The Terrible Toll of Screens on Gen Z Intelligence

Gen Z, defined here as the generation born between 1997 and 2010, may be the first generation in history that is less intelligent overall than the one that preceded it (GeoNews, February 3, 2026). In testimony before a U.S. senate committee, Dr. Jared Cooney Horvath, a neuroscientist and director of the educational organization LME Global, stated that “Gen-Z recorded the lowest levels in cognitive development since the records began in the late 1800s.”

Dr. Horvath noted in comments to the New York Post that members of Gen Z “underperformed on basically every cognitive measure,” including “basic attention, memory, literacy, numeracy, executive function and general IQ” (February 7, 2026). A recent report of student test scores in the U.S. revealed that “average reading and math scores among 12th graders fell to their lowest levels on record in 2024” and test scores for students in the fourth and eighth grades also hit “historic lows” (Christian Science Monitor, September 9, 2025). Dr. Horvath believes this to be due to overreliance on digital technology in schools, explaining, “The human brain isn’t wired to learn from short video clips online and reading brief sentences summarising larger books and complex ideas” (GeoNews). Human beings “are biologically programmed to learn from other humans and from deep study, not flipping through screens for bullet point summaries” (New York Post).

Yet parents are not without a solution. If they take time to read to their children from their youngest ages, they can begin to make a huge difference in their cognitive development. You can learn more about these benefits by reading or listening to “Read with Your Children!”