A leading neuroscientist, Dr. Jared Cooney Horvath, has revealed that Generation Z, those born between 1997 and 2010 is the first modern generation to perform worse academically than its predecessors, raising concerns about the impact of technology and digital learning on young minds.
Dr. Horvath told New York Post that Gen Z has “underperformed on basically every cognitive measure, from basic attention, memory, literacy, numeracy, executive function and general IQ.” He also noted that many young people are overconfident about their abilities, saying, “The smarter people think they are, the dumber they actually are.”
Speaking before a congressional panel, Horvath attributed the decline largely to excessive screen time. “More than half of the time a teenager is awake, half of it is spent staring at a screen,” he said. “Humans are biologically programmed to learn from other humans and from deep study, not flipping through screens for bullet point summaries.”
According to Horvath, digital devices dominate both classroom instruction and students’ personal time, reducing engagement with books and structured study. Instead of reading full texts, many students skim summaries or scroll through social media, leading to surface-level learning rather than deep understanding.
“I’m not anti-technology. I’m pro-rigor,” Horvath emphasized, urging schools to return to teaching methods that demand sustained focus and effort. “A sad fact our generation has to face is this: Our kids are less cognitively capable than we were at their age.”
The trend, he explained, is not limited to the United States. Data from 80 countries show that widespread adoption of digital technology in schools often coincides with declining academic performance. “Across 80 countries, once schools adopt digital technology widely, performance goes down significantly,” he said.
Horvath called on policymakers to rethink the role of technology in classrooms, particularly for Generation Alpha, the cohort following Gen Z. He believes reducing screen time and emphasizing rigorous study methods could help reverse the decline in cognitive performance among future students.
VANGUARD