Norway’s education system is undergoing significant changes after officials observed a decline in students’ reading abilities following the introduction of digital devices in classrooms, according to an April 18 announcement.
The country began providing every child with a personal digital device starting at age five in 2016, aiming to modernize its education system. However, critics say this shift has coincided with falling reading skills among students. Former education minister Trine Skei Grande, now director of the Norwegian Publishers’ Association, said, “We are far, far too rich, so we do stupid things with our money.”
Recent data indicate that about 500,000 people in Norway now struggle to read basic texts and that the country ranks low globally for children’s enjoyment of reading. Prime Minister Jonas Gahr Store said, “Norwegian children used to be among the best readers in the world. But today, 15,000 pupils finish primary school without being able to read properly. That is serious.” Without regular reading habits and exposure to books beyond daily conversation topics—what Skei Grande called “kitchen language”—children may develop limited vocabularies.
Officials and educators say strong literacy skills are crucial for academic achievement and future opportunities. In response to these concerns, Norway has removed iPads from early education settings and banned mobile phones in schools while launching new national initiatives aimed at improving reading habits.
Libraries are also adapting by making reading more engaging for young people through social events like roller-skating parties and rap workshops at places such as Deichman Bjorvika library in Oslo. Last year alone, Oslo’s library system lent out a record 2.2 million books—half of them borrowed by children.
Sarah Willand, director of publisher Cappelen Damm, summed up the renewed focus on traditional literacy: “It is not enough that books exist. They must be read or heard.” The changes reflect growing recognition that technology should complement—not replace—the foundational skill of reading.
