is another task to finish, it can be harder to return to reading for pleasure.

But what’s the outcome when an entire generation is blamed for letting reading disappear without asking why so many young people are finding it harder to make time for their books?

In a rapid-fire Q&A for Interview Magazine, 25-year-old Alix Earle, a popular TikTok influencer known for her “get ready with me” videos, was asked what the last book she had read was. Earle’s answer was more than disappointing for any academics watching.

“I’ve never read a book. Like maybe, Dr. Suess,” she said.

Earle, whose profile has grown in popularity in the last few years through podcasting and even a stint on “Dancing with the Stars,” has gained traction through being candid to her millions of followers.

The situation has now blossomed into a larger internet frenzy about Gen Z and their reading habits.

A New York librarian called it “embarrassing” in the comments section.

“Alix, being illiterate is not the flex you think it is,” one TikToker said in a follow-up video.

Earle later responded playfully by showing herself with a Dr. Seuss book to keep the follow-up conversation playful instead of answering the criticism directly. Even though the exchange was brief, the reaction was not really about one influencer’s bookshelf.

The bigger question here is: Why is it that for many young people, reading can feel so easy to put off, especially at a time when our lives are built around our screens.

According to the National Assessment of Educational Progress , 14% of 13-year-olds said they had read for fun almost every day in 2025, down from 35% in 1984.

After a long day, it can feel simpler to scroll than to decide what to read. Sometimes the problem is not the unwillingness to read more, but not knowing where to begin.

If a book is not working, it is fine to put it down and find another. The entire point is to build a habit that fits your identity and not add another goal to a crowded schedule.

As author Kate DiCamillo once said “Reading should not be presented as a chore or duty. It should be offered as a gift.”

Here at The Duke, we believe Earle’s comment should not define Gen Z. It should rather encourage us to have an honest conversation about what reading has come to represent and how screens have gotten in our way. Reading does not require us to give up our devices, but we should put the phone down for a few minutes to spend time with a story or idea that can stay with us longer.