Youth reading constitutes a fundamental dimension of national educational and cultural development, shaping the construction of individual knowledge structures and intellectual dispositions, while reflecting the overall capacity of educational governance and the effectiveness of public cultural provision. However, a pronounced tension exists between nationwide reading initiative and broader educational modernization goals. To address this structural complexity, this study conducts a comprehensive review of domestic and international scholarship to develop an analytical framework that systematically integrates three mutually reinforcing and interdependent domains: the rapidly evolving digital media environment, the shifting functions and constraints of family literacy support, and the institutional logics embedded within the education system. Methodologically, the study synthesizes data from recent national and provincial surveys on adolescents’ reading behaviors and multifaceted media consumption. By integrating diverse empirical indicators—such as household book ownership, frequency of parent–child reading interactions, and school-level reading curricular arrangements and high-stakes examination requirements—it constructs a multi-source empirical basis for structural diagnosis. This evidence reveals several interrelated structural pressures reshaping youth reading: fragmented digital media persistently compress deep reading time; unequal family cultural capital widens disparities in reading readiness; and utilitarian, exam-centered evaluation mechanisms gradually distort reading into a tool for test preparation rather than a process of intellectual inquiry and cultural formation. Building on these diagnostic insights, the study employs a nuanced historical–institutional approach to trace the evolution of youth reading policies in the United States, focusing on the development of a multilayered governance structure established since the Elementary and Secondary Education Act. This structure features targeted federal funding formulas, standardized accountability regimes, and literacy-oriented reforms. Representative practices—including digital reading support programs, family literacy initiatives, public library services, and competence-based assessment reforms—are examined to assess their distinct contributions to reducing reading inequalities and effectively counteracting digital disruptions. The findings indicate that while forward-looking institutional design does not automatically produce balanced outcomes, the integration of reading requirements into curriculum standards, the establishment of stable financial support mechanisms, and the adjustment of evaluation frameworks can meaningfully reshape the reading ecology and alleviate cumulative disadvantages. Based on the combined diagnostic and comparative conclusions, the study proposes three directions for localized policy improvement: first, reconstructing deep reading mechanisms in a digital context through media and information literacy education and the integrated development of accessible digital reading platforms; second, strengthening family reading functions through a socially supported service matrix that shifts from merely demanding to actively enabling parental participation; and third, advancing de-utilitarian reforms in school-based reading by recalibrating evaluation systems to restore reading’ s essential role in cultivating understanding, critical thinking, and cultural identity. Coordinated action across educational, cultural, and social policy domains is essential to form a coherent, equitable, and sustainable youth reading support system, ultimately strengthening the humanistic foundation for long-term cultural and social development.