‘Het Telefoonboekje’ (The Phone Book) Helps Children Rediscover the Joy of Reading

No more phones in primary schools, but over 50,000 copies of Het Telefoonboekje (The Phone Book) have been distributed in the last four months.

In The Netherlands, the new school year began on August 19th, and with it, a new rule: mobile phones are banned in all primary schools. To mark this occasion, author Marjon Hoffman, known for her bestseller De regels van Floor (The rules of Floor), will present the 50,000th copy of Het Telefoonboekje at a primary school. This unique children's book, designed to resemble a smartphone and written entirely in chat format, has proven to be an unprecedented success. Primary school teachers have eagerly ordered Het Telefoonboekje, resulting in a print run of over 50,000 copies.

In April of this year, Odido and CPNB (Collective Promotion for the Dutch Book, an organisation that promoted Dutch literature) highlighted the issue of phone usage in primary schools. As children's attention increasingly shifts from books to phones, Odido developed the unique Telefoonboekje. The telecom provider believes it is important for children to put their phones aside more often and engage in other activities. With Het Telefoonboekje, children can rediscover the joy of reading. With an average reading time of 25 minutes, Het Telefoonboekje has contributed to 1,375,000 minutes of reading time. Moreover, 80% of children who read Het Telefoonboekje are considering reading other books as well. Among the surveyed group of 2,425 students, 72% expressed a desire to read more books in this format.

Eveline Aendekerk, director of the CPNB, remarked, "We are pleasantly surprised by the overwhelming interest from primary school teachers in Het Telefoonboekje. But even more encouraging is the fact that children appreciate it so much, which in turn increases their enjoyment of reading. All in all, a very successful initiative. We hope that the phone ban in primary schools will also contribute to improving children's reading skills and, consequently, their reading pleasure."

Children derive a lot of enjoyment from their phones; they are a source of entertainment and social connection. However, in school, phones can also be a major distraction. Constantly checking notifications and social media can detract from their concentration and academic performance. As screen time increases, children's reading skills and time spent reading diminish. Among seven-year-olds—who are beginning readers—68% read a book almost daily in their free time. By the end of primary school, at the age of twelve, this figure drops by half (to 35%). One in three fifteen-year-olds in the Netherlands scores below proficiency in reading skills (PISA-Netherlands, 2022).