People have stopped reading as much because there are many activities with immediate gratification. Books are slower paced than a movie, and lets just face it, we live in a fast paced world. As for reading "required" in highschool, kids simply do not do it because they know that they don't need to. Most teachers in an English class will go over the book the day after its read, and tell the students the important things to know on a test. I will even admit to it myself. I did not read past chapter 4 in the Scarlet Letter, yet I passed the exam over the entire book. Not only did i pass it, I passed it with a high A. Once students figure out this system, they realize that regardless of whether they take the time to read the book or not, they will recieve a high grade. Therefore, there are many more "worth-while" things that the student believes that they could be doing instead.