The average age at which Korean children are first exposed to English-language books has fallen to 4.8 years, according to a survey by Yoons English School, an education company specializing in children’s English education.

The survey of 696 parents with children in high school or earlier found that the average age of first exposure was 4.8 years, or 58 months. That was 1.5 years younger than the average of 6.3 years recorded in 2016.

The survey also found that 72.8 percent of children currently read English books, with each child reading an average of 2.9 English books per month.

The way children access English books is also shifting rapidly toward digital platforms. Some 34.9 percent of parents said their children mainly read English books in digital formats, including e-books and audiobooks, up 19.7 percentage points from 2019.

By comparison, the proportion of children who mainly read print books fell from 47.9 percent in 2019 to 33.7 percent in 2026. Another 31.4 percent said their children use both print books and digital devices.


don@heraldcorp.com