• by Sara Guaglione , April 6, 2020

Digital magazine service Readly reports that as people spend more time at home to deter the spread of the COVID-19 virus, readers are increasingly turning to the Home & Renovation, Gardening, Comics and Kids categories on its app.

In the U.S. market, Readly found these categories had increased significantly in popularity in March 2020 — compared to both year-over-year and February 2020 numbers — according to Forbes, which first reported the data.

They include: Comics, up 41% since last month; Kids, up 36%; Home & Renovation, up 24%; and Gardening, which is up 10% (and 40% up compared to March 2019).

The numbers make sense.

Young adults and kids are in lockdown across the U.S. as schools close and education moves online, giving them more opportunities to consume digital content. Adults are looking for activities that can be done from the safety of their homes, like home improvement and gardening projects.

“We are seeing an increase in Readly app downloads in many countries, due to a growing interest for reading magazines as the developments of the Corona outbreak are rapid,” Readly CEO Maria Hedengren told Forbes. 

March downloads on all markets increased 62%, compared to March 2019, and 21%, compared to February 2020.

Readly’s service gives readers unlimited access to nearly 5,000 digital magazines globally, for $9.99 a month. The company is based in Sweden.

U.S. magazines available on Readly range fromMaxim to Popular Science, Us Weekly to Family Handyman and Billboard to Texas Monthly.