Recent studies indicate that Generation Z is the first generation to score lower in intelligence than the one before it, making millennials the only generation to outperform their successors.
Neuroscientists attribute Gen Z’s lower cognitive development to the widespread use of educational technology (EdTech). Research shows that compared to millennials, Gen Z demonstrates weaker attention spans, reduced problem-solving abilities, lower reading and math skills, and overall lower IQ scores.
Dr. Jared Cooney Horvath, a former teacher and neuroscientist, told the US Senate Committee on Commerce, Science, and Transportation that although Gen Z has had greater exposure to formal education than previous generations, their intelligence levels have declined sharply. He emphasized that education systems overly reliant on technology have contributed to this trend, with cognitive abilities starting to decline around 2010.
“More than half of the time a teenager is awake, half of it is spent staring at a screen,” Horvath told the New York Post. He explained that humans are biologically programmed to learn through face-to-face interaction and deep study, not through screen-based summaries, and that simply upgrading EdTech will not solve the problem.
The decline is not limited to the United States; at least 80 countries have shown similar trends. Horvath noted that once digital technology becomes widespread in classrooms, student performance often drops significantly. He presented a six-decade study linking the growing presence of classroom technology to declining learning outcomes.
