A book on the beach? Kids prefer phones

London - Young adults are more likely to read their smartphone screen than a book while on the beach, a study has found.

Only one in four plan on reading a book on holiday, compared to 75 percent who will keep their phone constantly at their side.

And worryingly one in ten of the 18 to 25-year-olds surveyed said they had never even read a novel, with a quarter saying books “take too long to read”.

Of those who do plan on reading a book this summer, 25 percent admit they will struggle to finish it – with more than 70 percent of participants saying they prefer short-form writing and that technology has given us shorter attention spans, according to the Samsung survey.

Professor John Sutherland, of University College London, said: “The study provides us with a fascinating overview of how social media has affected young people’s ability to concentrate, even in the most relaxing of environments. In the future we will see short version novels as standard as people increasingly seek instant gratification.”