For the first time in recorded human history, scientists say a generation may be less intelligent than the one before it, based on long-term academic performance data.
Neuroscientist Jared Cooney Horvath argues that Generation Z has experienced measurable cognitive decline due to heavy reliance on modern technology, particularly smartphones and digital learning tools.
Long Term Academic Records Show a Reversal
Academic achievement records spanning roughly 200 years show a clear decline in performance moving from Millennials to Gen Z, despite younger people spending more years in formal education than any generation before them.
Horvath told the US Senate Commerce, Science, and Transportation Committee last month that this drop coincided with rapid digital expansion in schools and homes, not with reduced access to education.
Constant Internet Access to Blame
Gen Z is the first generation to grow up with constant internet access both at home and in classrooms. Horvath said this shift has led to a documented decline in problem solving, reading comprehension, memory, mathematics, and sustained attention.
He pointed to the widespread presence of smartphones in both homes and schools as a major factor behind the decline.
Educational Technology Under Scrutiny
According to the Mail, Horvath told lawmakers that the rise of educational technology has played a central role, with teachers increasingly relying on tablets and computers as core teaching tools.
He argued that humans did not evolve to absorb knowledge through short videos, fragmented text, or simplified summaries without engaging in deep thinking or sustained effort.
Human Learning Limits
Speaking to the committee on January 15, Horvath said teenagers now spend more than half of their waking hours looking at screens.
He explained that humans are biologically wired to learn through direct interaction with others and through deep study, not through rapid screen-based consumption.
Horvath added that even looking at a screen can interfere with how the brain stores information and can weaken focus, regardless of the quality of the software being used.
Performance Drops
Horvath told lawmakers that data show student performance declines significantly once countries widely adopt digital technology in classrooms.
He said the issue is not about building better apps, but about returning to learning methods aligned with how humans evolved to process information.
Urging lawmakers to rethink education policy, Horvath warned that computers encourage skimming rather than deep learning.
He argued that education systems are being redesigned to suit digital tools instead of defining clear learning goals first, calling this approach a retreat rather than progress.
Debunked long ago. These are claims.
Is trump from gen z ? No
Is Marjorie Taylor greene from gen z ? No
Only proof gen z is less intelligent is the writer of this article. 😆
you’re angry because you seem to be gen z with less cognitive ability, and rational thinking.