What does Gen Alpha read? Peperoncini, Wattpad and BookTok are all popular platforms for sharing and discovering digital content

What are the reading habits of Gen Alpha? The first true generation of digital natives, those who have never experienced life without smartphones and computers, do they still read? Has technology completely replaced print? And above all, what do they read? Before jumping to the classic “young people don’t read” conclusion, let’s take a closer look at the reading habits of those born from 2010 onwards. For this generation, tablets, smartphones, voice assistants and artificial intelligence are not novelties, but a natural - almost invisible - environment they move through with remarkable ease.

Gen Alpha reads more than boomers

Has this distanced them from the pleasure of a good book? Apparently not. According to the latest ISTAT 2022 data, age-based analysis shows a higher percentage of readers among younger people (up to 24 years old), with particularly high peaks among those aged 11 to 14. So it seems that not only do today’s kids read, but they actually read much more than people in other age groups. In fact, it is from the age of 25 onwards that a decline in reading habits becomes noticeable, with a slight increase again among those aged 55 to 59. If we also look at gender differences, women consistently outperform men in all age groups. Overall, the most devoted readers are girls aged 11–24, around 6 out of 10 of whom have read at least one book in the past year (with a peak between ages 11 and 14).

Discovering sexuality through books

You can see this clearly with a quick walk through a bookstore, where shelves dedicated to genres like romance, romantasy and young adult fiction are often the most stocked, sometimes even with entire areas devoted to them. Editorial phenomena, like Twilight or The Hunger Games were for millennials, keep reappearing for this audience, eager for new, emotionally charged stories where they can discover the driving force of love. For many young people, discovering romantic relationships and sexuality happens through reading. Reading about teenagers who, like them, are experiencing things for the first time is not only entertaining, but also a filtered and safe way to understand the world. BookTok also plays a crucial role in spreading these kinds of books, where the “spicy” factor is often explicitly sought after. This term refers to the level of explicit content: the more chili peppers, the more graphic and intense the scenes. These elements are so in demand that publishers themselves have started adding spice ratings to the back covers. It’s also common to see trope warnings via hashtags like #enemiestolovers #slowburn #onebadonly or #fakedating. These recurring elements, which make choosing a new book easier, sometimes resemble the classic categorizations found on porn websites, perhaps a sign that reading is a more socially acceptable way to explore one’s sexuality.

From the internet to print: Wattpad and fan fiction

The oldest members of Gen Alpha are now around 15 years old. If you think that’s too young for certain content, just remember that online you can find far worse, especially without the filter that fiction books can provide. And it’s precisely online that many bestselling stories were born. Wattpad is the platform to watch, and the most forward-thinking publishers know it. It’s a site where aspiring writers can publish - especially fan fiction - and find an audience ready to read. You’ll find original stories inspired by existing characters, worlds or celebrities, from books, films, TV series or singers. When they succeed on Wattpad, they often become books. Let’s look at a few of them.

What Gen Alpha reads

Love me love me

I gave this book to my 13-year-old niece, never had screams been so high-pitched. Love Me Love Me by Stefania S. is undeniably the title of the moment. It’s the first volume in a series centered on June White, a good girl who, after countless moves due to her mother’s job, transfers to a new school where she meets the charming but brooding James Hunter, a “bad boy” with a troubled past, and his model-student friend William. This sparks a tormented opposites-attract love story filled with teenage secrets and the complicated dynamics of a group of friends. The book has been so successful that the film adaptation will be released in February as a Prime Video exclusive, and the teaser trailer is already out.

The Tearsmith

A perfect example of a book that continues to resonate with Gen Alpha after being hugely popular with Gen Z is The Tearsmith. It was born on Wattpad, then self-published on Amazon, and finally acquired by Magazzini Salani in 2021. Thanks to #BookTok, it became a phenomenon, marking the rise of Erin Doom, an Italian author now translated worldwide. The book sold 500,000 copies in 2022 alone and continues to attract increasingly younger readers. Netflix also tapped into the buzz by turning it into a film. The story follows Nica, an orphan longing for a family, and Rigel, a deeply troubled boy, both adopted by the Milligan family. Forced to live together, they confront past traumas and the legend of the mysterious “Tearsmith,” an artisan said to craft people’s tears, while an intense and tormented love grows between them.

Game of Gods

Written on Wattpad by Hazel Riley, Game of Gods is the first book in a series starring the wealthy and brilliant Lively siblings. Their names say it all: Hades, Apollo, Hermes, Aphrodite and Athena, and yes, they are the most popular students at Yale. The story draws heavily from Greek mythology and builds an imaginative universe where there is plenty of room for love and desire. The tropes include #hatetolove #foundfamily #forbiddenlove and #grumpyvssunshine.

The Deal - The Campus series

Gen Z paved the way, and Gen Alpha follows. A perfect example is The Campus series, a five-book saga written by Elle Kennedy in 2016 that is now experiencing a new wave of popularity. The first volume, The Deal, tells the story of Hannah Wells, a smart but unpopular college student, and Garrett Graham, a famous college hockey player struggling academically. To help him pass a crucial exam and boost her own popularity, they strike a deal: she tutors him, he pretends to date her. But feelings evolve, turning the fake relationship into something real. Elle Kennedy skillfully builds a relationship that moves away from the toxic love dynamics so popular with millennials (think After), in favor of balanced relationships rooted in communication, listening and mutual respect.

Alchemised

Straight from a Harry Potter fan fiction, Alchemised by SenLinYu imagines a love story between Draco Malfoy and Hermione Granger. This dark fantasy follows Helena Marino, a brilliant alchemist turned prisoner of war in a devastated world ruled by necromancers and corrupt guilds. She fights to reclaim her identity and lost memories, trapped between a traumatic past and a decaying prison where she guards crucial secrets for the Resistance, under the obsessive influence of the High Reeve. This novel isn’t considered overly spicy; instead, the plot focuses on exploring the trauma the characters carry in the aftermath of war.

My dilemma is you

One interesting dynamic is how these books manage to survive across multiple generations. My Dilemma Is You, written on Wattpad in 2015 by a then 16-year-old Cristina Chiperi, is a perfect example. The protagonist, Cris, is a 16-year-old Californian with a seemingly perfect life: she lives in Los Angeles, gets good grades and has many friends who care about her. But when her father’s job forces the family to move to Miami, her world suddenly comes crashing down. This novel, now ten years old, is still hugely appreciated by new generations, who continue to talk about it and recommend it on TikTok.