Illustration: Liu Xiangya/GT

The idea of "reading rehabilitation" has recently sparked discussions on Chinese social media. 

The idea is simple but telling: Instead of forcing oneself through dense, heavyweight books, start small, for example from children's science readers, illustrated texts, even just skimming titles or flipping a few pages, to help the brain gradually readjust to sustained reading. The metaphor of "rehabilitation" resonates because it feels uncomfortably accurate. In the age of short ­videos and bite-sized information, reading is no longer a default ability; for many, it has become something that must be relearned.

The widespread empathy toward "reading rehabilitation" reveals the decline in people's capacity for deep reading in the age of short videos, Zhang Peng, a cultural researcher and associate professor at Nanjing Normal University, told the Global Times on Wednesday. 

Endless scrolling, algorithmic feeds, and rapid-fire content have trained the brain to seek instant stimulation and quick rewards. Long-form reading, by contrast, demands patience, continuity, and mental endurance, Zhang noted. 

Acknowledging this "loss of ability" is not defeatist; it is, in fact, the first step toward reclaiming control over one's attention and thinking.

In terms of reading time, the average adult spent more than three hours per day reading via digital media (mobile phones, the internet, e-readers, and tablets) in 2024, while time spent on traditional print media (books, newspapers, and periodicals) was only about half an hour, showing a slight decline compared with 2023, according to a national survey released by the Chinese Academy of Press and Publication in April 2025. 

The widespread adoption of digital reading has made information readily accessible, but it also comes with a flood of fragmented content. Rapid scrolling and bite-sized consumption are increasingly competing for people's attention. While they broaden the scope of knowledge, they cannot easily replace the depth of thinking cultivated through sustained reading. Deep reading requires slowing down and being alone with a book, following the author's logic line by line, and forming one's own judgments through careful reflection and repeated contemplation.

Zhang suggested some ways to rebuild daily reading habits, such as restoring a pathway to print reading and using the tactile experience and sense of ritual offered by physical books to counter digital distractions. Recreating interest-driven reading scenarios and leveraging social connections to create positive feedback are also helpful, he said. 

More importantly, the recovery of one's reading ability is not merely a private concern, but carries broader cultural implications. Reading has never been just about acquiring information. It is a process of structuring thought, deepening understanding, and cultivating the capacity to engage with complexity. 

When a society collectively struggles with sustained reading, the consequences ripple outward: Shallow thinking becomes normalized, emotional reactions precede rational judgment, and nuanced perspectives give way to oversimplified narratives. In this sense, "reading rehabilitation" is about safeguarding the depth of public discourse and preserving the intellectual texture of society. Without it, the space for careful reasoning and critical reflection risks being crowded out by the immediacy of fast content.

Encouragingly, this growing awareness is met with institutional support. Policy frameworks such as the Regulation on the Promotion of Nationwide Reading underscore the importance of fostering reading interest, building habits, and strengthening reading abilities at a societal level. 

The regulation, which was promulgated by the State Council in December and took effect on February 1, is part of China's drive to cultivate a book-loving society and a socialist cultural powerhouse. It aims to foster a society in which reading is widely valued, well-guided and deeply embedded in daily life. It designates the fourth week of April each year as a national reading week, encouraging reading activities nationwide.

By elevating reading from a personal choice to a public priority, such initiatives provide both legitimacy and structural support for the very impulse behind "reading rehabilitation." They signal that rebuilding reading capacity is not simply an individual struggle against distraction, but a shared cultural endeavor.

Yet policies and awareness alone are not enough. The essence of "reading rehabilitation" lies in practice, in the quiet, often unremarkable act of returning to text, page by page. It requires patience to accept slower progress, humility to start from simpler materials, and persistence to resist the pull of instant gratification. 

In that process, something larger is gradually restored: not just the ability to read, but the ability to think in depth, to follow an idea to its end, and to engage meaningfully with the world.

In an era defined by speed, choosing to slow down and read may seem like a small act. In reality, to relearn how to read deeply is, ultimately, to relearn how to think for ourselves.

The author is a reporter with the Global Times. life@globaltimes.com.cn