Neuroscientist: Screen Use in Schools Reduces Cognitive Ability 2026

Neuroscientist Jared Cooney Horvath warns that screen use in schools is reducing children's cognitive ability, and he wants to cut it drastically. In his book The Digital Delusion, Horvath argues that the rise of educational technology has reversed generational progress in intelligence. He calls this one of the hardest truths our generation must face.

The Rise of Educational Technology and Its Impact on Learning

The edtech industry has exploded into a multi-billion-dollar market. In the UK alone, the Department for Education reports an annual turnover of about £6.5 billion. In the US, Horvath estimates it's a $400 billion mega-industry, woven into every aspect of schooling. But this growth hasn't translated into better outcomes.

Starting around 2000, IQ scores began to fall across the West, even as time spent in school increased. International test scores also dropped. Horvath attributes this decline directly to the meteoric rise of educational technology. He believes that screens, once introduced for convenience, have become a crutch that hinders deep learning.

Evidence of Declining Cognitive Scores

Data from international assessments like PISA show a clear downward trend in reading, math, and science scores since the early 2000s. Meanwhile, screen-based learning tools have become ubiquitous. The correlation is striking, and Horvath argues it's causal.

Why Screens Undermine Deep Learning

Horvath explains that screens encourage shallow processing. Students skim rather than read deeply, and multitasking fragments attention. The brain's ability to form lasting, transferable knowledge is compromised when information is presented in fast, fragmented digital formats.

He emphasizes that this isn't about banning screens for entertainment—it's about reducing them for academic learning. The goal is to give children deep, transferable knowledge, not just surface-level familiarity with digital tools.

Key Takeaways for Parents and Educators

• Screen use in schools correlates with declining cognitive scores.
• Educational technology is a massive industry, but its benefits are unproven.
• Reducing screens in classrooms can help restore deep learning.
• Parents should advocate for more traditional, paper-based instruction.
• Post-pandemic, schools should remove the digital 'Band-Aid' and return to proven methods.

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