Concerns over the effects of technology and digital learning on developing brains have been raised by prominent neuroscientist Dr. Jared Cooney Horvath’s assertion that Gen Z is the first contemporary generation to perform worse academically than its predecessors.
The long-standing pattern of each generation surpassing the one before it in terms of education and cognitive capacity has been interrupted by Generation Z, which is often described as individuals born between 1997 and 2010.
According to the New York Post, Dr. Horvath stated, “They are the first generation in modern history to score lower on standardized academic tests than the one before them.” The majority of these young individuals are overconfident about their intelligence, which exacerbates the situation. People are actually dumber than they believe they are.
“They performed poorly on almost all cognitive tests, including general IQ, executive function, literacy, numeracy, basic attention, and memory.”
Horvath recently presented his research to lawmakers, telling a panel of senators that Gen Z has undone decades of consistent academic advancement. He claimed that continuous exposure to digital screens has mainly replaced in-depth, concentrated learning, which is why the drop has occurred.
He said that teenagers spend more than half of their waking hours looking at screens. “Humans are not designed to scroll through screens for bullet point summaries; rather, they are biologically programmed to learn from one another and through in-depth study.”
He clarified that students’ personal time and classroom education are dominated by digital devices such as phones, tablets, and laptops, which diminishes the amount of time spent studying and engaging with books. Many students scan summaries while browsing social media sites rather than reading entire documents.
Horvath contended that screen-based learning promotes superficial engagement over in-depth comprehension, transforming students into “skimmers” rather than critical thinkers.
“I’m not against technology. He urged schools to switch from screen-based learning to more traditional teaching approaches that require constant attention and effort, saying, “I’m pro-rigor.”
Horvath told the Senate Committee on Commerce, Science, and Technology, “Our children are less cognitively capable than we were at their age. This is a sad fact our generation has to face.” Since the late 1800s, we have been standardizing and assessing cognitive growth.
According to Horvath, “every generation has outperformed their parents.” “Until Generation Z.”
The trend is not exclusive to the US, he continued. According to data from dozens of nations, a decline in academic achievement frequently occurs at the same time when digital technology is widely used in classrooms.
“If you look at the data across 80 countries, performance goes down significantly once countries adopt digital technology in schools,” he added.
“Learning suffers whenever technology is introduced into the classroom.”
Horvath expressed his hope that future legislators will reconsider the use of technology in the classroom, especially for the upcoming Generation Alpha generation. Reducing screen usage and stressing hard study techniques, in his opinion, could help future pupils regain their cognitive abilities.
