Parents turn to Alexa to tell bedtime stories, research suggests

More than a quarter of parents are relying on home assistants such as Alexa, apps and voice notes to read their children a bedtime story, research suggests.

A study commissioned by children's reading charity BookTrust indicates a growing reliance on technology for evening reading.

The survey of 1,000 parents with children aged 10 or under found that, while almost half (49 per cent) said they aim to share a story with their youngsters every night, only 28 per cent manage to do so.

Three in 10 (31 per cent) say work or commuting stops them getting home in time, while one in five simply feel "too busy".

One in four (26 per cent) UK parents said they had tried to use tech such as virtual assistants for bedtime stories.

However 83 per cent of parents said they generally use print books.

Conducted by Fly Research, the poll suggests technology is picking up the slack.

Sixty-five per cent of parents admit giving their children time on a smartphone, tablet, YouTube or in front of the TV, instead of sharing a bedtime story.

For parents who do read stories with their child at night, tech is now a part of that routine.

More than half (53 per cent) say they would choose to use a smartphone, tablet, app or YouTube for the task.

A nationwide campaign by BookTrust is asking Britons to donate £1 to wear their pyjamas all day and celebrate the bedtime story in any way they like.

All funds raised by Pyjamarama on June 7 will go towards helping BookTrust ensure that every child experiences the life-changing benefits of access to books and reading.

BookTrust director Gemma Malley said: "Life has never been busier and many parents are finding it harder and harder to fit in bedtime stories.

"I know from experience that it can be tempting to replace reading to your child with time on a device, but swapping books for tech can have profound consequences.

"However, just 10 minutes of reading a book together a day makes such a difference - it helps build children's language, resilience, confidence and imagination and is an amazing way for families to bond."