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Neuroscientist Tells Senate Gen Z Shows First Recorded IQ Decline, Blames EdTech

His testimony cites post-2010 score drops linked to widespread classroom devices.

Overview

  • Dr. Jared Cooney Horvath presented cross-national analyses spanning about 80 countries over six decades that associate greater school technology adoption with weaker learning outcomes.
  • He told the Senate Commerce Committee that Gen Z underperforms millennials on attention, memory, reading, math, problem-solving and overall IQ despite spending more time in school.
  • U.S. NAEP figures cited in his presentation show scores often flattened or fell after statewide one-to-one student device programs were introduced.
  • He reported that students using computers roughly five hours a day for schoolwork scored lower than peers who rarely used classroom tech.
  • Experts at the January hearing urged delaying smartphones for children, shifting younger users to basic phones, limiting tech in schools, and considering Scandinavian-style restrictions on EdTech.