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Neuroscientist Jared Cooney Horvath mentioned Gen Z will be much less cognitively succesful than Millennials, citing global take a look at declines linked to increased display time.
Two women use their phones on a put collectively as they head to the Lo Wu border control level in Hong Kong. (Representational image/AFP file describe)
Technology Z may maybe be the principle generation in widespread history to assemble worse on standardised tests than the one before it, in step with infamous cognitive neuroscientist and award-winning author Jared Cooney Horvath.
On the total known as “Zoomers” or “post-Millennials”, Technology Z involves folk born between 1997 and 2012. As of 2026, they are roughly passe between 14 and 29.
Despite rising up with unprecedented safe entry to to perceive-how, Horvath renowned their cognitive efficiency will be weaker than that of Millennials and earlier generations.
In written testimony before the United States Senate Committee on Commerce, Science, and Transportation, Horvath mentioned Gen Z is “much less cognitively succesful than outdated generations”. He argued that this generation is the first to score lower on standardised tests than the one before it, as reported by Fortune magazine.
Horvath pointed to global data, including results from the Programme for International Student Assessment, which tracks the performance of 15-year-olds in more than 80 countries.
Heavy reliance on tech
The data shows falling scores in reading, maths and problem-solving skills. He said there is also a strong link between increased screen time in schools and lower test scores.
According to Horvath, heavy reliance on educational technology is a key reason. He said learning began shifting heavily towards screens around 2010, which is when cognitive decline appears to have started. Teenagers now spend much of their waking hours on digital devices, reducing face-to-face interaction and deep study.
He stressed that this is not an argument against technology itself. Instead, he said education systems must align digital tools with how human learning actually works.
“This is not a debate about rejecting technology,” Horvath wrote in his conclusion to the written assertion submitted to the US Senate. “It is a inquire of aligning tutorial instruments with how human finding out with out a doubt works. Proof means that indiscriminate digital growth has weakened finding out environments instead of strengthened them.”
“Federal policy can restore balance by demanding evidence, protecting children’s developmental needs, and ensuring that innovation serves learning rather than attention capture. Our responsibility is not to maximize screen exposure, but to maximize the cognitive capacity and long-term flourishing of the next generation,” he added.
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First Published:
February 23, 2026, 22:39 IST
News world A Cognitive Decline? Knowledgeable Says Gen Z Is First To Ranking Decrease Than Outdated Technology
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